In this week’s reflection post, I will be focusing on the topic of critical thinking. The speaker mentioned that critical thinking is not just an academic skill; it is also a skill that people can use in their daily lives.

I would like to quote the speaker’s speech: “When people have critical thinking, what makes them believe in something?”

When I apply the speaker’s point to today’s life, I personally think that critical thinking is one of the most important and useful skills for everyone. In today’s society, AI has a huge impact on people’s daily lives. AI has made people’s lives more convenient and more efficient, but at the same time, AI is too powerful, and it can create a lot of fake videos, images, or information for people.

In the video, the speaker mentioned “emotional reactions” and how they have affected people’s beliefs. Therefore, critical thinking has become a useful skill that can help people decide whether information is trustworthy and reliable. It is important to think carefully after you have received some information, and this can help you learn better.

I really like this question that I read from an academic article. I think it has helped me improve my learning a lot.

"Is a learning outcome about critical thinking a matter of emancipatory empowerment or a matter of scientific reasoning? Is critical thinking about finding as a basis for reliable judgements or about forming a sceptical position?"

On the other hand, I really like the gorilla experiment, which showed that people can easily miss obvious things because they are focused on something else. When you apply this to people receiving messages online, it can lead them to believe wrong information due to carelessness.

Therefore, I believe that critical thinking can help us a lot in our daily lives, and we have to stay calm and make sure we have checked whether the information is reliable and trustworthy.

Erikson, M. G., & Erikson, M. (2019). Learning outcomes and critical thinking – good intentions in conflict. Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames), 44(12), 2293–2303. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1486813