Monday, April 20, 2015

Are You a Critical Thinker?

As we move closer the 2016 Presidential election, we will be deluged with information about the various candidates. Now, more than ever before, we need critical thinking to process the information. The first quality of a critical thinker is rationality. This means we rely on reason rather than emotion and require evidence to support assertions. We are thinking critically when we weigh the evidence and consider the bias of the presenter. It also helps if we are aware of our own bias, prejudice, assumptions, and point of view. Critical thinking also requires honesty, open-mindedness, discipline and judgment.

So, are you skeptical, do you actively search for information, are you open to new ideas and information? http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_thinking.htm I hope I am. I try not to blindly accept what the pundits are saying. And I hope you practice your critical thinking skills along with me.

2 comments:

  1. Critical thinking, in these times Pat, is of little importance. I say that with tongue in cheek because the country is so polarized; the candidates on the Right so extreme in their views, it appears that the only path with merit is to apply your advice to, in our case, the Democratic candidates!

    I currently feel that we are doing ourselves an injustice by not fielding other candidates besides Hillary. I am in favor of her running, but not in favor of risking all on the outside chance that something pops up that could drastically change how Democrats currently view her is 'the one'!

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    1. I hope we get a few more on Dem side. Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb, maybe more

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