Critical and creative thinking skills are instrumental in various difficult situations in life. For instance, using fossil fuels as the main source of energy has led to the degradation of the environment through toxic emissions. Governments across the world have opted for the quota system when emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This implies that heavy emitters have to reduce their quantity of emissions. However, compliance with this rule is still a challenge.
Even if emission was to be reduced, pollution would still persist. As a permanent solution to this challenge, the world should abolish the use of fossil fuels in mass production and instead adopt green energy alternatives such as wind, solar energy, tidal power, and hydropower, among others. Similar situations demand critical thinking because life on the planet may diminish completely if mediocre ideas are persistently used.
Free will refers to the power to perform any form of action without being coerced. Free will may also be described as acting within personal discretion. We use free will to create a perception of issues around us. When we have developed perceptions, free will enables us to probe the same perceptions if they are factual.
Truth refers to the essence or state of being authentic, factual, or real. Whenever something or an issue is confirmed to be truthful, it enhances the confidence of our thinking process. In other words, truth does not merely assist us in forming strong opinions. We also use truth in formulating ideas that we are ready to defend.
Knowledge can be defined as the skills and information that may be attained from formal or informal education or experience. The information and facts known from specific fields of study may equally be described as knowledge. It is the foundation of any thinking process. We use knowledge to come up with intrinsic ideas that are eventually discussed openly.
The opinion refers to any form of judgment or perspective over something. An opinion may not necessarily be true. When several people express their views and beliefs over something, it amounts to opinion. Opinion can be used to redirect the process of thinking by weighing the available options. Opinions also offer various options in the process of forming thoughts.
One of the hindrances to the critical thinking process is confirmation bias. This refers to the tendency to interfere with the available evidence in order to fit the belief system of an individual. This hindrance can be overcome by seeking an additional source of information that can invalidate or challenge your beliefs.
The second hindrance is the attribution bias. This refers to a belief system that internal factors are responsible for good tidings in our lives, while bad occurrences are caused by external factors. In order to avoid this type of hindrance, we should try and see other people as equally important, and that misfortune can be caused by several factors apart from other people.
The third hindrance is the tendency to generalize issues from limited observations. In the case of organizations, this hindrance can be avoided by seeking an honest opinion from all employees.
There is an advert from Unilever Global that promotes one of its washing powders called ‘Omo.’ The company affirms that ‘dirt is good’ because when children play out in the fields, it enhances their physical and social growth and development.
My perception of the message in this advert is that they are merely promoting the product because dirt can never be good. The message is not real when claiming that dirt can be good. In a real sense, it is the playing session that is vital in the overall development of a child. Hence, my perception and the reality of the message are not compatible with each other.