Critical thinking leads to innovation

Critical thinking or “thinking critically,” as I perceive it, is about filtering information and reacting accordingly.  It is the active process of interpreting information for its value—and utilizing it.  Critical thinking is an important skill to acquire and to practice at every possible opportunity—it sets one apart from the common stream of thought and on track to interpreting every conversation, every thought and every bit of information as a resource. 

            A character trait that I value as one of my primary inspirations to be in the field of international development is innovation.  Having the creativity to see and interpret things the way most would not, and acting upon these interpretations it is something I strive to succeed at throughout my lifetime. Being able to approach a topic, keeping in mind everyone and everything this topic affects and relates to is an important factor of thinking critically. The key to innovation is critical thinking. 

            My first year of university I enrolled in an elective course in the philosophy department titled “critical thinking.”  This class taught me a lot more about the theory of thinking critically, (being able to detect biases, fallacies etc…) as opposed to teaching me about critical thinkers themselves.  At first I was slightly let down, however found by the end of the semester to be thinking more critically myself.  On a day-to-day basis, I found myself often getting into small debates with friends and looking at topics of interest from many different perspectives and points of view—using everything and everyone I interacted with as a resource. As I began exploring different viewpoints and interpretations of things, I found my creativity evolved, and I am now able to discuss topics from an innovative standpoint. Learning about the world around me, and acting and reacting in innovative ways to help the evolution of development in lesser developped countries is essentially what I would like to do with my life—thinking critically about everything I can is the only means of getting there.