9 A - Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is the process of applying a certain thinking process as a model in order to reach a decision about the best way to handle something or the best way to achieve a goal.  I think critical thinking is important, especially when you are faced with difficult or important decisions.  It is very easy to think with your emotions or your heart, and that sometimes will not lead you to making informed decisions.  When you let your emotions rule your decisions, they are more of a rushed decision and not a well thought out one.  In my experience these decisions tend not to be the best ones you make.

With critical thinking you will take the time to use facts, and take the time to interpret the relevant information that you have.  You should be evaluating the data that you have and consider the options, or the ramifications of the decision you make.  You should be asking yourself questions, and comparing the answers to your long term goals.  This will assist with your thinking and decision making process.

I believe that there are definite situations, and they may depend on their importance to you, when critical thinking is necessary.  Many things in life require a lot of thought and soul searching in order for you to achieve your goals.  You should be tin inking with your long term goals in mind.  This also involves persistence and motivation to achieve and will take some work to learn how to carefully and thoroughly take into account the different phases of thinking something through. 

This applies to college because you need to decide where you want to be or what you want to do with your future, and what the best way to get there is.  You have to evaluate how much time and effort you are putting into your classes, and compare that to your grades. Is what you are doing enough to achieve your long term goals?  This is definably an example of delayed gratification. You may not see all the results immediately, but to be able to use critical thinking to achieve your future goals, will definably make for a better future for yourself.

“Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior. It is thus to be contrasted with: 1) the mere acquisition and retention of information alone, because it involves a particular way in which information is sought and treated; 2) the mere possession of a set of skills, because it involves the continual use of them; and 3) the mere use of those skills ("as an exercise") without acceptance of their results.”

Cited From: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/410