Xinlin Luo Conversation 1

Gary Meegan talks about how most of the definitions of critical thinking can be summarized in what Dr. Richard Paul once said, “Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it”. It is like any art that takes time and practice to get good at. Critical thinking can help us not only analyze, evaluate and understand the thoughts and behaviors of others, but it can also help us examine our own thoughts. We can practice enough to make critical thinking a habit, so that we can reason things out more carefully and rationally, make better decisions and eventually become better people.

Jesse Richardson’s views on critical thinking are that we need to teach children how to think rather than what to think. We should engage children in their own learning process, not just tell them a standard answer, but encourage and guide them to analyze and question things. If children use only fixed knowledge to engage their own minds and awareness, this will instead turn them into nerdy and low-curiosity machines. One part of learning how to think is creativity, and creative thinking teaches children how to adapt and be creative in order to solve problems. Another part is taking responsibility for your own ideas, because we are all prone to cognitive bias. And critical thinking can teach us how to critically identify and question things, helping us avoid getting caught up in the malicious manipulation of some ads, media or politicians. Creative thinking and critical thinking interact to grow our minds to a higher level.

I agree with both of them and it is really important. Because I think people should at least have the ability to distinguish between what is right and wrong, to look at things rationally and critically, and not to lose their ability to distinguish between right and wrong by falling into the trap of someone else’s words. Critical thinking is not something that can be achieved easily but is an important skill that can only be practiced over time, as Gary Meegan said. In my opinion, critical thinking is a way of considering and evaluating things through rational thought. It helps us to understand the essence of things and to see different aspects of things so that we can make more well-informed decisions. Critical thinking is therefore both important and useful in our daily lives.