As always, thanks for your responses! Well for those of you who regularly read my posts, must be wondering what makes me always devote a few lines towards showing gratitude towards everyone for the responses. Ultimately, even if 1 person can take something worthwhile from this, that would be a victory for me.
Anyway, what do we understand as we hear the term 'critical thinking? 'The objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgement. Put simply in other words, analyze something and then arrive at a suitable conclusion. Rather to not jump directly to a conclusion without any 'analysis'. You can witness very often people jumping to conclusions even at the slightest of provocations. That's how precisely all media propaganda works. That's just how we easily get manipulated.
If you pick up history and have a look, you can see how various atrocities were done by the super mighty people just by their mere abuse of power. Yet, in the eyes of the masses, they were their saviours! To name a few dictators, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Saddam Hussain and many more.
Well, back in those times, when the internet didn't exist, there was very little access to information. Hence, as a result, the information being spread would be something very easily manipulative and presented in such a way whereby falsify all the facts and pose the dictator as a messiah!
This matter has by and large reduced to some extent now, all thanks to the internet. However, we still see it in people. These days, we see a lot of social media influencers these days who with an insane amount of confidence sell us anything and we don't see left or right and just purchase! It's here where this element of 'critical thinking' comes to play. This simple thing could have been analyzed. Just cause someone states something with confidence doesn't mean that thing is to be true. As simple as that!
Another thing I observed in fitness expert Akshay Chopra's YouTube channel where he constantly criticizes all these 'fake fitness influencers' these days. One such video I came across in which he was condemning these people, he stated the person who was from a well-educated background and from a well-off family having fitness issues went to one of his trainers who was misguiding him with wrong diets. That person continued to consume the diet and ended up getting hospitalized!
What do we understand from this? Is it just illiterate people who get duped? Or has it something to do with the callousness given the fact he was from an elite background? Well, that's where the simple thing comes to the question of critical thinking. Maybe he could have:
- Asked for some form of scientific research conducted across the globe.
- Applied some level of common sense and do not get carried away by shortcuts
- Consider talking to someone who is from a medical background
Now with this being said, you must be wondering yes, it's very easy to call out people's mistakes. But this is not just calling out, this is to make everyone aware as to how important critical thinking is so that nobody can be taken for a ride very easily! The world isn't such a very beautiful place as would be marketed by some people. Well with that being said, I ain't saying every person in the world is bad and that we need to be cynical while interacting with others. Again, extremism of anything is bad! We just need to be careful of people who will just loot us and we won't even know. Once they loot you and flee, that's when you'd realize "Oh! I have been looted"
How does this originate? Let's just have a look at our methodologies in teaching at schools. Well now with online classes things could be different but I can tell you based on my experience back at school:
- Extreme focus on marks and constant coercion to get the highest marks to secure a good college. The simple thing we are always told is, "Get good marks so you can go to a good college. Get into a good college so that you can get a good job and live in peace. Get a good job so that eventually you can settle down in life". Sums up an average middle-class household expectation.
- Theoretical subjects taught with the least amount of creativity will make your brain cells work! You end up just 'following'. Like it has been rightfully said, 'we are well-trained people' we are never asked to 'apply our mind'. It's never that we are asked to come forward with some of our analysis on a certain subject. The focus lies on conforming to what's in the book. In one such study conducted in the United States of America, it was observed that Indians would better be able to perform as per an already existing model 'prepared by someone else'. What does it imply? I think you got the answer!
Now coming towards CA Course, why do we lack critical thinking? Aren't we doing the same as mentioned in the 2nd point? Give it a thought! How much of you take efforts outside the focus of 'clearing the attempt'? A common response to this would be an inadequate period to devote to this aspect.
My simple take is if learning is made a lot more creative, and we are taught to apply minds then we will be able to develop the art of 'critical thinking. It is the need of the hour for us to develop this art and to hone it to the maximum extent. Well, one article is not enough to justify this, but the point of me explaining this is, we need to be aware as individuals and understand each aspect of life and comprehend it accordingly. We don't just need to be a mere follower and believe what is being sold to us!
Thanks for reading! Hope you have some form of awareness!
The author can also be reached at abhishekpanegal4@gmail.com
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