Critical Thinking Is the Disciplined Art of Ensuring the Use of Best Thinking.

CRITICAL THINKING Critical thinking is the disciplined art of ensuring the use of best thinking. It is the purposeful and reflective judgment about what to believe and what to do in response to the observations, experience, verbal or written expressions or arguments. In any circumstance or goals the best results are attained if I use skilled thinking. As a manager, leader, parent it is necessary to think to a higher level of quality in order to accomplish positive goals. The key in the process of critical thinking is to use facts (statements that can be proven true by other verifiable) versus opinions (emotions, feelings, and impressions). Critical means to take in consideration the author bias and rhetoric when I read or write a subject. I will question “when” and “where” was the article first published and if it is credible. I will clarify my thinking trying to figure out the real meaning of what people are saying or doing. Critical thinking requires to look on and beneath the surface, and to try to figure out the truth. The best way to eliminate confusion is to question questions. For example whenever I have a plan to discuss an important issue or problem, I need to write out in advance the most significant question I think needs to be addressed in the discussion and further to question it. A very important element in critical thinking is the cause and effect relationships. An example on how I will apply this is to determine factual data and the relationship between cause and effects. An example is making in-depth research about the relationship smoking-cancer and answer the question: “Does smoking increase the risk for cancer?” I will always ask myself about the accuracy and completeness. Ones a fact and opinion have been differentiated and the author is not biased, and the cause-effect relationship is examined then I need to question the questions. I want to mention that as a critical thinker I need to be cautious about fallacies and faulty reasoning. Incorrect assumption of cause and effect relationship is: “Every time a patient that smokes will have decrease tissue perfusion; therefore if a patient has decrease tissue perfusion is because he smoke.” Critical thinking acquires that always use comparison and contrasting in a situation and to identify differences and similarities among the facts. Not the last is to judge and draw the best logic conclusion. The list of core critical thinking skills includes observation, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation and meta-cognition. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness. The positive habits of mind which characterize a person strongly disposed toward critical thinking includes the desire to follow reason and evidence wherever they may lead, open-mindedness, foresight attention to the possible consequences of choices, a systematic approach to problem solving. The hallmark of a critical thinker is the disposition to change one’s mind when given good reason to change. My intention is to become a critical thinker and to follow the elements, traits and standards of critical thinking learned in this course as a guide in the journey of discipline of nursing.