Critical thinking is the process of evaluating what other people say or write to determine whether to believe their statements. Developing the ability to think critically can be difficult because it is easier to make hasty judgments based on opinions and biases than it is to evaluate facts and arguments. The ability to distinguish the difference between statements based on fact, which is something that can be proven, and statements based on opinion, which is how a person feels or what he or she think is true, is very important to critical thinking.
A recent article that I came across provides some good examples of how critical thinking can have an impact on the reader. The article I am referring to is titled "Coagulating drug used on troops in Iraq draws criticism." (Associated Press, 2006) The author of this article is trying to address the issues that have been raised about the dangers of a drug called Recombinant Activated Factor VII, which is being used by the military on troops in Iraq to control deadly bleeding, but his logic and the information that he is providing the reader seems to be one-sided.
#edcmooc Anatomical Reflection
English: James Underdown director of CFI West give...
English: Dr. Harriet Hall receives an award for he...Within the article the author tends to lead the reader to the negative side of the issue. The author frequently states the dangers of the drug and how it is known to lead to strokes, heart attacks, and even death in the patients that it is used on. The tone of the article tends to lead the reader into assuming that the drug is being used irresponsibly and inappropriately. The author does briefly state positive aspects of the drug, but these aspects are surrounded by the negative criticism of the drug which is very misleading.
One reason that I disagree with the logic that the author is using...