Critical thinking and ethics - Essay Example

Critical Thinking and Ethics Critical Thinking and Ethics Definition of Critical Thinking Critical thinking and ethics are inseparable concepts in the contemporary world. Boss (2012) defines critical thinking as a person’s ability to engage in clear and rational thoughts characterized by the ability to engage in reflective and independent arrangement of ideas. Clarity and rationality of ideas based on reason constitute the primary characterizations of critical thinkers. Critical thinkers have several skills that enable them to comprehend the logical connections between ideas, reflect on the justification of own beliefs and values, detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning, and engage in systematic solving of problems.

Steps in Critical Thinking ProcessAccording to Head and Mann (2005), critical thinking process involves:1. Recognizing the existence of problems2. Understanding the necessity of prioritizing and order of precedence in solving problems3. Gathering and marshalling relevant information4. Recognizing unstated assumptions5. Interpreting data to appraise evidence and evaluate arguments6. Drawing warranted conclusions and generalizations based on logicThe Ethical Lens Inventory The Ethical Lens Inventory provides a tool for personal evaluation; the ELI helps students understand values that influence their choices (Fink, 2008).

My preferred ethical lens from the ELI is the results lens. I usually listen to my intuition (sensibility) when determining the greatest good for each person (autonomy). My core values are autonomy and sensibility. My primary aim is to protect individual right; I believe that protecting individual rights is the best way of ensuring that every person in the community is treated fairly. These core values are based on the universal rights and duties of human beings. My blind spot is that I strongly believe that my definition of the greatest good is similar to all people; I could be causing pain to other people who believe on different ways of achieving goodness.

Effects of Personal Ethics on Decision-making Process Personal ethics are the basic principles and values that govern interactions between people. Personal ethics are critical in decision-making process since they positively impact the experiences of other people when used to govern behaviors of individuals in business or social contexts. Decision-making process is required to be founded on moral principles (Fink, 2008); while making decisions, I always ensure that the decisions do not cause harm to others, but cause good to people.

As an ethical person, I consider several choices and strive to minimize the consequences to humanity caused to each individual due to adoption of a particular decision. Application of Ethics to Personal and Societal Responsibilities As a branch of philosophy, ethics concentrates on systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. Ethics is widely applied to both personal and professional responsibilities (Head & Mann, 2005). As an ethical person, I am aware of my responsibilities and I am always striving to achieve the best based on ethical guidelines.

Responsibility is one of the values of morality that every ethical human being need to institute into his or her daily practices. Personal responsibilities are those obligations that I am required to perform at will without further command. Professional responsibilities, on the other hand, involve providing goods and services to people; hence, there are several strict guidelines instituted by all professionals to minimize harm to service users. Ethical people are aware of the right and wrong, and the associated consequences.

Therefore, these people are always striving to avoid these consequences by ensuring effective performance of both personal and professional responsibilities. References Boss, J. A. (2012). Think: Critical thinking and logic skills for everyday life. New York: McGraw-Hill.Fink, C. K. (2008). Moral reasons: An introduction to ethics and critical thinking. Lanham, Md: University Press of America.Head, M., & Mann, S. (2005). Law in perspective: Ethics, society and critical thinking. Sydney, NSW: UNSW Press.