Critical Thinking Application

What Is Critical Thinking?

Paul and Elder (2006) describe critical thinking in the introduction of their book Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life, as "the art of thinking about thinking while thinking in order to make thinking better." Working out a situation, explaining some dilemma, answering particular questions, or settling a certain issue is the common purpose of thinking. Discovering how to recognize that things are not always what they seem to be on the surface and realizing how skillfully that one makes sense of the world's surroundings is essential to a person's welfare and interests. Learning to become a successful evaluator of reasoning logically allows full advantage to the value of thinking. This requires making learning about thinking precedence (Paul, Elder, 2006, p. xix).

What is the need for Critical Thinking skills?

Skills of knowing how to learn and knowing how to comprehend the rapidly spreading information that we must select from are the most important intellectual skills for the future. The information flood and the continuously shifting workplace are but a few rea¬sons why critical thinking is more significant now than ever before in history (Halpern, 2003, p. 3). The information upsurge is but one reason why there needs to be specific instruction in thinking. Critical thinking skills are important for a free society, and claims stating that every generation needs better critical thinking skills than the previous one due to a bigger and more complex base of knowledge (Halpern, 2003). In some instances, state university curriculums are instructed to include critical thinking as part of their general education requirements (Halpern, 2003). Critical thinking skills are considered high priority on an employers list when searching for potential employees (Burbach, 2004, para.4).

The ideal critical thinker is consistently inquisitive, knowledgeable, has confidence in reason, and is open-minded, adaptable, and impartial in evaluation. These truth seekers are also practical in making judgments, meticulous in seeking information that is pertinent to the concern, focused in query, and unrelenting in the hunt for results which are as clear-cut as the theme and the conditions that questions allow (Five Colleges of Ohio, n.d.).

Decision Making

The process of making decisions can be challenging and stressful (Halpern, 200, p. 310). Several stages in decision-making are faced each day. Some decisions are small and insignificant, while others are large, and may influence lives. Everyone makes choices that affect the welfare of others. When decisions are made that weaken or harm the well-being of others, this is known as an unethical decision. When decisions or values that undermine or harm personal health or safety are chosen, this is identified as an irrational decision (Paul and Elder, 2006, p. 186).

To make logical decisions some important factors are to acknowledge the need for crucial decisions, correctly recognize the alternatives, put more time into making and reasoning through decisions, and developing knowledge of ignorance to determine what should be known about decision-making (Paul and Elder, 2006, p. 188 - 190).

Critical thinking at (Business name here) is imperative to the well-being of the company on a daily basis. Decisions made in one department effect what decisions need to be made in another department. For example, materials management is the very heart and soul of the manufacturing plant in (Business name here with address). This department consists of material handlers such as stock clerks and stacker operators that process every piece