Critical Thinking and Ethics, Relatable? Even though Ethics is the study of the foundational values of a community, critical thinking and ethics are relatable to each other because, both involve the process of evaluation. When practicing good ethics, one must know which behaviors are best for themselves and others, this involves thinking critically.
In a statement by Michael Scriven and Richard Paul, “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action” (Critical Thinking as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, 1987). The steps within the critical thinking process are: Remembering - Can you recall the key terms facts or events? Understanding – Are you able to explain the idea in your own words? Applying – Can you use this idea to produce a desired result? Analyzing – Are you able to divide the idea into parts, groups or steps? Evaluating – Can you rate the truth, usefulness, or quality of this idea and give reasons for your rating? Creating – Can you invent something new based on this idea? (Becoming a Master Student Chpt. 1). When making ethical decisions in life, one must use the critical thinking process to evaluate which behaviors are acceptable for themselves as well as others.
In my opinion, ethics are a set of rules that everyone must follow. I believe that motive justifies the action (Ethical Lens Inventory). Even though my primary concern is to protect my individual rights, I believe that universal rules exist to apply to everyone, and that if I practice them consistently, so should everyone else (Ethical Lens Inventory). The Ethical Lens Inventory was spot on, because when