Critical Thinking And Perception.

Essay by RectifierUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, October 2005

download word file, 1 pages 3.7

Skillful decision making starts with a decisive and tactical thought process. Many sources characterize critical thinking as the ability to direct one's thinking. Critical thinking includes the capability to evaluate the premises of one's reasoning, and/or the interpretation of another viewpoint. It also involves the controlled assessment of information sources. There is no authoritative classification of critical thinking though.

The essential theory of critical thinking is, at the core, very straightforward. It can be defined as the talent of taking charge of your mind and thoughts. If one can take charge of his or her mind, they can take charge of their lives. This requires the learning of self-discipline and self-examination. It involves becoming addicted to reflectively examining our hasty and familiarized ways of thinking.

Perception is the way we look at things. Perception is much more than sensing; it is interpreting, processing, and reacting. The powers that have produced or trained our characteristics by instilling beliefs, values, and viewpoints which we have accepted without dispute serve as perceptual obstructions.

Many people do not take into consideration others opinions without asking for them. The situations in which one is less of an individual (because of these influences) occur when they decline to comprehend someone else's opinion, or look for other points of view, because of something they have been trained to accept as truth.

Our perception of reality is often a creation of the atmosphere in which we exist. Many claim that perception is not instinctive, but rather a learned dexterity. We generally formulate ideas of reality based on our own experiences, as well as the experiences of others around us. Our lives are influenced relentlessly by our surroundings. Movies, radio, and television carve one's acuity of the outside world. These are the demons which strive to block our...