Barriers to critical thinking

General barriers of critical thinking may include the following:

1- Cultural conditioning.
2- Egocentric thinking.
3- Prejudice.
4- Reluctance.
5- Lack of confidence.
6. Consensus.
7. Hasty moral judgement.
8. Black and white thinking.
9. Resistance to change.
10. Limited frame of reference.


Sources:
* http://www.palomar.edu/reading/Thomsons120/Blocks%20to%20Critical%20Thinking.htm

* http://www.preparedirect.com/category_s/183.htm

Benefits of critical thinking

Good critical thinking involves:

·        Improved attention & observation

·        More focused reading

·        Improved ability to identify key points in a text or meassage and not being distracted by less important material

·        Knowledge of how to get your own point across more easily

·        Skills of analysis that you can apply to various situations

Ancillary skills:

·        Observation

·        Reasoning

·        Decision-making

·        Analysis

·        Judgement

·        Persuasion



Realistic self-appraisal

Many people probably over-estimate their critical thinking skills



Emotional self-management

We may not like evidence that contradicts our own opinions or beliefs



Perseverance, accuracy  precision

Critical thinking involves accuracy  & precision & a dedication to finding the correct answer. It includes:

     Attention to detail

     Identifying trends & patters

     Repetition

    Taking different perspectives

   Objectivity     Considering implications & distant consequences

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth is basically a documentary film about former US vice-president Al Gore’s campaign to raise awareness on global warming and climate change.

The films major premise was to make people around the globe more aware of their impact on their one and only habitat, Earth. Al Gore, through his presentations showered his audience with “scientific” claims predicting an apocalyptic future.

It may appear that Al Gore seems to have a pure intention and a heart keen to make a change in this world, but he may have made a few errors in his speech. One error for example, is claiming that the melting of the glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro was an after effect of climate change, while the majority of scientists have proven that it was due to deforestation. 

All charts displayed by the former vice-president show a linear relation between carbon emissions and global temperatures, but according to Al Gore, charts that predict the future show that carbon emission has an exponential relation with global temperatures, which makes me doubt the credibility of his claims.

Once again, although Al Gore’s presentations displayed many errors,  there is no doubt that we are all harming our environment, and Gore’s work acted as a wake-up call for many countries, corporations and individuals. To conclude, I can only say Al Gore is a very talented politician.