Logic and Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking
August 15, 2005
Abstract
I will focus on logic and its relation to critical thinking. Furthermore, I will describe my perceptions and how they distort reality. I will then give a brief explanation of an experience in my life where my views were distorted. The barriers that stop me from having a clear reality will follow. Lastly, I will explain the cycle of the critical thinking process and how it can be influenced to change.
A Complex Inner Reality
I find the nature of logic and its relation to critical thinking complex. I think it is important to understand how I think and make the unknown number of decisions I make everyday. "If we do not understand the workings of the brain, if we cannot enter its inner sanctum and unfold its mystery, then how can we define thinking?" (Thinking, 1999) Why do I have the perceptions that I have? Furthermore, I will discuss my own perceptual process and the types of perceptual barriers that influence my views. Lastly, I will explain the critical-thinking process and how it is manipulated by my perceptions.
Logic helps guide me through the critical-thinking process. Logic forces me to think about the out come of certain propositions before I ask a question. I ask myself, "Will this question get me to where I want to go?" Until I discover a beneficial question, I cannot start to critically think. Critical thinking involves asking myself many questions. To accomplish a successful resolution, I must ask the right questions. Asking myself the wrong questions and then following through with supporting them would be foolish, unfocused, and illogical. For example, if I want to discover the meaning of "logic," am I going to look in the Dic ...