Critical Thinking And Decision example essay topic

The best definition for critical thinking that I found was from the Critical Thinking Consortium website, which is an excellent site for information on critical thinking. Here is their definition: Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and / or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. It entails the examination of those structures or elements of thought implicit in all reasoning: purpose, problem, or question-at-issue; assumptions; concepts; empirical grounding; reasoning leading to conclusions; implications and consequences; objections from alternative viewpoints; and frame of reference.

I thought I was going to paraphrase this but the more I kept reading the more I realized that this was the best definition and it should stay the way it is. It also went on to say that there are several different types of critical thinking such as scientific thinking, moral thinking, mathematical thinking, etc. and they are all incorporated together. Decision-making can be defined as: "The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea". The course material refers to critical thinking as awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions, the ability to ask and answer critical questions appropriately and for one to have the desire to actively use critical questions. The course material stated that the tasks for decision makers is to come up with a solution to their problems but that figuring out what the problems are might be half the battle. Critical thinking to me is evaluating my current situation or problem whether it is work related or personal and looking at it at every angle possible to come up with a solution.

I believe I would not get very far in life if I made quick decisions all the time although there is a time and place for those as well. As for decision-making, I agree with the above definitions but I would also add that it can not only be complex decisions but also very simple ones. Everything that I do is based on a decision that I make and I love that I can make my own decisions because some people are not able to. Critical thinking is a crucial part of the decision-making process. If you think critically about something before you make a decision, it could change the whole outcome of the situation.

They go hand in hand and those who chose not to think critically could potentially make really bad life-changing decisions. Some benefits to being a critical thinker are effective planning and problem solving as well as making well thought out decisions and having creative ideas. Employees who can analyze and reason consistently and competently provide a cost-efficient resource that results in a unique competitive advantage that makes them more valuable to the company. I rarely feel that my critical thinking skills are being used to their full potential at work because everything I do is very repetitive.

Every month I do the same thing and there is hardly ever a time when something new pops up but when it does it is usually something that I have to really think about. The project managers use their critical thinking skills everyday, for example, whenever they are on a job site they have to know what is going on and what needs to be done so that other things can be done. They have a schedule that they have to follow so that the job is completed on time and correctly. In summary, critical thinking and decision making are both very important factors in life because they involve every aspect whether it be deciding to go right at a stop sign or building a rocket to go to space. Some of the best and worst things have happened in this world because of critical thinking and the lack there of, respectively.