A strong-sense critical thinker always strives to be intellectually fair. One of the qualities of such a thinker is that they try to understand the viewpoints of other people. When discussing or debating an issue, it is essential to give opponents a fair chance to express themselves (Elder and Paul 23). I also admire the fact that this type of thinkers changes their mind when presented with overwhelming evidence against their opinion. They are not rigid in their beliefs and can assess the strengths and weaknesses of any argument. I think it is important to develop strong-sense critical thinking skills.
I have gained sufficient knowledge from this course that has made me a critical thinker. I can now identify fallacies in my thinking and try to avoid them. However, there are still some barriers to my further development as a critical thinker. For instance, I have a difficult time letting go of my beliefs. It is hard for me to pay attention to new information that contradicts my existing opinions. This is a form of egocentric thinking since I find that I try to impose my will on others. Now that I am aware of this pitfall to critical thinking, I will be conscious not to fall into it. I have discovered that egocentrism makes me believe that I know more than I actually do (Elder and Paul 199). With this kind of mindset, I cannot learn as much as I should from other people. Through systematic self-reflection, I am certain that I can overcome this barrier.
I have found efficient ways of dealing with these barriers to critical thinking. First, I usually profoundly research a topic when I am interested in it. I try to understand as much about a subject as possible before forming an opinion about it. Although this is tiresome sometimes, it ensures I have considered different viewpoints. Reading as much as possible has also helped me deal with drone mentality. This is a type of barrier where one is not attentive to what is going on around them. It can result in the loss of critical thinking skills as a result of being detached from one’s surroundings. To counter this, I stay updated on current events and apply critical thinking skills to comprehend them.
I have noted progress in my thinking during the past four months. On the third week, I considered myself a challenged thinker, which is the second stage of development. During this time, I would act irrationally and make questionable decisions. Further, I did not take time to process information and pay attention to important details. Since then, I have grown significantly as a critical thinker. I now consider myself challenged thinker, which means that I am ready to accept the challenge and improve my critical thinking skills (Elder and Paul 68). I believe critical thinking takes conscious effort, and it is not something that just happens.
The first step is to learn critical thinking skills because, as my mother would say, you cannot give something you do not have. Without critical thinking skills, I cannot become a better thinker. Due to this realization, I now go through a mental checklist of items when making a decision on something. For instance, I ask myself whether factors such as frustration, irritability, and haste influence or impair my decision-making process. In the short-term, this has had a positive impact on my life. I have found that I approach decision-making more critically than before. I have also become more patient and composed even in the face of critical decisions.
The information that I have learned during the past four months has also improved my personal relationships. I am better at communication because of the skills I picked from this course. For instance, although I still struggle with egocentrism, I am now aware of it and try not to let it ruin my relationships. I was surprised to learn how rigid I am during discussions and arguments. Before, I used to insist on my way and be dismissive of the input of others who did not agree with me. I now know that this results in poor decision-making and alienates loved ones. The biggest impact that this class has had on my personal relationships is that it has made me a better communicator.
Now that I know more about critical thinking, I am certain it will affect my relationships with other people in my life. Not only can I analyze my own thinking but I can also evaluate other people’s thinking too. For instance, I can tell whether an argument follows second-order thinking by evaluating whether it has been analyzed, assessed, and reconstructed. I believe this will be a valuable skill in my workplace. I will be able to direct my peers to ideas that they may have failed to consider. For instance, an argument derived from first-order thinking can be improved through the application of further critical thinking skills. However, I will be careful not to become arrogant or unteachable because this will fuel egocentrism. While I am excited about what I have learned to far, I know that I still have a lot to learn. I believe that with constant practice, my critical thinking ability will improve significantly in the future. The key to developing this ability is to constantly exercise the mind to think critically.
Work Cited
Elder, Linda, and Paul, Richard. Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. 3rd., Pearson Higher Education, 2014.