Critical thinking and ethics has an important relationship with each one depending on the other. Critical thinking is something you do almost every day from buying a new car to deciding what route to take to work in order to save the most money. Critical thinking also plays a role in developing our ethics when we are figuring out whether something is right or wrong or what the consequences could be of each choice.
Defining Critical Thinking and How It Is Used
Ellis defines critical thinking as “the ability to sort out conflicting claims, weighing the evidence, letting go of personal biases, and arriving at reasonable conclusions” (Ellis, 2014). Critical thinking is a great tool to use when solving problems because …show more content…
The first of these six steps is remembering. Remembering is the ability to recall key terms, facts, and/or events that you have viewed in the past. The second and third steps are understanding and applying. Understanding is when you are able to summarize and explain an idea in your own words which helps you to remember and understand things better. Applying is when you produce results by completing tasks, meeting goals, making decisions, or solving problems. The fourth and fifth steps describe analyzing and evaluating. Analyzing means you can take apart an idea and put it into parts, groups, or steps. This step is followed by evaluating which is when you rate the truth, usefulness, or quality of an idea and give a reason(s) for your rating. Evaluating involves genuine critical thinking since you have to give reasons for your opinion and offer supporting evidence. The final step in the critical thinking process is creating. In this step, you create something new based on an idea. One source of creativity is taking several ideas and finding an unexpected connection among them. (Ellis, …show more content…
Your ethics can guide and assist you when making difficult decisions. Ethics can also help you to contemplate the effect your decisions will have on other individuals. Ethics may apply to professional and societal responsibilities as well. In many professions, there is a Code of Conduct which is made up of rules and expectations which, if not followed, may result in disciplinary action. A Code of Conduct is generic by no means, and someone who works in the fire department will have a different Code of Conduct than someone who works as a technician. Ethics, when applied to society, is usually in the form of federal and state laws. These laws, once broken, can result in fines or even imprisonment. The influence of ethics in real life is unmistakable whether you are making difficult decisions or just following the Code of Conduct at