Critical thinking about critical thinking

            At this point in the course (MSLD 500, Leadership foundations in research), I reflect on what I have learned so far.  Am I now a critical thinker?  The answer is no.  This is because I have not yet fundamentally changed the way I see things.  Partial to that reason is because I have viewed things from an egocentric perspective – I rarely questioned why I believed in something.  I just assumed that over time I arrived at those beliefs through my own experiences, trial and error, education, and so forth.  Therefore, unless there was an impetus for me to believe otherwise, I didn’t see the need to question it.  It’s like being taught that an apple is red.  What is there to question?  However, I recognize now that asking the question doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a problem.  Asking the question can simply lead to enlightenment – this is illustrated in Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave.  I have a lot of progress to make when it comes to critical thinking.  Yet, I’m not discouraged.  I realize that to have the skill to critically think is just like developing any other skill – it requires repetition.  For example, I train in the martial art of Gracie Jiu-jitsu.  I have practiced many Jiu-jitsu techniques thousands of times and am not yet a master, not even close.  However, some of the techniques I do well and do them without thinking – they are now reflexes.  As for my critical thinking, I have not yet internalized the all of critical thinking competencies.  I do not have the critical thinking reflexes, that is, it is not a part of my nature when addressing a problem.  However, I am now cognizant of the elements of reasoning, the standards of critical thinking, and the intellectual traits/virtues.  When I began this course, I was not a blank slate when it came to critical thinking.  I quite often used several of the elements of reasoning i.e. purpose, question at issue, assumption, etc.  I developed these reasoning skills in the Army but at an amateur level, not with the breadth and depth needed to actually perform critical thinking.  To get better at critical thinking, and to have skills that are lasting, I must incorporate it into many more aspects of my life and practice, practice, practice!

References

Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Plato. (n.d.). Retrieved from web.stanford.edu: https://web.stanford.edu/class/ihum40/cave.pdf