Andrew Clark

Business 1050

Jeff Davis

Signature Assignment: Personal Renaissance

Reflecting back on the semester, after all the readings and videos. The one that moved

me the most was the very first reading. "Critical Thinking," by Edward G. Engh. I really

enjoyed his “matter of fact” writing style and not afraid to tell the truth or offend anyone. But

what really caught and held my attention was the philosophical tone throughout the essay. I tend

to break things down in my head when I hear or read them and Engh breaks down simple,

overlooked concepts which really caught my attention.

The essay starts with the question, “what is reality?” Personally, we can only perceive

reality directly using the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, tase, and smell. We can share these

experiences through speech, allowing you to learn something indirectly, but you are learning

from another person’s perception of reality, which could differ from yours. Just because a

person says something is real, doesn’t make it real. We must use rational thinking.

The world follows the laws of science, or laws of nature. There’s a snippet in the reading

that I really like, It is very important to understand that scientific laws are descriptions, not

forces. Objects fall to the ground not because Isaac Newton's law of gravity makes them fall: but

because of a force in nature, which Newton's law merely describes.

It’s interesting that science is Engh states, “Laws of science or nature should be viewed

as questions, always open for discussion.” This to me says that we must question everything

around us, even if it is been common fact since we were born. No matter how much someone

loves the truth or philosophy, these all reside in the mind. Reality is separate and independent of
the mind. Meaning that I can try and convince myself into believing something to be true, when

in reality, it’s not happening. Like I can convince myself I’ll step off a parking garage and be

able to fly. But in reality, my body will follow the laws of gravity and I will not be able to fly.

Error detection was another things from this reading that stood out to me. And just like

rational thinking, Engh boils down error detection into two separate categories. Type 1 error and

Type 2 error. Type 1 Error: You end up rejecting something that you should accept. It is, in fact,

true. Type 2 Error: You end up accepting something that you should reject. It is, in fact, false

(not true). All critical thinking is based on eliminating errors in our perceptions of reality. So if

you break that down, you need to be able to perceive reality correctly in an effort to cut down

errors.

From the time we are born, we use the five senses to perceive the world around us.

Eventually, we all find out there is a limit to what we can learn from directly. Tools are invented

to help us overcome these mankind limits. If past people didn’t invent tools to improve the

senses we’ve had since we were born, then we would not have been able to advance as a society.

I can remember the first time I put on glasses when I was in 3rd grade. I was in such awe of the

world around me. For the first time since I can remember, I was able to see individual leafs, the

lines of the bricks in the wall. My reality had been dulled but after I put on the glasses, it’s like a

was looking at a different world. This goes hand in hand with what Engh says too, Reality is

independent of perception.

But our greatest tool of all comes from our mind. Once we realize we can’t find all the

answers by ourselves, education becomes possible. Education is a tool to comprehend reality.

Critical thinking is the the process for turning rational thinking on its head and improving

the mindset. We must always be on alert for errors in our own judgement, this requires self
perception. Ego ad pride often get in the way of thinking critically. If you assume your are

incapable of making a mistake, then you’ve already made a mistake. Examining yourself for

errors is a very challenging task. It’s easier to point out other peoples mistakes, but often harder

to point out your own mistakes. Critical thinking requires humility. You have to humble

yourself and not let emotions get in the way if you want to advance your mindset. You have to

have a clear picture of what you are capable of and not oversell of undersell yourself. If you fail

to evolve as a person, you will quickly get left behind in this fast moving world.

In conclusion, the mind is a very powerful tool and we must be able to hone in its

capabilities through critical thinking and error detection. To be able to advance in relationships,

business or life in general, you need to be able to take a step back, give yourself an honest

assessment of where you are, and where do you want to go. Then formulate a rational plan to

execute that. To be able to do something you’ve never done before, you have to be willing to try

something you’ve never done before.