Critical Thinking and Ethics
Justin T Davis
GEN201 (PD15BSB04)
May 11, 2015
Kalene Parker

Critical Thinking and Ethics
“One quality of a master student is the ability to ask questions that lead to deeper learning” (Ellis, 2014). This is a definition of a critical thinker, as given by Dave Ellis. He, then, utilized a psychologist named Benjamin Bloom’s ‘taxonomy of educational objectives’ (Ellis, 2014). This was a diagram that broke down each level of thinking as if it were a reciprocated food group. The levels of thinking were placed, from lowest to highest form, in this order: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. Ethics are the moral sidelines during our critical thought processes. They capture our ideals, so that we may respect our peers as we ask questions and seek higher levels of thought. Completing the Ethical Lens Inventory identifies the values of an individual and their blind spots.
The levels of thoughts begin with ‘Remembering’, which is the basic educational level of thought: “Can I recall the key terms, facts, or events?” (Ellis, 2014). The second level would be ‘Understanding’: “Can I explain this idea in my own words?” (Ellis, 2014). The following level is ‘Applying’: “Can I use this idea to produce a desired result?” (Ellis, 2014). ‘Analyzing’: “Can I divide this idea into parts, groups, or steps.” (Ellis, 2014). The fifth level of thinking is ‘Evaluating’: “Can I rate the truth, usefulness, or quality of this idea – and give reason to my rating?” (Ellis, 2014). The deepest level is concluded with ‘Creating’: “Can I invent something new based on this idea?” (Ellis, 2014).
My preferred lens is considered ‘ Reputation Lens’, which means I listen to my heart to determine which of my traits will best serve the community. With that said, my blind spot has been defined as having unrealistic role