A Definition of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is not a paint by numbers, fill in the blanks, step by step process; it is the experiential engagement with one’s own ability to analyze, criticize and synthesize their interactions with the world around them both tangibly and intangibly. One key element to consider in the process of analysis is the ethical and cultural filters through which we see the world. This allows us the ability to criticise in a fair and subjective way resulting in a synthesis that we can present with reasonable honesty.

Let us take for example the idea that Botticelli is the greatest artist of the Renaissance; despite the fact that there are many who would vehemently disagree. Of the great Renaissance painters he is often not remembered with the notoriety of Michealangelo, daVinci, and Raphael. However, if the argument were to be made that his work translates with more relevance to the modern world and fits a contemporary mold in a way that the other three cannot, does this lend credit to the prior claim? The seemingly obvious answer is: it depends. What is the frame of reference? Through which lenses is the scrutinizer looking? Am I culturally biased? Am I ethically biased? The Wikipedia entry on Critical Thinking, in exploring the concept that various disciplines can take on augmented forms of this thought process, claims that the universal application “requires a process of reflective contextualization.” What is the context within which this claim is situating itself?

Once an understanding of this is articulated, self-reflection is required to determine the subjectivity. The main question to ask is what distinguishes theory from opinion; at what point in a thought process does it go from thought to critical thinking? If the cultural biases in previous assessments have indicated a predisposition for art that has been seen with Mr. Beans face on it, then in assessing that cultural bias the theory can be easily as an opinion. However, consider a situation where the theory is proposed by someone with red hair. Given that Botticelli featured Simonetta with her fiery locks in his most famous works, is this a bias that one would admit to without serious criticism. In following a logical thought process, consider what the sound arguments that can be made for an argument that minimal ethical and cultural biases are. In the article Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies, one of the strategies listed suggests that you ‘check your ego at the door’.  Another suggests that you “Get in touch with your emotions” in order to understand where they interfere with your ability to see the ‘forest for the trees’. (Paul & Elder, 2001) Theoretical analysis is a personal experience; one that requires the ability to distance appropriate thoughts from selfish thoughts to be done well.

Finally, the ability to synthesize the resulting theory in an honest format that is accessible to the intended audience is key. As Aristotle said in book six of his Nicomachean Ethics (trans. 1962), “For whomever produces something, produces it for an end.” (p. 149) In creating theory, there is a goal to package the results put that product out into the world for use and application. What is also important to keep in mind is that reaching a conclusion in the process does not mean that it is a full-stop finality. What is truth may be myth tomorrow. Aristotle recognized this over 2,500 years ago. The argument can be made that, based on his applicability to modern context, Botticelli exceeds all other Renaissance painters; when modern context changes, the ability to make this particular argument would change as well.  

Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2001). Modified from the book by Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2001). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/articles/sts-ct-everyday-life.cfm

Critical Thinking. (2011, August 27). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 29, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking 

The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy, a set on Flickr.

Paradiso

Paradiso, a set on Flickr.

Eat & Pray without the Love

Embarking on a journey to complete a PhD is not a decision to be taken lightly. My former Dean of Social Sciences told me once that one "had to be a little bit touched to take on something like a PhD", as she tapped her third eye repeatedly. Over the years I often contemplated these words of wisdom accompanied by a rather interesting gesture as I considered whether I was 'touched' enough to take on this endeavour. I've always been a very passionate person and I take on each new task with a fervour; my former boss once claimed that I needed to be tethered every once and a while in order to keep me from lifting off - but was this enough? I found the answer to this question in one of the most of unlikely places: in India. 

I traveled to Italy for the first time at the age of fourteen with my family. My mother wanted to show us the small southern town that she was born in and help us to understand what it means to be Calabrese. We say Italy, France and Spain. A spark was lit and I knew I would return again. Eight years later, the opportunity arose to do a semester abroad in Rome and Italy and I couldn't say no. Growing up, I never knew what is was to crave a world bigger than your own. As a teenager I got a taste travelling to the other side of the globe, but it wasn't until I spent some time in Florence during my semester abroad that my heart opened to a possibility that I still don't fully understand. The term today would be global citizenship but it is such a small word for such a large emotion.  

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Enlish and a Minor in Liberal Studies only days after my return from Italy, but I knew I wasn’t done yet. There was still so much for me to see and learn. I continued on for another year and completed what would be seen as the equivalent to a Major in Liberal Studies. In this additional year of study, with a vampire’s thirst for more, a moment occurred that I know changed my life forever. In class, debating Jane Eyre, my professor made a comment that I will never forget. She said, “You know Joanna, I have been teaching this book for ten years and I have never seen it from that perspective before. Brilliant.” It was from that moment on that I knew I wanted to teach. I also knew that I wasn’t done with school.

With previous studies in Art & Art History, Literature, Psychology, the Liberal Arts, and a number of other subject areas, I decided to venture into a new field for my masters. One of my psychology classes had touched on Corporate Culture and it sounded fascinating to me at the time therefore I decided to do an MBA in Human Resources. However, the program required that you take a course in each of the management areas. I always thought that marketing was slander and sales until I read a fascinating statistic claiming that Clive Owen, in a series of short films, had skyrocketed BMW’s sales. The psychology of this peaked my curiosity and it still remains to be one of the most interesting concepts I have ever researched. I ended up writing my MBA thesis on product placement in the film and television industry. One of my findings was that artistic integrity is key to a successful placement. A second discovery I made through my research was that a new field had been accepted into the American Psychology Association called Media Psychology.  

I knew immediately that I wanted to study this field of psychology and I was delighted to discover that a distance program was offered at Fielding here on the west coast. I thought about it for a few years but it wasn’t until another venture to the other side of the globe that I made the decision. I was asked to pick up an international recruitment trip to India in August of ’10 and I happily accepted. I also decided that since I would already be on that side of the world, I should stop over in Italy for a few days. Thus began my decent through Dante’s Divine Comedy. The beauty and joy of Italy is indescribable. It was my Paradiso. India was Paradiso, Purgatory and Inferno in a single breathe. My heart broke and mended on a daily basis.

In my weeks in India, I began to deeply contemplate my place in the world. I questioned the horrors that we accept through ignorance, both known and unknown. I tried to understand how, in a world that considers the death of a porn star more significant news than the genocide of a nation, are we even evolving. The new media landscape shouldn’t be allowed to facilitate this. I had so many questions about how, in a digital era, woman still throw their newborn daughters down a well. I actually thought for a shameful, brief moment; surely somehow they can be connected with homes on the internet? This atrocity was uncovered and filmed and is now out there on the web for the world to shun and criticize and ignore along with thousands, if not millions, of other pieces on the horrible things that humanity is capable of.

I need to attempt to understand how the emergence of new media: the evolution of technology and social media, etc. is changing the world. It continues to shed light on mankind’s atrocities but my main question is: is it getting any better? That sense of a world so much bigger than I can comprehend coupled with a passion for beauty and joy has led me here. A desire to be brilliant and to inspire others to be brilliant as well has led me here. A need to determine if having the ability to record every waking moment of one’s life – the good, the bad, and the horrifying – is making the world a better place has led me here.

I hope to complete my PhD in Media Psychology and teach brilliantly at a University level. I have yet to determine what specific research topic I will undertake but I hope it will provide insight into bringing more joy and beauty to the world.  In the process, I also hope to understand more about the way media translates the world we live in and how we process those translations so that we can do better and be better global citizens. I am open to the possibility and I sincerely hope that it is enough.