Critical Thinking and Society
Critical Thinking and Society Exercise
1. Describe a situation in which critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations.
If you have ever worked in the retail industry you know that it is a very fast paced environment. The fast paced nature of this business was made very apparent to me during the 2009 holiday season. Black Friday was fast approaching and the product for our Black Friday promotion began to come in the back door. In years past the amount of product we received was minimal and the preparation and set up was easily done the night before the sale started. This year we began to carry a host of new products. We received five times the product we normally did. The night came for us to set the product and we realized the magnitude of the work ahead of us. We ended up spending until late in the night to have everything ready. Looking back, if I had taken some time to review the products coming in I would have realized how much more time we would have needed. Also taking the time to go through the advertisement to plan out where everything would be positioned throughout the store. Just these few things could have cut our time down considerably. It is crucial to use critical and creative thinking in a retail setting because of the fast paced environment. Making snap decisions without all of the available information could cost you precious time.
2. Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts.
Free will can be defined, as a person’s ability to make choices free from constraint by external circumstances or by the notion of fate or divine will. The concept of free will has been widely debated. In our text, Ruggiero (2009) states, “though we are all influenced by our surroundings and background – sometimes very strongly – we usually retain a significant measure of free will.” (p. 29) In other words, we
1. Describe a situation in which critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations.
If you have ever worked in the retail industry you know that it is a very fast paced environment. The fast paced nature of this business was made very apparent to me during the 2009 holiday season. Black Friday was fast approaching and the product for our Black Friday promotion began to come in the back door. In years past the amount of product we received was minimal and the preparation and set up was easily done the night before the sale started. This year we began to carry a host of new products. We received five times the product we normally did. The night came for us to set the product and we realized the magnitude of the work ahead of us. We ended up spending until late in the night to have everything ready. Looking back, if I had taken some time to review the products coming in I would have realized how much more time we would have needed. Also taking the time to go through the advertisement to plan out where everything would be positioned throughout the store. Just these few things could have cut our time down considerably. It is crucial to use critical and creative thinking in a retail setting because of the fast paced environment. Making snap decisions without all of the available information could cost you precious time.
2. Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts.
Free will can be defined, as a person’s ability to make choices free from constraint by external circumstances or by the notion of fate or divine will. The concept of free will has been widely debated. In our text, Ruggiero (2009) states, “though we are all influenced by our surroundings and background – sometimes very strongly – we usually retain a significant measure of free will.” (p. 29) In other words, we