The Nature Of Logic And Perception

The Nature of Logic and Perception

Critical thinking is the ability to be in control of one’s thinking. It includes the ability to knowingly examine the elements of one’s reasoning, or that of another, and evaluate that reasoning against common or universal intellectual standards - clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, and logic. It also involves the structured examination of sources of information to determine its validity. Logic is emphasized by the critical thinking process as it requires questioning of assumptions and therefore it can challenge our normal biases and prejudices, and often change our thoughts about something that we originally perceived to be one what but actually turned out completely different. When trying to understand the nature of logic as it relates to the critical thinking process it seems that your first goal should be to find the truth. Some truths are obvious, and other are difficult to acquire. Some judgments we make are simple; some judgments are complicated. Some arguments, whether made by us or others, may be straightforward and easily understood; other arguments may be complex and consist of a series of smaller arguments, each needing to be critically examined and evaluated. Critical thinking involves knowledge of the science of logic, including the skills of logical analysis, correct reasoning and also an understanding of statistical methods. Critical thinking however involves more than just an understanding of logical procedures in our thought processes. A good critical thinker must also understand the source and nature of knowledge and the nature of truth. Logic doesn’t just deal with thinking in general. Logic as it relates to our critical thinking process, should enable us to develop the necessary skills to think correctly which is logical. To describe this as a simple definition would be “logic is the subject that teaches us the rules for correct and proper reasoning”. The process of critical thinking is also influences by our own perceptions our perceptual blocks. The perceptual blocks that may have some bearing on my critical thinking process are those not readily visible but instead they involve things that I have created as realities. For example, I am a Human Resources Director, so occasionally I am responsible for placing job ads, scanning resumes, scheduling interviews, meeting with candidates and finally choosing the person who I feel best represents the skill set and social match that our company is looking for. My perception of a candidate is largely influenced by the persons family background, birth place, parents relationship etc. It may seem to make better sense when choosing a candidate to first evaluate work experience and job knowledge, but my perceptual blocks tell me that a persons background and family lifestyle are a larger influence to their current and future success than their education or experience. Any process must begin with knowledge, so to think critically we must start with some idea or awareness and build from there. The next set in the process would