THE EDITOR: It is amazing how TT would have been a much happier place if we had more critical thinkers around to make informed decisions/choices on issues.
Which begs the question: What is critical thinking? In true Trini parlance, critical thinking is not operating by “vaps,” allowing your judgment to be clouded by irrationalities of one kind or another – excessive emotion, biases, prejudices, ego, self-interest and the like – but rather by taking a more rational approach based on solid inductive/reasoning, allowing for a multi-dimensional approach to an issue as against a tunnel vision of it, balancing the myriad perspectives arising into making an informed choice/decision on it.
And this with a “moral” underpinning – difficult as that is considering the multiple interpretations of what is “moral” the world over – based on a fairly universal sense of what is right or wrong, ethical or professional.
The above is a summarised version of what my interpretation of what critical thinking is as contained in my published book entitled Critical Thinking for Tertiary Level; A Self-Instructional Course, stitches of which may be found on the web (www. trinidad express). The choice of the word “stitches” is deliberate for despite my best efforts I have never succeeded in obtaining a comprehensive review of this text in the media as others have been able to.
So having to speak about the merits of the text without the benefit of a review from others, I can only speak of my delivery of the content at the tertiary level at institutions such as UTT, John D, Port of Spain, for their BA in fashion and design and at Cipriani Labour College as part of their foundation courses. I also depend on the testimony of students as to the way critical thinking has revolutionised their thinking about making informed choices/ decisions .
Which is why I humbly submit that TT would have been a better place if our leaders especially, and others of power and influence in the decision-making process, were more critical thinkers than they seem to be.
Perhaps a better balance could have been found involving workers and the company regarding Petrotrin, or achieving some measure of face-to-face contact in the classroom with online teaching, or between civil liberties and functioning businesses and covid19 restrictions.
Perhaps diversification would become less something to merely talk about and something to act on to lessen the reliance on oil and gas, and in that process activating cottage industries, small businesses, small farming and the like, making the economy more dynamic and less stagnant as it is.
And elsewhere, one of our leaders could have been less self-oriented and more into what is good for the organisation she leads in terms of its future leadership, and perhaps in sport the leadership could have been more realistic about the power of the organisation with which he is on a collision course, thinking about compromise instead.
And all this for the country as a whole, but what of one married student at Cipriani, now one of its lecturers, who would confess to the improvement in her marriage because of the “give and take” which critical thinking brought into her relationship, as against the tunnel vision which made her see herself as the dominant partner in the relationship.
Critical thinking is not only for people of influence: it can make a difference to the lives of ordinary people as far as making sound choices goes.
Much can be done to improve a nation and its people but there can be no substitute for the intellectual processing of issues and behaviours at the personal and public level leading to informed choices, which is the essence of critical thinking.
DR ERROL N BENJAMIN
via e-mail