Religion Causes Perceptual Barriers example essay topic

Billy Sandoval Nature of Logic and Perception PHL 251 Dennis Nilson, facilitator July 31, 2005 The nature of logic and critical thinking go hand in hand. A person must use logic during the critical thinking process. However, each person's logic may depend on his / her perceptual process or their perceptual barriers. No person can ever fully understand their own perceptual process in its entirety. The reason being is that no person knows all of their perceptual barriers. Without knowing all of the barriers, how is a person able to determine the process in which they perceive things?

While a person may know or assume some of their perceptual barriers, some of their perceptual barriers will never be uncovered because they may not know they even exist. They may not even know that they exist because the perceptual barrier is so strong that it will never be known to them, that it, in fact, is a barrier at all. This alone could be a potential barrier. Aside from not being able to identify all of a person's perceptual barriers, each situation that comes about where a critical thinking process may be utilized can call for a different process. For example, a person may use an entirely different perceptual process while at their place of employment than they would in their home. Even then a person may utilize a different process depending on the situations that occur on any given day.

However, the way we think can be determined by the way we were raised and the way we currently are living. Many factors come into play that can cause perceptual barriers. Each person was brought up with many different cultural influences. Some of these influences come from religion, ethnic background, surroundings, and media. A person's overall upbringing and self-concept can also be considered barriers at times.

Other potential barriers are expectations and schemata. As humans we take everything into our own perspective instinctively. Our emotional state also influences our thinking and perception. Certain situations may come about that cause us to be so emotional that we cannot possible think critically or with logic because the emotion is so strong it will not allow our brains to function at its full capacity to evaluate the situation properly. Some of the emotions that can cause perceptual barriers are passion and depression. If a person is so passionate about something he / she will not be able to have and "open mind" about certain issues because their passion is so strong it will not allow anything other than what they believe true.

Depression can be a potential barrier because a person who is depressed is not thinking with full logic. They are depressed therefore their thought and their thought process are inhibited. Stress can also cause a perceptual barrier, especially since stress and depression are often times linked together. A person who is so stressed out cannot think straight and can be irritable and irrational. This will cause a perceptual barrier so strong that it will be hard to go around it.

Two of the biggest perceptual barriers that been have noticed over the years are religion and stereotypes. Religion causes perceptual barriers because the people who believe so strongly in their religion think that what they believe is the right and only way to be. This causes them to have a closed mind or not to be able to critically think during some instances because the barrier exists. Stereotypes also have the same effect because people have preconceived notions about certain people and cannot get over that barrier long enough to utilize the nature of logic. With respect to religion, some religions do not believe in the using of contraceptive practice.

They feel that if it is meant to have five children then so be it. What if the couple has three children and during the birth of the last child the doctor recommended they do not have any more due to complications? Then they end up with another one on the way because their religion does not believe in contraceptives. The mother dies giving birth leaving behind four young children and a husband. Their religious beliefs caused a perceptual barrier that ended up costing them the life of a person. This may have been prevented if they utilized some form of contraceptive.

If this couple was thinking logically instead of religiously then the mother may still be alive. With respect to stereotypes, most people think of flat out prejudice among different races. Some people believe that their race is more superior than others. A person who has a preconceived notion about an entire race of people may not even want a child of that race of people to play with their child. He / she may catch the children playing in the yard and come outside screaming for their child to stay away from the other child. This may cause problems for the other child's self-esteem, problems in the neighborhood and with the children and their parents.

These children both may grow up to have their own perceptual barriers because of the perceptual barriers that the parent has. For people to get over their barriers they must go back the nature of logic. They must have a clear and open mind and remember to critically think about things that can have an impact not only on their own lives but the lives of others. Most importantly, think before you act!