Critical Thinking Article Summary and Critique: Distinguishing Between Inferences and Assumptions

Perception is the basis of on which we form our thoughts. Through the senses, our surroundings are perceived by many different ways. Many of our perceptions of certain instances are inferred on assumptions of past events that have taken place in our lives. According to Elder, “…we continually make assumptions about ourselves, our jobs, our mates, our students, our children, the world in general”(Critical, para 5, 2002). This is obvious in most of our daily lives. These subjective evaluations can sometimes be in the way of thinking objectively about situations that need to be resolved. Because most humans do not know everything, assumptions are an essential part of most productive employees. In many fields, from history to engineering, assumptions are an integral part of most people’s thought processes. The emotive aspect of critical thinking lies with the inquisitive state of being. If you are emotionally keyed to think scrupulously about situations, th...