Critical thinking and Decision making
...swer critical questions at appropriate times, and" the "Desire to actively use the critical questions"(M. Neil Browne, Stuart M. Keeley, Morgan W. McCall Jr, et al, 1998) Our lecture material says that "Critical thinking is common sense, a process to identify problems and solving them using a rational and systematic approach based on reason" ( Candice Shehorn, 2003). I think critical thinking leads to good decision making. This process involves several steps. First, you need to know what it is that you are trying to find, whether it be truth in an article, solutions to a problem, or the facts about a topic. Next, it is best to analyze or investigate the issue or situation. Once you have analyzed and investigated by asking questions to get answers you can make informed decisions that will better form Critical Thinking 3 your thoughts or opinions on a subject. Critical thinking and decision making go hand-in-hand. A person can make decisions without thinking critically. For example, choosing what you want to eat off of a menu does not require someone to think critically. When we talk about more complex issues such as whether or not we should open our borders to immigrants, we need to be able to ask questions and get answers from many sources in order to make an informed decision. Obviously, most people are going to have preconceived notions or assumptions that will affect the way they look at any issue and the way they see new information. A good critical thinker will base their decisions upon reliable and truthful information. The benefits derived from being a critical thinker are endless. "You'll increase your ability to perform thinking processes that help you reach any kind of school, career, or life goal"( Carol Carter, et al,1998) It allows you to come up with new ideas rather than just working off of others. It also allows you to be a valuable employee. Most importantly, it stimulates your ability to think creatively. My job at Allen plumbing and heating has weekly meetings to evaluate how the company is doing. We also brainstorm and try to problems solve. These meetings have always been a great place to use my critical thinking skills. Problems are always brought up at these meetings. Typically, I will ask questions to identify the specifics of the problem and once I have established what is needed I will make suggestions to try to solve the problem. ...