Free Essay

Topics for Critical Thinking

In:

Submitted By MeiLin3011
Words 2157
Pages 9
Topics for Critical Thinking Project

Instructions:

1. Students gather in groups of four or five.

2. Each group writes an essay of about 1.000 words about the chosen topic. The essay must cite public opinions around the topic and include references.

3. At the end of the essay, there need to be Venn diagrams or truth tables to test the validity of the arguments that are cited or made in your essay.

4. In the oral presentation, the slides must display the arguments and the diagrams to test validity.

1. Sustainable development becomes a challenge because we have conflicting needs. We want fresh, clean air to breathe but we also want to buy cars We want to conserve forests but we need trees to build houses We want to swim in clean waters but we need factories. Factories usually use water from rivers to power machinery or to cool down machinery a. How do we balance conflicting needs? b. What are the important steps that have to be undertaken to achieve the goals of sustainable development? c. What arguments could you present to the country’s leaders? Use good arguments to present your point of view. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, truth table, chart, graphs to support your arguments.

2. Alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar, hydropower and biomass can be harnessed to meet Vietnam’s rapidly increasing demand for energy. While there has been some early success, deployment of renewable energy has not reached the country’s potentials yet a. Why is this happening? b. Provide solutions to the problems using at least 2 forms of Argument. c. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, Truth table, chart, graphs to support your arguments.

3. Viet Nam is considered as one of the most vulnerable countries due to climate change and sea level rise. If sea level rises to 1 meter, Viet Nam will lose about 12% of land, 23% of population will be affected. Typhoons will occur more frequently with higher intensity. Temperature increases and change in rainfall pattern will affect agriculture and water resources. a. What are the problems that Vietnam will face in the next 20 years? b. What are the solutions to the problems using at least 2 forms of Argument. c. What would you do in the future to prevent these kinds of problems from happening? Use at least 2 different forms of argument to support your views Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, truth table, charts, graphs to support your arguments.

4. Inspectors of the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment found that chemical substances had leaked from a plant belonging to the Lam Dong Bauxite-Alumina Complex in Bao Lam District. Rains washed the substances into the Tan Rai Alumina Plant's drainage facility before running into a large fish pond owned by some local residents. a. What are the problems? b. What are the solutions to the problems? c. What would you do in the future to prevent this kind of problem? Use deductive and inductive arguments to prove your point. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, truth table, chart, graphs to support your arguments.

5. Small businesses have to be quantified to be effective. All innovations have to be quantified. Eventually everyone working on the business should think in terms of numbers. You’ll quantify everything. a. Do you agree? b. Why? c. Use deductive and inductive arguments to prove your point. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, truth table, chart, graphs to support your arguments.

6. “It isn't really stealing to copy music off the internet. True artists want their music to reach as many people as possible. They are more concerned about the effect of their music on the world than on base concerns such as money. Most independent artists cannot find distributors. People who share music with their friends on the internet perform a useful service to music as they make more people aware of small artists and the diversity of music that is available.” a. What do you think about the idea? Does it affect to the music development in the world in general, and particularly in Vietnam? b. Are there any problems on intellectual property in music in VN? Given some examples to illustrate your ideas. c. What are your solutions to the problem in VN at the time being? Give solutions and arguments to convince that your proposal is realizable, using different forms of arguments. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, Truth table, chart to support your arguments.

7. Mekong Delta water supply is going be unstable (going away or coming too much) and may cause troubles to countries as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, … a. Up to you, what are the causes of this unstable situation? b. Does this really effect to VN? What are the results for VN? c. What are solutions to the problem? Use two different kinds of arguments to support your ideas. Use charts, graphs, or diagrams to support your argument.

8. Have you ever heard about “global warming”? “Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F) with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain most of it is caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels. These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all the major industrialized countries. a. Give a panorama (general view) on effects of this phenomena on earth. Details on the causes of such a phenomena. b. Does this phenomena effect to VN? If yes, what is/are the areas effected the most? Do you know if the VNese government has any projects to deal with such a problem? c. Your ideas on these project (are they enough?, some more effort are needed?, etc.). Your solution? In the processes of presentation, using different of kinds of arguments, charts, diagrams, … to support your ideas.

9. “Honesty” refers to a facet of moral character and denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft. Additionally an honest person will inform others of opportunities for growth and self-actualization. Secrets allowing people to be harmed, self-deception - not being aware of one's own environment, and remaining silent when duty calls forth an opinion become silences which hurt others in the long-run. Honesty means being open about one's life.” (Wikipedia)

a. Is honesty useful in your life? Any cases where dishonesty are needed? Say anything you like to say on honesty. b. Look around you and tell us what do you think? c. Up to you, to teach a person to be honest we should start at what period of their life time? And by what means? Give a lesson on honesty (in 5 minutes, by a picture, a song, or by any means you like), OR answer the next question: d. Think of the situation that you are teachers at primary or secondary school and you have 10 minutes to teach them a lesson on honesty. What do you do? In the processes of presentation, use different of kinds of arguments, charts, diagrams, … to support your ideas.

10. Alternative energy. “Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels. … In a general sense in contemporary society, alternative energy is that which is produced without the undesirable consequences of the burning of fossil fuels, such as high carbon dioxide emissions, which is considered to be the major contributing factor of global warming according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Sometimes, this less comprehensive meaning of "alternative energy" excludes nuclear energy (e.g. as defined in the Michigan Next Energy Authority Act of 2002)” (Wikipedia) (a) Why “alternative energy?” (b) What are the common types of alternative energy? (c) Up to you, what types of alternative energy are the promising ones for VN to develop now and in the future? If you are a powerful person of VN (such as, Prime Minister) what is your energy plan for VN in near future? In your presentation, use different of kinds of arguments, charts, diagrams, … to support your ideas.

11. “The North – South High-Speed Railway Project” was debated by diverted stakeholders. There are many different views on this issue. a. Do you agree to build this railway system, why? b. If you disagree, present your counter-argument. c. Use deductive and inductive arguments to prove your point. Use persuasive argument to present your point of view. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, Truth table, chart to support your arguments.

12. Recently, there is an idea on proposing higher fees on personal vehicles. The fees on personal vehicles and cars that enter a downtown area during rush hour are aimed at limiting the use of personal vehicles, easing congestion, reducing traffic accidents and creating a financial source for traffic projects. a. Do you agree with the above idea, why? b. If you disagree, present your counter-argument. c. Use deductive and inductive arguments to prove your point Use persuasive argument to present your point of view. Use additional tools such as Venn diagram, Truth table, chart to support your arguments.

13. In recent years, Vietnamese exports to the U.S. and some European markets have dealt with anti-dumping cases, in which foreign producers claim that Vietnam’s central government subsidizes domestic industries to sell products at a much lower price on the international market. This causes a lot of problems for Vietnamese producers.

Question: In your opinion, is Vietnam a market economy (without any intervention from the government) or a non-market economy (with subsidies from the government)? Should Vietnam accept or challenge the anti-dumping duties imposed by the U.S or other European countries on its exports?

In your analysis, cite others’ arguments and make your own arguments to support your opinion, then use Venn diagrams, truth tables, etc, to test the validity of these arguments.

14. After its short boom, the real estate industry of Vietnam is now facing the bubble phenomenon, when real estate investors cannot sell their properties and have to wait for the government’s support to survive. There are different opinions about the government’s plan to inject 30,000 billion VND to “rescue” the frozen real estate market.

Question: In your opinion, should the government financially support the industry, or should it let this economic sector “fall freely”?

In your analysis, cite others’ arguments and make your own arguments to support your opinion, then use Venn diagrams, truth tables, etc, to test the validity of these arguments.

15. According to the UN Population Fund, sex ratios at birth are becoming increasingly imbalanced in Vietnam. For every 100 females, 110.6 males were born - compared to a norm of 105. The situation was particularly worrying because of the rapid increase in the proportion of boys being born in the last five years. The UNFPA warned that the imbalance could lead to a number of social problems in the coming years.

Question: In your opinion, what social problems might Vietnam face in a near future? What should the government do to improve this situation?

In your analysis, cite others’ arguments and make your own arguments to support your opinion, then use Venn diagrams, truth tables, etc, to test the validity of these arguments.

16. When asked about the books he likes reading, Do Nhat Nam, 11, called a “Vietnamese child prodigy”, said he likes politics, science and informatics books. Unlike most children, he does not read comic strips because his mother said comic strips are like the worms that demolish people's soul. Nam’s statement has received a great deal of criticism on the Internet. (VietnamNet)

Question: What are the attractions of comic strips to children and young people? Should parents forbid or censor the comic strips that are substantially available in most bookshops in Vietnam now? Why or why not?

In your analysis, cite others’ arguments and make your own arguments to support your opinion, then use Venn diagrams, truth tables, etc, to test the validity of these arguments.

17. Chinese goods have been flooding Vietnam as they have been dominating the world’s market. However, Vietnamese consumers now keep cautious when using Chinese products.

Question: Why can China become the world top exporter (legally and illegally) and how can Vietnam protect its people and domestic producers from the “invasion” of Chinese products?

In your analysis, cite others’ arguments and make your own arguments to support your opinion, then use Venn diagrams, truth tables, etc, to test the validity of these arguments.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Acc 311 Ch1 Test Bank

...Chapter 01 Environment and Theoretical Structure of Financial Accounting   True / False Questions   1. | The primary function of financial accounting is to provide relevant financial information to parties external to business enterprises.    True    False |   2. | Accrual accounting attempts to measure revenues and expenses that occurred during accounting periods so they equal net operating cash flow.    True    False |   3. | The FASB is currently the public-sector organization responsible for setting accounting standards in the United States.    True    False |   4. | The FASB's due process invites various interested parties to indicate their opinions about whether financial accounting standards should be changed.    True    False |   5. | Accounting for stock-based compensation is an area in which the FASB has received little political interference.    True    False |   6. | The Public Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley) changed the entity responsible for setting auditing standards in the United States.    True    False |   7. | A rules-based approach to standard setting stresses professional judgment as opposed to following a list of rules.    True    False |   8. | Under federal securities laws, the SEC has the authority to set accounting standards in the United States.    True    False |   9. | The primary responsibility for properly applying GAAP when communicating with investors and creditors through...

Words: 17634 - Pages: 71

Premium Essay

Final

...Associate Level Material Critical Thinking Final Presentation Select and complete one of the following options: Option 1: Education Option 2: Marketing Option 3: City Council This benchmark assessment is a means for you to apply all you have learned in this course. It is recommended that you work on this a little each week to ensure adequate time is spent on building this presentation. To provide context, a variety of scenarios are provided for you to choose from. Regardless of the scenario, the presentation should include the same criteria. Option 1: Education Imagine you are an elementary school teacher wanting to add critical thinking to the curriculum at your school. You are preparing a presentation to deliver to the school board for your district. You want to convince them to change the way they teach thinking and to specifically address the explicit teaching of critical thinking in the elementary school setting. Research this topic online and in the University Library. Locate at least three articles on this topic, in addition to the Elder article. Create a 10- to 12-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation that includes the following: • Is this topic a problem or an issue? How would you express it? • What methods could you use to produce ideas to resolve this problem or issue? • What habits and perceptual blocks that hinder your thinking did you have to overcome with this topic? • How did you detect bias in your research...

Words: 882 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

What Is Critical Thinking

...What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is when anyone can research the topic that one is discussing and coming to a rational conclusion on the topic. Though there is a definition of critical thinking people are thought different ways to process critical thinking. Critical Thinking “it involves more than just blindly acting or reacting. (Critical Thinking. Chapter 1 pg. 2)”. One should avoid allowing their critical thinking process to not being bias, using emotions, or lead by temptation, greed or irrelevant considerations. Critical thinking is a way to determine whether a person believes in the topic and has done research to make a decision based on the facts that are presented at the time. There is no time limit on making a educated or rational conclusion on the topic. Based on my personal experience, one can access their cell phones at the time of the debate, argument or discussion. One can gather their thoughts and their position on the topic. The premise or conclusion of the decision one can decide if they believe in what they were told about the topic. Whether one makes decisions on a daily it comes to down to what we are going to do or decide what to wear. When we are making important decisions or choices it is important to not rush into making any drastic decisions without discussing it with a significant other. The purpose of critical thinking is so that a person can make an educated choice at the end of the discussion or making a choice. The thing...

Words: 345 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Audit Test Bank Ch 13 &14

...the inventory management process. Topic: Overview of Inventory Management Process   2. A receiving report records the shipment of goods to customers.  FALSE   AACSB: Analytic AICPA BB: Industry AICPA FN: Decision Making Blooms: Remember Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 13-02 Be able to identify and describe the types of documents and records used in the inventory management process. Topic: Types of Documents and Records   3. Sale of finished goods is a part of the inventory management process.  FALSE   AACSB: Analytic AICPA BB: Industry AICPA FN: Decision Making Blooms: Remember Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 13-03 Understand the functions in the inventory management process. Topic: The Major Functions   4. Once the controls in the inventory system have been tested, the auditor sets the level of control risk.  TRUE   AACSB: Analytic AICPA BB: Industry AICPA FN: Risk Analysis Blooms: Remember Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 13-06 Know how to assess control risk for the inventory system. Topic: Control Risk Assessment   5. The major control procedure for preventing fictitious inventory transactions from being recorded is proper segregation of duties.  TRUE   AACSB: Analytic AICPA BB: Industry AICPA FN: Decision Making Blooms: Apply Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 13-07 Know key internal controls and develop relevant tests of controls for inventory transactions. Topic: Control...

Words: 15455 - Pages: 62

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking and Ethics

...Critical Thinking and Ethics John F Kennedy once said "Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."1 He like other successful leaders possessed an abundance of both critical thinking skills and ethics. Their ability to assess a problem, challenge a topic think clearly about it and reflect, independent of their beliefs and personal values to make a rational decision or come to a logical conclusion. These characteristics helped them achieve and rise to the pinnacles of success. The ability to apply critical thinking to your everyday life and in turn your professional life is one of the cornerstones for achieving success. The critical thinking process has a set of defined steps that are part of the Levels of Thinking. These levels help explain the process of how critical thinking is achieved. The first steps are used to remember, understand and apply information that we are learning. The first three steps in the Levels of Thinking include gathering data on a topic, comprehending the key terms, facts or events of that topic. Then defining that information in your words and then finally applying that to a situation in your life. In its simplest form, this could be like the time your parent taught you or you taught yourself to change a tire. As you progress higher into the Levels of Thinking, critical tasks are done to further breakdown information coupled with an assessment of all the data. These levels culminate in our ability to...

Words: 729 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Taxationforindividuals Ch 9

...Chapter 09 Property Acquisition and Cost Recovery   True / False Questions   1. | Like financial accounting, most business property must be capitalized for tax purposes.    True    False |   2. | Tax cost recovery methods include depreciation, amortization, and depletion.    True    False |   3. | If a business mistakenly claims too little depreciation, the business must only reduce the asset's basis by the depreciation actually taken rather than the amount of the allowable depreciation.    True    False |   4. | An asset's capitalized cost basis includes only the actual purchase price; whereas the other expenses associated with the asset are immediately expensed.    True    False |   5. | The basis for a personal use asset converted to business use is the lesser of the asset's cost basis or fair market value on the date of the transfer or conversion.    True    False |   6. | Depreciation is currently computed under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS).    True    False |   7. | The 200 percent or double declining balance method is allowable for five and seven year property.    True    False |   8. | Taxpayers may use historical data to determine the recovery period for tax depreciation.    True    False |   9. | Taxpayers use the half-year convention for all assets.    True    False |   10. | If a taxpayer places only one asset (a building) in service during the fourth quarter of the year, the mid-quarter...

Words: 18014 - Pages: 73

Premium Essay

Free

...ch10 Student: ___________________________________________________________________________ 1. An advantage of issuing a bond relative to stock is that the bond interest payments are tax deductible. True False 2. Issuing bonds dilutes the voting power of the common shareholders because bonds have preferential voting rights. True False 3. The major disadvantages of issuing a bond are the risk of bankruptcy and the negative impact on cash flow because debt must be repaid at a specified date in the future. True False 4. A bond's interest payments are determined by multiplying the bond's principal amount by the stated interest rate. True False 5. A convertible bond can be called for early retirement at the option of the issuing company. True False 6. The issuing company and the bond underwriter determine the selling price of a bond. True False 7. The issuance price of a bond is the present value of both the principal plus the cash interest to be received over the life of the bond discounted by the stated (coupon) rate. True False 8. When the market rate of interest is greater than the stated interest rate, the bond will sell at a discount. True False 9. A bond will sell for a premium when the market rate of interest is greater than the stated rate of interest. True False 10. The proceeds received from a bond issue will be greater than the bond maturity value when the stated interest rate exceeds the market rate of interest. True...

Words: 23435 - Pages: 94

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking

...Critical Thinking and Ethics As I sit here thinking about critical thinking, I ask myself, what is critical thinking? My definition of critical thinking would be, to go into deep though about something that’s on your mind. I then though maybe you should look up the real definition of critical thinking. In doing that I came up with this. According to the Encarta Dictionary critical thinking is disciplined intellectual criticism that combines research, knowledge of historical context, and balanced judgment. Another source tells me it’s thinking about a subject, problem, or content. It’s self-directed, self-monitored and self- corrective thinking. Critical thinking assent standards of excellence and command of their use. As I go farther into my research of critical thinking, I also find out there are different steps to critical thinking. One of the first steps is Knowledge. Knowledge is topic, issue, thesis, and the main point. In other words you have to know what you’re thinking about. Thinking on a topic you know little about can cause you to feel overwhelmed. Step two in the critical thinking process is Comprehension. Comprehension is understanding what it is you’re reading, hearing or seeing. I comprehend better when I see or hear something being taught to me. You have to be able to comprehend what you’re thinking about to help you understand what you’re learning. The third step in critical thinking is Application. Application is to know and apply what you comprehend. In...

Words: 612 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Health Care

...BUS3006 Unit 3 Research Paper Topic Information Template Pre-requisite: Prior to working on this assignment, complete Unit 2 studies, discussions, and assignment. In addition, review the Unit 3 studies. Upon completing Unit 2, the next step in the research paper is to revise your research paper’s healthcare management-related topic and problem statement. As you compose this assignment avoid performing research and using citations. Internet research is not needed because you are sharing your thoughts and not those of another author. The six parts of the critical thinking process provided as a Resource will guide you to be successful in completing the assignment. Use this template by completing Section 1, Section 2, and Section 3, which will guide the composition needed for your assignment. Have fun and be sure to submit by Sunday of week 3 to assure you can then be successful with Unit 4’s course work. Note that this topic and problem statement will be the focus of your research worksheet for Unit 3 and Unit 4 discussions. | Name |Date Completed | | Siobahan Booker | 10/3/2012 | Section 1: Compose your chosen research paper topic using descriptive words. Suggested length is 6-12 words. Avoid pronouns. |Research Paper’s Healthcare Management-Related...

Words: 909 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking

...Smith 1 John Smith Professor Jones English 1A 9 September 2013 Critical Thinking Democracies are made up of communities and will only thrive if critical thinking and local involvement are key features. Communities are the basis of a democracy and represent citizens at a local level. In a democracy local citizens put forward ideas which percolate up to higher levels of government. Improving citizens ability to become critical thinkers is vital to making a strong democracy. Critical thinking is essential for a democracy to flourish. It's important that citizens of a democracy apply critical thinking to form an unbiased point of view. Education helps people engage in the community and fulfill basic societal expectations of a democratic citizen. To enhance a democratic society the education system must improve. For example, have students write editorials or reviews on current events. This keeps students in touch with whats going on in the world and helps them form opinions on the topic. Also encouraging students to run or elect a student council. Running for student council develops a students leadership skills and promotes democratic thinking. The foundation of a democracy is having the freedom to question the government, access all information, and take action. Democracies are always in a state of development and critical thinking is a key component of finding innovative and progressive solutions to problems that arise in the democratic process. Further, the...

Words: 625 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Ssk12 Assisgnment

...Log Section 1 - Two reflective entries Reflective entry 1: New Beginnings Deciding to attend university as a mature age student was a decision I did not take lightly. I am working towards furthering my education in order to gain the necessary qualifications that will help me in my future business endeavour. I have found that after so long out of the education system it has been a difficult transition juggling study and work. The first units that were chosen for me in study period 2, I thought were difficult to understand having never written an essay before and without the knowledge or know how, I was not able to complete these units. SSK12 has given me a good understanding of what it takes at becoming a university student and in particular the skills on writing essays. As I have mentioned previously up until study period 2, I had never written an essay and did not fully comprehend how important the set out of a university essay was. Choosing an Essay Question was an important part of my learning in week 6 because this has now given me the beginning step in writing a university essay using the correct format. I am feeling a lot more confident when approaching the subject of essays as I now understand and have the knowledge on the procedure in completing an academic essay and what is required. I now know that by firstly choosing a question will then help you to with your thesis and this in turn will give you your main idea and sets the way in which to write...

Words: 4682 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Journal

...they have on the prescribed topic. With the discussion in flow, this paper would discuss the aspects that are necessary for developing an academic paper. I will cover steps involved in researching a topic and collecting data to formulate an academic paper. The item critical thinking with the aspect of decision making will be covered in this document. The academic paper is a presentation of real understanding of the subject, the amount of hard work offered during the research. The document is to be well formatted and organized so that readers can read and escalate the ideas mentioned. Planning and Decision Making Writing an academic paper, initial requirement is gaining knowledge of the subject which is then later researched a lot for better writing flow. An analysis is a next step which leads to a perfect output as an academic paper. There are few necessary steps to develop a good academic paper. The first step is to analyze the paper to be discussed, the analysis is something important which is followed by a sequence of collecting information about the writing through reading many posts, articles or blogs or through research. It is also important it is crucial for students to make a note of the references or where information is gathered. In the same manner, the thesis should be thought of and organizing the material is another aspect to be planned well ahead. Once all these are done, draft and review the paper written. Critical thinking is an aspect students should...

Words: 1046 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Organizational Behavior Assignment

...www.plymouth.ac.uk/learn learn@plymouth.ac.uk 01752 587676 8. Critical Thinking In this study guide:       What is critical thinking? Structure: organising your thoughts and materials Generating critical thinking Critical questions – a linear model Description, analysis and evaluation Developing an argument For further information and the full range of study guides go to: http://www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk What is critical thinking? This guide to critical thinking stresses the importance of asking and answering questions. In everyday life the term „critical‟ is often seen as negative or destructive. Being critical in academic life, however, does not mean questioning things randomly, or for the sake of „nit-picking‟. Instead, academic work aims to get as near as possible to the truth. Critical thinking in any subject or discipline is the way in which this is done, along with the more specialised applications of theory, the methods and techniques, which have been developed for the subject. Critical thinking then, is the attempt to ask and answer questions systematically. This means asking the most useful questions in the most productive sequence in order to yield a coherent and credible „story‟ So thinking critically means asking questions. Instead of accepting „at face value‟ what you read or hear, critical thinkers look for evidence and for good reasons before believing something to be true. This is at the heart of what it means to be a scientist, researcher...

Words: 3291 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking and a Democratic Society

...Critical Thinking and a Democratic Society The definition of an informed citizen is having sufficient and sufficiently reliable information or knowledge to be able to understand a subject or situation and make appropriate judgments or decisions regarding it. Meaning, to understand something fully you need to be properly informed. You cannot make an educated guess on most problems or issues. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of Critical thinking and Creative thinking in a Democratic Society .The requirements to become a better critical thinker stems from a realization that complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity of a person characteristic of their current environment. Most of the material about critical thinking derives from philosophy, education, and psychology. There are, however, competing schools of thought on what critical thinking is and how to best develop it. In most cases a multidisciplinary assessment of a topic leads to a richer body of research, however, in the case of critical thinking it seems to have led to competing and incomplete views of the topic. Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome. It is used to describe thinking that is purposeful, reasoned, and goal directed. Critical thinking is a purposeful, directed thought. It is not easy, as it requires explicit mental energy. The great majority of the decisions and issues we face throughout the day do not...

Words: 875 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking

...Critical thinking is a process that I didn’t have very much knowledge about until this week’s learning activities. Reading about critical thinking, logic, and decision making, made me realize how much I use it in my everyday life. In our readings they state “critical thinking frees us from nonsense” (Being a Master Student, Ch7). This is true because when we think with a clear mind it enables us to make better decisions. As I continued to read about critical thinking I noticed that there are many different interpretations and definitions of the meaning of critical thinking. When I was reading the Electronic Reserve Readings, the definition of critical thinking that stood out the most to me was Haplem (as cited in Fowler, 2002) defines critical thinking “as thinking that is purposeful, reasoned, and goal-directed the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods and making decisions when the thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task” (Fowler, 2002). I thought this definition was a great way to define critical thinking. It is telling me that you should define the problem, ask yourself questions, and answer those questions logically. There are 6 steps that are to be followed or used during the critical thinking process. I read and then interpreted the steps in my own words, so I could understand them better. Step 1: Identifying the issue or topic. Step...

Words: 518 - Pages: 3