Barriers of critical

thinking

SUBMITTED TO
MR.SHAHID

SUBMITTED BY | Ali Raza

Roll Number 2017-150
Egocentrism:
Egocentrism is natural way to view everything in relation to oneself. I am
not an egocentric person and I have some real time examples that will prove my statement .it’s not a
barrier of critical thinking for me.

Examples:
I am a student and I am usually assigned with group tasks so we all group members
share our views and ideas and then pick up the best one and I know so many time I
abandoned my own ideas and accepted the ideas of others during our group task.
Once a time I was saying my prayer and as I finished it a boy who was younger than me
came to me and said there is an error the way you are saying your prayer and I realized
that yes he is right and I wholeheartedly accept his words without any hesitation.

Sociocentrism:
A tendency to assume the superiority or rightness of ones own social group. I think
sociocentrism is a hurdle in critical thinking for me.

Examples:
I believe that my Religion is better than others because I usually preach to my non-
Muslims friends assuming that it’s my religious duty to call others on the right path by
considering that it’s an only path leading to Jinnah(paradise)

I believe that Pakistan is more beautiful peaceful and powerful country than India
irrespective of the fact that India has a greater arm forces in numbers and it has a good
name in IT and so many other fields.

Wishful thinking:
Its attribution to reality to what one wishes to be true or the tenuous justification of
what one wants to believe. I am a little bit wishful thinker.so it’s barrier of critical thinking for me.

Examples:
I remember in last day’s when Roheel Ashraf was chief of army staff it was my wish that
he prolonged his army tenure or took over the government.
It’s my wish that the hold of Pakistan government remain in the hand of Prime Minister
Imran khan for the rest of his life.

Unwarranted assumptions:
 These are claims or beliefs that possess little or no supporting evidence like
things we might take for granted as true. It’s not a barrier of critical thinking for me.

Examples:
“We cannot go against to our religious leader (Molvi) because he has more knowledge
than us and more than that it’s a sin to speak in front of a (AALIM)”this intervening
sentence was spoken by my uncle when the discussion between me and the Qari Saab
of our mosque on the topic of “we shouldn’t wear pant shirt” was getting long.
Another stereotype in our society is that elder are always right even they are wrong we
as a younger cannot advise him or her because we are younger than him or her. But for
me right is right and wrong is wrong irrespective of his or her age.
Dowry is another curse that is common in our society. It’s another topic peoples don’t
want to discuss and they are not ready to stop this heinous custom. But I think it should
be stop and must be illegal as soon as possible.

Relativistic thinking:
It is belief that the reality and its cognition is relative, depending on the adopted
perspective .it’s a barrier of critical thinking for me.

Abortion is haram or unethical in Islam and even illegal in Pakistan (it’s allowed in some
certain conditions) but in Europe it’s legal because they think everybody has right to
make his own decision. But in Islam abortion is just like killing a human. This situation
was recently faced by a member of my family.
I have a long discussion one of my friend about the Sects of Islam and finally we
concluded that we can’t say about any Sect of Islam that it is a good or it is a bad. In fact
all Sects of Islam are good and right in its own beliefs and views.