Critical and Creative Thinking in the Society Essay

Describe a situation of public interest in which critical and/or creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations.

The society is faced with difficult situations which usually require reflection, comprehensive analysis, planning and accurate execution. Critical and creative thinking entails not only solving these situations but also seeking to provide relevant alternatives and variables. A situation of public interest that require critical thought to acquire better outcome is dealing with race war in the US (Bourdain et al., 2017). Various instances of death have been reported which are related to racial prejudice as well as law enforcement. These incidences have presented public outcry and raging emotions which are hard to grapple with. In the year 2017 after POTUS elections, there has been brawling brutalities which have been electrified by radical rights based on racism. When the radical groups such as the extremists and white or black supremacists find avenues to spill their rage and views, violence progresses typically. For example, the death of Heather Heyer, death of two individuals caused by Jeremy Christian, reported death cases in Virginia and several others (Bourdain et al., 2017).

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These situations may present looming civil war. The situations of public interest require critical and creative thought to lay strategies to avert prospective occurrence. Leaders play quite vital roles in handling violent extremism, and when they take sides, it makes it difficult a situation to grapple with. The race war in the US is far from being solved if a critical thought approach is not implemented. It is essential for leaders to think critically in such situations because it offers a foundation for liberal democratic society. Liberal democracy embodies critical strategies which help in solving social issues and in the long run fixes judgments and proper governance. Proper governance facilitates the overcoming of prejudice and biases that would likely lead to social atrocities and racial feuds.

Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts. What role does each play in critically assessing situations?

Free will is the ability to have independence in choices of actions. It establishes thoughts on the basis of voluntary decision making without being coerced to bow to pressure. Truth can entail facts which are recognized verifiable principles, theories, and facts. Multiple people apply truth to form the foundation of integrity and transparency. On the other hand, knowledge depicts understanding and expertise which an individual can acquire through practice and edification. Knowledge enhances the in logically processing of thoughts. Whereas, opinion is described as ones' judgment which is insufficiently supplied by evidence or certainty (Wright, 2015). One has to think of various opinions before perceiving them as facts. Opinion is extensively interlinked with an individual's thought formation process.

Free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion play vital roles in critically assessing situations. Free will gives an individual the autonomy to evaluate various presented variables, and then decide on the best course of action at one's discretion (Ruggiero, 2012). Truth presents facts and information with sufficient evidence which help in developing an objective approach to a situation. Knowledge can help one assess the relevance, reliability, and consistency of a situation thus making comprehensive inferences. Finally, opinion facilitates a solution of presented needs through forming a knowledge base from which to choose from and create a relevant line of action.

Identify three hindrances to the critical thinking process. Determine methods for overcoming these hindrances. Identify a time in which you experienced a hindrance in critical thinking. Describe a method you could use to overcome the hindrances.

Critical thinking entails objective, rational, wishful, and comprehensive thinking which is well-versed by evidence. As such, hindrances to critical thinking are the barriers that limit the essence of the above course (Ruggiero, 2012). They are inclusive of but not limited to mindless conformity, self-deception, and short-term thinking.

To overcome mindless conformity, it is imperative to analyze situations and consider alternatives. Moreover, one should be firm and express a strong level of confidence in thoughts and decisions without being lured into prodding what other people do. To overcome self-deception, it is essential to consider that no one is immune to cognitive biases. Secondly, it is important to understand oneself in regards to susceptibility. Knowing areas of weaknesses help in formulating facts from opinions (Wright, 2015). To overcome short-term thinking, it is important to understand concepts rationally with an open mind which promotes identification of sustainable comprehension.

A time when I experienced hindrance to my critical thinking was when a friend of mine who is a teacher at high school involved me in her decision-making process. She was faced with a situation where she had to recommend students for graduation and since she considers me a monumental friend she asked me what she would do on whether to let the student to graduation list despite failing in the classroom and not attaining the required threshold or to just let him repeat the significant modules. She made me understand that the father of the student was a respectful man who tried to push for his son's graduation regardless of the failure. I engaged a critical thinking process and had to decide the fate of the student. The student had to take up his responsibilities and work hard to complete the other courses, so I informed my friend that her job was to do what was correct in the long term and not letting short-term thinking overcome her critical thinking. She made the student redo the course because it is the right decision to make.

Identify a message in advertising. Describe how you perceive the message of the advertisement. Try to determine the reality of the advertisement. Distinguish between your perception and the reality of the message.

Heineken Light advertisement message states "Sometimes lighter is better." (Schultz, 2018). The reality of the message is that it represents the light beers which are meant for people who would like to limit their calories and alcohol consumption. These beers have lesser alcohol content compared to full beers, and sometimes people say that they do not get one drunk when consumed excessively. Correspondingly, Heineken Light indicated that it presents great taste and lowers calories (Schultz, 2018). However, my perception was quite different because in the advert a bartender gets surprised by the presence of a lighter lady regarding her skin then he slides a beer which passes on the table past a black man to reach the lady. This advert can be misinterpreted by many people to be fuel racism. It would be likely to be put to gain more views on social platforms and mainstream media.

References

Bourdain, A., Rosner, H., Keefe, P., Solomon, A., Carter, M., & Cobb, J. et al. (2017). Is America headed for a new kind of civil war?. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/is-america-headed-for-a-new-kind-of-civil-war.

Ruggiero, V. R (2012). The art of thinking: A guide to critical and creative thought. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Schultz, E. (2018). How did this happen? Behind Heineken Light's 'lighter is better' ad mistake. Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/heineken-light-s-lighter-ad-mistake/312887/.

Wright, D. (2015). Are we asking the right questions about critical thinking assessment?. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, 30(3), 20-31. doi: 10.5840/inquiryct201530314.