The importance of thinking critically is definitely understated in modern society. It is easier to live in a society as an ethically unquestioning member. To be clear, I’m not suggesting some Orwellian totalitarian overlord brainwashes us into utter obedience, rather, society itself has perhaps made this shift; it is feels nicer to follow simple rules instead of having to decide for oneself if what one is doing is ‘right’. This prevents the anxiety many face due to a deadlock of opposing morals caused by the lack of a clear right/wrong dichotomy. However, a simple, stress-free life is not necessarily the best life to lead.
Examining an accepted ethical ‘truth’ from different angles is a moral imperative. It is important to not be so quick to deem something (or someone) ‘bad’ or ‘good’. As I mentioned earlier, there is often a moral grey area in any issue and we shouldn’t be so quick to agree with a widely believed truth. This is important when one examines the history AOK, especially historical characters. For example, it is easy to say something like ‘Hitler was an evil person.’ In many ways this is completely true. He committed unthinkable crimes against humanity. He started a conflict that took millions of lives. However, when confronted with the fact that Hitler was a gifted painter, that he cared passionately for his own people (including women) or that he was intent on protecting the environment, many people are taken aback. How could such an evil man have some good intentions? Here’s where thinking critically comes in. Without examination, Hitler is a very one-dimensional, evil man. What we are taught is only part of the reality. While I am in NO WAY SUPPORTING THE TORTURE AND KILLING OF MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUALS, I firmly believe that as citizens of the world, we have an ethical responsibility to achieve a fuller picture of what history was actually like. It is easy to say ‘Hitler was an evil human being’. It’s much harder to say ‘What aspects of Hitler’s policies do I disagree with?’. People are complicated and if we classify historical characters are ‘bad’ and ‘good’ we will have a very limited understanding of our history. As well as this, we run the risk of repeating our past mistakes. If Hitler reeked of evil from day 1, he never would have become as powerful and respected as he was. He achieved this because he had many good qualities. People who are harmful and dangerous don’t look like they do in movies. They don’t have scary eyes or evil grins or the works. If we expect this, we will not see it coming until it is too late. For this reason it is our ethical responsibility to obtain a three-dimensional image of history in order to understand it and to prevent past mistakes.
Even in a situation involving two ethically ambiguous choices, thinking critically is a moral imperative. Even if no clear ‘right’ choice is discovered, the act of examining options critically can increase an ethical awareness. For example, in the AOK of the Natural Sciences, a dilemma arises concerning organic and GMO food. While growing organically is often better for the environment surrounding the crops, the lack of chemicals or altered genes causes produce to expire more quickly than if they had been altered genetically or with chemicals. This fast rotting causes all-natural food to be thrown out days or evens weeks before it would have been had chemicals/GMOS been involved. 1/3 of all purchased food is thrown out and this decomposition (or lack thereof if food is put into anaerobic environments such as a garbage dump) releases environmentally damaging gases. Put simply, the widely accepted ‘good’ produce, grown without chemicals or genetic altering, can ultimately cause problems that might not have arisen had chemicals or genetic modifying been used. While no clear solution is visible, an awareness of this issue is important for all consumers. We may not be so quick to buy into always buying what sounds to be the ‘right’ product without thought. As well as this, we now have the potential to bring about a change in our daily eating habits to prevent as much food waste as we can.
To conclude, thinking critically is a moral imperative. It prevents us from unquestionably swallowing an incomplete story, which can be potentially destructive as well as historically irresponsible. It also gives us a more insightful look into our environmental impact that would be overlooked had critical thinking not been employed. Critical thinking enables us to have a deeper understanding of our individual beliefs and morals.
Examining an accepted ethical ‘truth’ from different angles is a moral imperative. It is important to not be so quick to deem something (or someone) ‘bad’ or ‘good’. As I mentioned earlier, there is often a moral grey area in any issue and we shouldn’t be so quick to agree with a widely believed truth. This is important when one examines the history AOK, especially historical characters. For example, it is easy to say something like ‘Hitler was an evil person.’ In many ways this is completely true. He committed unthinkable crimes against humanity. He started a conflict that took millions of lives. However, when confronted with the fact that Hitler was a gifted painter, that he cared passionately for his own people (including women) or that he was intent on protecting the environment, many people are taken aback. How could such an evil man have some good intentions? Here’s where thinking critically comes in. Without examination, Hitler is a very one-dimensional, evil man. What we are taught is only part of the reality. While I am in NO WAY SUPPORTING THE TORTURE AND KILLING OF MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUALS, I firmly believe that as citizens of the world, we have an ethical responsibility to achieve a fuller picture of what history was actually like. It is easy to say ‘Hitler was an evil human being’. It’s much harder to say ‘What aspects of Hitler’s policies do I disagree with?’. People are complicated and if we classify historical characters are ‘bad’ and ‘good’ we will have a very limited understanding of our history. As well as this, we run the risk of repeating our past mistakes. If Hitler reeked of evil from day 1, he never would have become as powerful and respected as he was. He achieved this because he had many good qualities. People who are harmful and dangerous don’t look like they do in movies. They don’t have scary eyes or evil grins or the works. If we expect this, we will not see it coming until it is too late. For this reason it is our ethical responsibility to obtain a three-dimensional image of history in order to understand it and to prevent past mistakes.
Even in a situation involving two ethically ambiguous choices, thinking critically is a moral imperative. Even if no clear ‘right’ choice is discovered, the act of examining options critically can increase an ethical awareness. For example, in the AOK of the Natural Sciences, a dilemma arises concerning organic and GMO food. While growing organically is often better for the environment surrounding the crops, the lack of chemicals or altered genes causes produce to expire more quickly than if they had been altered genetically or with chemicals. This fast rotting causes all-natural food to be thrown out days or evens weeks before it would have been had chemicals/GMOS been involved. 1/3 of all purchased food is thrown out and this decomposition (or lack thereof if food is put into anaerobic environments such as a garbage dump) releases environmentally damaging gases. Put simply, the widely accepted ‘good’ produce, grown without chemicals or genetic altering, can ultimately cause problems that might not have arisen had chemicals or genetic modifying been used. While no clear solution is visible, an awareness of this issue is important for all consumers. We may not be so quick to buy into always buying what sounds to be the ‘right’ product without thought. As well as this, we now have the potential to bring about a change in our daily eating habits to prevent as much food waste as we can.
To conclude, thinking critically is a moral imperative. It prevents us from unquestionably swallowing an incomplete story, which can be potentially destructive as well as historically irresponsible. It also gives us a more insightful look into our environmental impact that would be overlooked had critical thinking not been employed. Critical thinking enables us to have a deeper understanding of our individual beliefs and morals.