Critical Thinking and Language Essay

Whether, it is as simple as moving your eyes or stomping your feet, these movements or actions, can not be performed without thinking. The term thinking is defined as the activity of the brain that can potentially be expressed in speaking or writing. As humans, the ability to apply thinking to our actions is what makes us different from animals. The process of thinking is linked with our senses, some more than others. The two most important senses for thinking are seeing and hearing. It operates as a sensing-thinking connection, meaning thinking shapes the way we use our senses. Although the senses have a positive effect on the thinking process, they do not always deliver accurate data to our brain. The perception of our senses can deceive the brain in three major ways; superficially, habitually, and generally. Along with thinking, also lies the importance of language. The power of language allows us to think with words. Language also merges sounds and the reality the sounds signify in order for words to make sense. First, language is used to think. It acts as an articulator for the brain. Language is what allows the brain to think the way it does and without it the cerebellum, the part of the brain involved in motor control, is left unused. Without language we would not be able to perform any type of critical thinking. It also plays a major role in the interpretation of processes such as creating, sorting, and deciding by shaping these processes in our brain. In critical thinking, language combines sounds and what the sounds signify in relation to words. In this process, language becomes metaphorical. Metaphors are connected with the way language works, and language connects to thinking, this connects metaphors to the way we think. Second, language can either empower or limit the expression of our thoughts. When a person is accustomed to a certain language or expressions, he or she can sometimes overlook differences and patterns in society. Patterns in a

References: Kirby, G. R., & Goodpaster, J. R. (2007). Thinking: An interdisciplinary approach to critical thinking (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall