VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Module 1 Lesson 1.2: Introduction to Critical and Creative Thinking

Hello! Welcome back to Module 1. Introduction to CRITHNK.

I hope that you are doing well! This is lesson 1.2 where I’ll guide you to explore what thinking
critically and creatively entails, the kind of mindset that you should possess, and to question
your own thinking to have a better more objective perception of things.

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: Define critical thinking and logic.
Learn about the characteristics of a good critical thinker.
Distinguish between giving an opinion and engaging in critical thinking
Appreciate why critical and creative thinking matters.
I hope you are already energized!

Before we plunge into the discussion, here’s a case to ponder.

Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichman was tried in Israel in 1960 for crimes against humanity. Despite
his claims that he was just following orders of his superiors when he ordered the death of
millions of Jews, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Was Eichman an
inhuman monster? Or was he, as his defense lawyer claimed, just doing the many of us would
do- following orders from our superiors?
How do we know if our decisions are thoughtfully and rationally acted upon or simply swayed by
our biases, emotions, long-standing beliefs, or propaganda? It is the task of CRITHNK to equip
you with the right skill to evaluate and come up with reasonable, as well as moral justifications
to real life-boggling questions.

First and foremost, the course crithnk is a GE philosophy subject, hence portion of the course
will expose you to logic and reasoning skills.
Logic is derived from the Greek word Ety λογική (logike) meaning "a discourse on matters
pertaining to words.“
Logic is a branch of philosophy that deals with the science and art of valid inferential reasoning.
However, logic may be part of Critical thinking, but it is not essentially the end all-be all of
crithnk. What do I mean by that? Consider logic the approach. The activities, drills to aid in the
development of your crithnk skills. Critical thinking involves the application of the rules of logic
as well as the gathering of evidence, evaluating it, and coming up with a plan of action.

Moving on, the term critical thinking originated from the Greek κρῐτῐκός (kritikos) meaning "able
to judge, discerning, decision making.“ There are various ways to describe what it is all about.
We can say that it is a collection of skills we use every day that are necessary for our full
intellectual and personal development. And what makes it highly essential, especially in today’s
time, is that Critical thinking requires learning HOW to think rather than simply WHAT to think.
What are these ‘HOWS’ of thinking critically? For Robert Ennis, how to thinking, means being
reasonable, and reflective, that is focused on deciding what is to believe or do. From this
working definition, we can articulate crithnk to have a link between knowing and doing.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Module 1 Lesson 1.2: Introduction to Critical and Creative Thinking
Prepared by: JRedrino
From Joe Lau, how to think, involves thinking precisely and systematically, following rules of
logic and scientific reasoning. Critical thinking in other words is organized thinking that is
validated by hard evidence.

While for John Dewey, how to think involves Active, persistent, and careful consideration of
a belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds which support and
conclusion to which it tends. Wow, that’s wordy! To dissect further, thinking critically, is
similar to metacognition wherein you question your own thinking, engaging actively in the
process of verifying the soundness of your arguments. That’s how you expose the truth, that is
philosophizing, a passionate quest for truth.

But what about creative thinking? Do you have to be an artist, a musical genius a performer to
call yourself creative? Ask yourself, are you creative?

From John Adair’s The Art of Creative thinking, he said that it is the.. The root word, to create
has its reference to the Latin ‘Gigno’ which means to bring into existence. From nothing to
something. It is a skill that’s beyond art, it could be by proposing alternatives or outside the box
solutions.

In this day and age, we should be conscious of the reality of the earth’s depleting resources. If
you’ve heard of the UN SDGs, you should know that creating greener, sustainable, and livable
habitat is at its core. We cannot undo what has been done, but we hope to generate useful
innovations if we want to preserve the earth for the generations to come. Doing your own part is
participating in this creative movement.

If you are fond of fashion, you may notice how trends change every season but are also a re-
creation of the styles from the past. Cooking a baconsilog is no brainer, but adding a touch of
secret savory-sweet sauce makes it genius. Being creative does not always mean doing things
from scratch, you can start with what already exists.
Should I take critical thinking seriously? What’s in it for me, you ask? Well for one, I hope being
decisive, reasonable, and organized inside and outside the academic life should be enough to
convince you.

Did you know, critical thinking skills are what employers are eyeing today. You can get used to
the routine, know the drills of your day job real quick, but actually knowing how to think, and to
collaborate is an edge. What else, today’s generation feeds on social media and the web for
information. So how to detect misleading news, opinions, emotional blogs, false authorities
should be our utmost concern. As a CRITICAL THINKER, you need to be willing to provide
support to your beliefs.

Lastly, between the two, which is more superior? The answer is none. Just like these dancers,
both are equally important and complement each other. The dance won’t be perfect if one is

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Module 1 Lesson 1.2: Introduction to Critical and Creative Thinking
Prepared by: JRedrino
absent. We need critical thinking to solve problems and evaluate solutions, but we also need
creative thinking to improve and generate new ideas.

Thank you for sticking around. Learning how to think is fun, right? Lesson 1.2, cleared!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Module 1 Lesson 1.2: Introduction to Critical and Creative Thinking
Prepared by: JRedrino