Blog 2

The two topics we reviewed in the past week that impacted my own critical thinking greatly were irrational decision making and Dunning Kruger effect. Before learning about irrational decision making I believed I was in control of my own decisions. I had no clue that I may not have any part in thinking critically due to default thinking or inferior option. This is due to the fact that I may not understand material clearly to make a just decision or I believe I know what to do at a given time. The Dunning Kruger effect surprised me because I believe I knew my own strengths and can judge and compare it to others. Is there truly any just way to escape from the Dunning Kruger effect? Both these topics continue to make me question how well of a critical thinker I am. 

These lessons slightly impacted my thinking about my thinking hero, Euclid, even if I believe he would be susceptible to some errors. As a mathematician, Euclid was participating in confirmation bias by constantly looking for information to support his findings. He would also be susceptible to irrational decision making. On the other hand, Euclid was good at constructing arguments because in math he dealt with constructing many different ones. These arguments, also known as a proof, were evidence and principals to be written down to take a position. Regardless, Euclid was a great thinker that contributed greatly to the world and is still my thinking hero.

Blog 1

Throughout history, individuals are praised for how the human mind processes ideas, surroundings and information that contribute to society as a whole. One great thinker that comes to mind is Euclid. Euclid is believed to have been alive around 300 BC and he lived most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt. I chose him because as a thinker and a scholar, he developed many mathematical theories. Known as the "Father of Geometry," Euclid expanded on the practice of spaces and shapes making geometry easier to learn and teach by reading his books. He was the best candidate for a great thinker because he questioned everything around and made his own evaluations.

In class, we defined critical thinking as active thinking that is goal oriented, requires focus, involves particular processes (like breaking down), and is action oriented when done well. Euclid possessed all of these traits. He was an active thinker and analyzed everything for a goal: to better not only his understanding, but society's understanding of geometry. He was focus on geometry and was capable of writing his mathematical discoveries in Elements and Optiks, which also means he was action oriented since he put what he thought into words. This could not have been possible if Euclid did not look at geometry as different parts of math, so breaking down an element or idea is imperative. Therefore Euclid was a prime example of a great thinker since he was a focus thinker that left ideas of though that many continue to follow today.