The Importance of Being a Critical Thinker
Shantee Charles
M. Keith Claybrook, Jr., PhD.
AFRS 150-04 Critical Thinking in Africana Studies
11 October 2016
Introduction
A critical thinker is “ self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective ”, , they “entail effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism” (Critical Thinking.org). Critical thinkers go beyond what information is given by pushing themselves to analyze every detail, whether or not they agree with the result. They find significance within arguments and evaluate how and why it can affect their societies for the better or for the worst. Furthermore, everyone has a worldview, …show more content…
Warren Buffett concluded that “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact”, but “critical thinking relies on the accurate processing of new and existing information to provide an answer to the current question” (Says). Efficient critical thinking requires research, but many people only look for information that strengthens their own biases. They ignore counter arguments and facts that might hinder their opinions. They settle with what is their “truth”, even though it might be mistaken because they are steadfast in their ways. Confirmation bias can actually hinder one's thinking more than someone else’s argument can hinder theirs. For example, someone who could be an opposer of gun regulation laws most likely will only look for news sources that align with the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. As a result, they end up ignoring statistics about police brutality, mass shootings, gang violence, and all of the crime rates relating to guns present in the United States. A big part of confirmation bias is assuming something is true. Even experiences people face in their life create biases. If someone was robbed by an hispanic male, or talked down by a black woman, they will create their own truth about someone or something based off of one experience. In this case, having a bias against hispanic …show more content…
create division within countries. People who have the ability to critically think, find different ways and solutions to issues that surround them. Like a math problem, there are usually many different ways to get to an answer. Listening to the experiences of others, and researching different cultures influence someone's understanding. In critical thinking, “Beliefs are born in experience, and experience teaches us to remain flexible in the face of an ever-changing world. This flexibility is manifested in the dynamic character of the system of representations that constitutes our conception of the world, or worldview” (webpages.uidaho.edu) . People’s worldviews have changed many times, and will continue to change with the upcoming nuances that will be present in the future. Change allows for critical thinkers to come up with more ideas and form new perspectives on problems facing the world. People who have careers in sociology, anthropology, psychology, creative writing, journalism, politics etc. are some examples of critical thinkers who continue to efficiently examine why the world works the way that it does. All of these scholars push to ask questions about why there are stereotypes, where do they come from, who is affected by them, how to initiate changes effectively from them, and why do certain privileges exist. All of the questions that are asked can illustrate worldviews productively because they try to
Shantee Charles
M. Keith Claybrook, Jr., PhD.
AFRS 150-04 Critical Thinking in Africana Studies
11 October 2016
Introduction
A critical thinker is “ self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective ”, , they “entail effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism” (Critical Thinking.org). Critical thinkers go beyond what information is given by pushing themselves to analyze every detail, whether or not they agree with the result. They find significance within arguments and evaluate how and why it can affect their societies for the better or for the worst. Furthermore, everyone has a worldview, …show more content…
Warren Buffett concluded that “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact”, but “critical thinking relies on the accurate processing of new and existing information to provide an answer to the current question” (Says). Efficient critical thinking requires research, but many people only look for information that strengthens their own biases. They ignore counter arguments and facts that might hinder their opinions. They settle with what is their “truth”, even though it might be mistaken because they are steadfast in their ways. Confirmation bias can actually hinder one's thinking more than someone else’s argument can hinder theirs. For example, someone who could be an opposer of gun regulation laws most likely will only look for news sources that align with the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. As a result, they end up ignoring statistics about police brutality, mass shootings, gang violence, and all of the crime rates relating to guns present in the United States. A big part of confirmation bias is assuming something is true. Even experiences people face in their life create biases. If someone was robbed by an hispanic male, or talked down by a black woman, they will create their own truth about someone or something based off of one experience. In this case, having a bias against hispanic …show more content…
create division within countries. People who have the ability to critically think, find different ways and solutions to issues that surround them. Like a math problem, there are usually many different ways to get to an answer. Listening to the experiences of others, and researching different cultures influence someone's understanding. In critical thinking, “Beliefs are born in experience, and experience teaches us to remain flexible in the face of an ever-changing world. This flexibility is manifested in the dynamic character of the system of representations that constitutes our conception of the world, or worldview” (webpages.uidaho.edu) . People’s worldviews have changed many times, and will continue to change with the upcoming nuances that will be present in the future. Change allows for critical thinkers to come up with more ideas and form new perspectives on problems facing the world. People who have careers in sociology, anthropology, psychology, creative writing, journalism, politics etc. are some examples of critical thinkers who continue to efficiently examine why the world works the way that it does. All of these scholars push to ask questions about why there are stereotypes, where do they come from, who is affected by them, how to initiate changes effectively from them, and why do certain privileges exist. All of the questions that are asked can illustrate worldviews productively because they try to