Critical Thinking and Ethics

Critical Thinking and Ethics

Warren Caulk-Crabbe

Gen/201

August 1, 2016

MISHELENE BAKER

Critical Thinking and Ethics

Life is full of problems and struggles. At times, we may feel unable to choose among several solutions. When new information is present people may find themselves trapped in the decision-making process. According to Dictionary.com (2014) critical thinking is described as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence”.

Psychologist Benjamin Bloom categorized thinking into six steps. The steps of the thinking process consist of remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Remembering requires a person to recall a particular detail or fact. Understanding is how well you can grasp and comprehend new information. The third step which is applying can be described as using previous information in a new situation. Analyzing requires breaking down information into several portions or components to understand it as a whole. Evaluation happens when we understand and analyze information and the reasons supporting it. We can then use this information to decide whether to trust in a belief or to take part in a particular act. Creating is the final step of the thinking process. Creating can be described as taking all information and knowledge to produce a new idea.  By using all six steps of critical thinking, we can find facts to validate our opinions and choices when solving problems. This is beneficial because we then see all aspects and solutions of the problem and what validates our solution.

While taking the Ethical Lens Inventory, I selected statements and situations that describes myself. My blind spot from the Ethical Lens Inventory revealed that I “believe that a consistent process results in a just outcome for all, you sometimes trust the process too much. You forget that unequal access gives rise to unjust outcomes, even when the process itself is fair”. My blind spot outcome also specified that I “develop unrealistic role expectations, forgetting that individuals are fallible regardless of their role.” The blind spot outcome that was determined based upon my selected statements is actually quite flawless. I find myself trusting in people and procedures, blindly believing in the fact that just because someone says something will work and they will get it done, that it will indeed get done. I believe in processes that are supposed to work but fail to realize there is always errors and things don’t always work out the way it is supposed to partly due to the fact that individuals are separate from their roles.