Critical Thinking and Its Importance in the Current Society Essay

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Responsibilities of a Critical Thinker in a Contemporary Society

Some thinkers consider critical thinking to be solely a type of mental skill, devoid of any moral value; it is often utilized to rationalize prejudice and to promote self-interest. While moral integrity is understood as good heartedness, it is also susceptible to manipulation to satisfy vested interests in the same way as responsible citizenship can be manipulated. The human mind, regardless of conscious goodwill, is subject to the more powerful and self-deceptive egocentricity of the unconscious part of the mind. The complete development of each and every characteristic, be it critical thought, responsible citizenship, and moral integrity - needs to include cultivation of each other characteristic, in a parallel strong sense (Paul, 1993). The three characteristics of higher thought can only be developed in an environment that promotes intellectual virtues such as integrity, intellectual courage, intellectual fair-mindedness, intellectual empathy, intellectual perseverance, and faith in reason. These virtues are interdependent. Our fundamental ways of knowing cannot be separated from our fundamental ways of being. How one thinks reflects who one is. Moral and intellectual virtues or lack of them are strongly correlated. To develop the level of intellectual independence advocated for within strong critical thinking, one must appreciate the need to cultivate intellectual humility, integrity, courage, empathy, perseverance, and fair-mindedness (Paul, 1993).

Intellectual Humility

Intellectual humility is essentially being aware of the limits of our own knowledge, and being sensitive to situations wherein our ego-centrism is likely to function in a self-deceptive manner. For example, sensitivity to prejudice, bias, and awareness of the limitations of our own viewpoints might be such cases. Intellectual humility is basically anchored on the recognition that we should not claim to know more than we actually know. One may think that it implies intellectual spinelessness; however, this is not the case. Rather, intellectual humility implies insight into, or awareness of logical foundations and/or their lack in our beliefs (Paul, 1993).

Intellectual Courage

Intellectual courage is basically being aware of the need to tackle head-on the beliefs, viewpoints, or ideas concerning which we have very strong negative emotions and have not yet given serious consideration. This courage is linked to the awareness that beliefs or ideas considered absurd or even downright dangerous are at times rationally justified; thus, conclusions we might have about them may be false or even misleading. To judge for ourselves what is right or wrong, we must not be passive or uncritically "accepting" the things we have "learned." Intellectual courage helps us to discern for ourselves whether perhaps what we thought to be absurd or false may actually have some truth in it. It requires courage to be true to one's own thinking in such situations. This is because the penalties of not conforming to the ways of our societies can sometimes be severe (Paul, 1993).

Intellectual Empathy

Intellectual empathy is basically being aware and/or able to picture oneself in the situations of others, so as to genuinely comprehend what they are going through. It requires the awareness of one's egocentric inclination to "identify the truth" using our immediate perceptions. This virtue is associated with the capability to accurately reconstruct the ideas and thinking of others and to reason from assumptions, ideas or premises other than our own. This virtue is also associated with the readiness to remember occasions in the past where one was wrong despite an intense conviction that one was correct. This awareness and the concomitant humility gives one the knowledge that one can be similarly deceived in a current situation (Paul, 1993).

Intellectual Good Faith (Integrity)

Integrity is the awareness of the need to be true to, and/or consistently act in accordance with one's own thinking. This means to demonstrate consistency in the intellectual standards we hold ourselves to; to hold ourselves to similar rigorous standards of proof and evidence as we hold for our antagonists. It also means to practice what we "preach" or advocate for and to genuinely admit the inconsistencies in our own thoughts and actions (Paul, 1993).

Intellectual Perseverance

Intellectual perseverance is the readiness and awareness of the necessity to continue working to discover or pursue intellectual truths and insights despite obstacles and difficulties or frustrations. This means also holding to rational principles in spite of the irrational antagonism of others. Perseverance is a willingness to continue the pursuit of a deeper understanding despite confusion and unsettled questions (Paul, 1993).

Faith in Reason

This is the confidence that ultimately our own higher interests and those of humanity as a whole will be served best by allowing the freest play to reason, and by encouraging individuals to come up with their own conclusions by cultivating their own rational faculties.

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Faith in reason is the faith that, with proper encouragement, individuals can learn to form rational ideas by themselves, draw logical conclusions, think critically, and convince or persuade each other using reason and become reasonable persons, in spite of the hindrances in the inherent nature of the human mind and society (Paul, 1993).

Fair-mindedness

Fair-mindedness is the willingness to treat all ideas alike, without putting undue weight on one's own self-interests or feelings. This includes not being swayed by the opinions of our friends, our social group or our nation. It also implies applying intellectual standards without preference, and attempting to think and/or be aware of facts even when they are not to the advantage of ourselves or our affiliates (Paul, 1993).

Principles of Critical Thought In Relation To Teen Violence Such As Cyber Bullying

Technological advancements have largely been regarded as a positive transformation or change. However, despite the many advantages of technology, it is becoming clearer every day that these advances are exposing more people to violence. The use of internet services and video games is one of the ways in which this is occurring. The end result is that the youth in our societies are becoming desensitized to gruesome acts of violence. This is promoting a perpetual cycle of violence that is becoming the norm in our societies (Willoughby & Sugarman, 2013).

Technological advances represent creations that help in carrying a particular task (Killick, 2004; Pfaffenberger, 1992). Technology enables individuals to have more options for accomplishing different tasks. For instance having the latest Smartphone enables individuals to have a higher communication speed and greater access to a wider range of social applications and news online. Despite the many advantages offered by these advances, they do have a negative side. For example, technology can alter behavior. Perhaps the most recognizable example of this role is military conflict. Local, regional, national and global 'wars' have evolved (or perhaps 'devolved') from the use of spears, bows, and axes to nuclear and chemical weaponry. In this particular case technology has greatly increased the capability with which people can harm others (Willoughby & Sugarman, 2013).

Cyber-bullying is any use of a technological form of aggression. It includes different forms of online activities, such as sending other people hurtful messages and/or photographs (and artwork) through computers and smartphones (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2008). It is also known as cyber-aggression. Of late, more individuals have become aware of cyber-bullying, especially due to the recent highly publicized suicides of teenagers such as Amanda Todd, Phoebe Prince, and Megan Meier, all of whom were victims of cyber-bullying (Willoughby & Sugarman, 2013). Reports have shown that as many as 43% of teens have reported having experienced a form of cyber-bullying in the last year. The number of females experiencing cyber bullying is higher than that of males; this form of aggression is most common among 15 and 16-year-olds (NCPC, 2007).

Teenage victims of cyber-bullying reported that they were more likely to consider the following actions immediately following the event: ask the perpetrator to stop; use electronic means to block the individual from interacting with them; or talk to a friend about it. It was also noted that teens were twice as likely to tell a friend about the event as compared with telling a parent or any other adult (NCPC, 2007).

Teens who have experienced cyber bullying have reported a variety of emotions including indifference and embarrassment. About 56% of the victims have reported feeling angry; 33% have reported feeling hurt; 32% said they were embarrassed; and 13% reported feeling scared (NCPC, 2007). However, many teens reported that the cyber-bullying incident they experienced did not affect them. Even though many teens often do not know immediately who the perpetrator was, three quarters of them reported that they eventually figured out the identity of the perpetrator. Most of the times it is a 'friend', a student they know from school, or someone else they are familiar with. Less than a quarter of the teens reported that they were bullied by someone they did not know (NCPC, 2007).

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse includes pushing, slapping, hitting, and punching; this is the most common and visible form of abuse. Several studies have reported that about 14% of parents have been physically assaulted by their teenage children at some….....

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