critical thinking essay

critical thinking essay

The Importance of Critical Thinking in Today’s Society

1. Introduction

This paper will provide valuable information concerning the importance of learning critical thinking and its so-called aspects in today’s society. In asking, “how can critical thinking ability be identified and the specific methods/techniques that allow it to be learned?” we can begin to identify best practices. This topic is profound, relevant, and quite interesting. It is also an important topic because it has been proven that critical thinking skills are the very thing that a public education is based around. It is the most valuable thing that a person can possess. People who use critical thinking are the ones who say things such as, “How do you know that?” “Is this conclusion based on evidence or gut feelings?” “Can this information be trusted or are they trying to sell me something?” These are all questions a critical thinker will ask themselves or others. These are all the right kind of questions because they are the kind that lead to a deeper understanding. In discussing the importance of critical thinking, there are several areas of critical thinking that are often overlooked. One of these is cognitive function. Cognitive function is defined as “the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment” (dictionary.com). This is the very essence of thinking critically. People use cognitive skills to arrive at a decision or solve a problem. Cognitive skills are the building blocks for critical thinking; they are how we gather information. This is also an important topic because critical thinking is highly valued and is in high demand. The job market is a competitive one, and if employers can find a person who can think critically, they are surely going to hire them. This is because a person who can think critically can solve problems effectively. This person also has a better chance of avoiding making decisions based on personal bias and emotion. This is a great asset in a world where decisions based on bias and emotion often lead to unforeseen problems. A critical thinker is also open-minded and mindful of alternatives. This person is not narrow-minded and will be more accepting of the ideas of others. These are all valuable skills, and employers are willing to pay for them. Another area of overlooked importance is informal logic. Informal logic is reasoning in which the premises support the conclusion but do not necessarily lead to it. It is also defined as the study of arguments in ordinary language or proof of knowledge. A solid understanding of informal logic will enable a person to refute bad arguments, which in turn will prevent the person from accepting or acting upon what may be a bad decision. This is a valuable skill in personal and professional life.

2. Understanding Critical Thinking

The first cited definition of critical thinking is given by a critical thinker as someone who uses specific criteria to evaluate reasoning, who is an effective communicator and problem solver, who identifies and assesses implications and consequences, who uses sound reasoning, who possesses a healthy skepticism, who makes no hasty judgments, who is open minded, and who is able to identify and avoid bad reasoning (Critical thinking web, 2005). A broader definition would be a reflective and reasonable form of thinking that aims to evaluate information in a disciplined and self-regulating manner. A successful critical thinker is one who can make decisions wisely and is able to evaluate all variables to come to a certain conclusion. This would be achieved through understanding, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information all in a disciplined manner (Paul, 1990).

Critical thinking in the modern era of continuous innovations plays a crucial role in the societies’ wellbeing. Laymen should understand critical thinking because it is a crucial ability and inclination to assess claims and arguments. Critical thinking is an important skill set to have in society because it allows others to see past the emotion of a decision, evaluate the evidence, understand the consequences, and make an informed decision. It also allows people to evaluate both sides of an argument and reduce biased evaluations. When making life altering decisions, a person will employ critical thinking and this will guide them to make an informed decision. Informed decisions are the building blocks for successful outcomes to come. A person with strong critical thinking will be able to make decisions that are well-informed with the best available data, and the person will act on these decisions with confidence and assurance.

3. Benefits of Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Enhance academic performance: The quality of the thinking and reasoning abilities of an individual is given a lot of emphasis by educational institutions today. They maintain that a student’s higher order intellectual skills (the kind that critical thinking develops) are an important factor in academic success. The majority of students who enroll in basic skills courses in college do so because they do not have the necessary skills to be successful in a college-level course. According to the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, it is these higher order thinking skills that a student must develop before he or she can begin to tackle college level courses. Critical thinking is also considered important for human capital development in various economic sectors. This means that educational institutions are trying to prepare students for the future workforce; which is why most employers are increasingly seeking people who can think critically, innovate, and solve problems. So it comes as no surprise as to why critical thinking is given so much importance in today’s education. Critical thinking will also help in the development of a clear and comprehensive career and life plans. This means that the individual will be able to identify and provide information to clarify a situation and seek other possible solutions or alternative decisions to that situation. He/she will also be able to analyze causal relations among key events or actions and will be able to analyze advantages and disadvantages of each possible alternative. With a clear and systematic plan, the individual will be able to both understand and explain to others the issue at hand and may then effectively market his/her skills or services and identify a practical plan for implementing them. This is a vital skill to learn before entering the workforce and starting a career. In a more personal context, with well-thought-out plans, it becomes simpler to consider changing directions in one’s career as the skills are transferable to a variety of situations and can be used as a mini guide in daily decision making.

4. Applying Critical Thinking in Everyday Life

Parekh and Trilling suggest essential criteria for the community leader or manager who is initiating change: discovering and understanding the implications of the changes taking place in the community; understanding the cause and effect relationship between a specific problem and an intervention; and understanding the range and how to tailor interventions to different groups of people. This knowledge focuses on finding the right interventions for specific problems and groups of people. Critical thinking is the key in this criterion because it gives the tools with which to evaluate the types and ranges of interventions that have been successfully used in similar situations, to identify possible negative and positive outcomes, and apply lessons learned from those experiences. This is critical in order to assure that the best intervention is found and to minimize the potential harm that can occur from trial-and-error interventions on an at-risk population.

Critical thinking is an important tool in solving community problems and in developing interventions to improve the quality of life. It gives public health professionals the ability to evaluate and analyze information so that the evidence-based interventions with the greatest potential are identified and implemented. This is particularly critical when it comes to determining the root causes of the problems that we are trying to solve. In order to improve community health, it is likely that we will need to address complex and multi-dimensional issues such as the rising rates of chronic disease, the need for a more diverse and better trained health workforce, and the increasing gaps in health equity.

5. Conclusion

So, it is time to reconsider how important critical thinking is in today’s society. This essay has discussed that critical thinking is more relevant today than before. In general, in every single moment, people can make a decision or solve problems. This is because the environment around them keeps changing. For example, 10 years ago, a farmer made a decision to plant vegetables instead of rice. But now, the farmer should rethink his decision because the weather, which is more extreme than before, will make his vegetables unable to grow well. So, he must solve this problem by making some decisions. It can be said that he should rethink his decision and reanalyze the best solution for him. From this example, critical thinking is very much needed by that farmer. He should decide what is best for him now by considering all the factors so he will not regret what he has decided.