Critical Thinking

Critical thinking, according to Micheal Scriven & Richard Paul are defined as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation experience reflection, reasoning or communication as a guide to belief and action. Critical thinking is the general term given to a wide range of cognitive and intellectual skills needed to effectively identify, analyze and evaluate arguments. Among them are also in making reasonable, intelligent decision about what to believe and what to do. One of the people that I look up to which possesses these qualities of a critical thinker is Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. I have chosen to write this essay on Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as a critical thinker because he has the important characteristics and the skills needed in a critical thinker. One of the characteristics of a critical thinker that he possesses are that he thinks independently and is not afraid to disagree with group opinion. People look at him as an intellectual and a visionary, as something more than just an ordinary politician, therefore he is always invited to give his views on things. While in the political wilderness, Mahathir wrote his first book, The Malay Dilemma, in which he set out his vision for the Malay community. The book argued that a balance had to be achieved between enough government support for Malays so that their economic interests would not be dominated by the Chinese, and exposing Malays to sufficient competition to ensure that over time, Malays would lose what Mahathir saw as the characteristics of avoiding hard work and failing to "appreciate the real value of money and property". The book continued Mahathir's criticism of Abdul Rahman's government, and it was promptly banned. The ban was only lifted after Mahathir became prime minister in 1981; he thus