Running head: CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING IN SOCIETY SHORT

Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Short Essays

Gustavo Prez
PHL/458 Creative Minds and Critical Thinking
April 19, 2016
Kerstin Cruz Melendez

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING IN SOCIETY SHORT

Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Short Essays

The definition of free will is The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by
external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will. We use free will to form
thoughts by allowing ourselves to completely let go of all external and internal influences to
create a free will thought.
Truth is defined as Is what is so about something, the reality of the matter, or as
distinguished from what people wish were so, believe to be so or assert to be so.Ruggiero, 2009
in other words a statement proven to be or accepted as true. We use the truth to form ideas or
thoughts but must then test that thought or theory for it to be a truth then we can add to that truth
or validate that truth. The definition of knowledge is the facts, feelings or experiences known by
a person or group of people. We use knowledge to form thoughts by using understanding gained
through experiences, observations or from report from other people to form our thoughts. The
word opinion is defined as a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by
positive knowledge or proof. We use our opinions to form thoughts by one, expressing our likes
and dislikes and by our personal judgments.
There are three major hindrances to the critical thinking process and them are Mine is
better habit, conformity and generalizations (stereotyping). One method to overcome some of
these hindrances is to first examine your first thoughts or first impressions of an issue or
problem. By examining these impressions closely you will be able to determine if a bad habit
like stereotyping or mine is better is interfering with your critical thinking. Another method to
overcoming some of these hindrances would be to think about what you think about. Put thought
into every thought that comes to you mind and examine where it came from. I experienced a

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING IN SOCIETY SHORT

hindrance in my critical thinking when I had to send an email to my supervisor about a situation
with a customer and I did not give her detailed description of the account.
A method that could have been used to overcome the hindrance would be to think about
what I am thinking about. I could also have avoided the hindrance if I would have written down
details of the situation right after it happened to avoid giving my supervisor generalizations of
the situation.
A situation in which critical and creative thought could have been used for a better
outcome is when I had to vote for a particular candidate who was running for the local
government. I gave my vote for the candidate that my family was supporting. I did not look into
or research what the candidate and find out if his views were similar to mine. This is called
conformity. To not think about something in order to belong to a group to risk of being different.
It is important to think critically when voting for someone because their views and ideas could be
totally opposite of what you believe in.
I witnessed an advertisement about Newports cigarettes in a magazine which showed a
couple at a park and they were smiling and laughing in the picture. The advertising company was
trying to show that if you smoke their brand of cigarettes, your life will be a walk in the park and
you will be happy. I perceived this advertisement as the very opposite. I perceived the
advertisement as the cigarette company trying to trick the people into thinking that smoking is a
good thing. This was the reality of the advertisement. My perception was the reality of this
message.

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING IN SOCIETY SHORT

Reference
Ruggiero, V. R. (2015). The art of thinking: a guide to critical and creative thought (11th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.