The three levels of thinking

Summary

 In ‘Thinking as a hobby' the author states that when he was young, he found that there are three grades of thinking. Golding was not a good student since he could not think (Golding, n.d). While in grammar school, the headmaster could introduce some statuettes to aid students in thinking, but the author found the statuette confusing. However, he learned about thought by interacting with his teachers and watching them. Note that Golding was not a good thinker and therefore he was bitterly determined to know more about thoughts. He watched Mr Houghton, Miss. Parsons, and Mr Hands. Through interacting with them, he learned that there are three types of thinkers.  First is grade-three thinkers- these are people whose thoughts have unconscious prejudice (Golding, n.d). Such people rely on feelings and emotion. Rather than using thoughts to stand for reality and see rational arguments, grade-three thinkers rely on their innermost feelings. The second type of thinker is grade-two thinkers- these are people who create contradictions and like criticizing but have nothing to give in return.  The third type of thinker is grade-one thinkers. These are people who are knowledgeable, creative, and imaginative. They do not follow dictators, but they seek for truth. They focus on creating a coherent, logical and moral argument (Golding, n.d).  According to the reading, it is important to understand the three types of thinkers to have the ability to approach different people and communicate with them effectively. Besides, it is important to understand the types of thinking to confirm and clarify thoughts. In general, understanding the types of thinking will help move from feelings that bring unconscious bias, develop contradictions, and finally develop creative thoughts.

 

Example of each type of thinkers

Grade 1

 An example of grade-one thinker is Rosalind Hursthouse.  In talking about abortion, she applies the virtue theory and says that abortion is a serious issue, and it is evil to cut human life (Crisp, 2013).  She adds that abortion is not always wrong and therefore, in deciding whether to abort or not, one should consider the real goods such as the value of human life and value of motherhood.  I believe this philosopher is a grade-one thinker in that she has a strong moral sense.  Note that she is defending her thought by using a moral argument until she reaches her conclusion that in deciding whether to choose abortion or not, one should consider the real goods (Crisp, 2013).  She gives legitimate contributes and shows moral seriousness to the issue.

 Grade 2 thinkers

 An example of grade-two thinkers is citizens. They question the political institution and become unsatisfied with democracy. At times, they may not understand how democracy works and create contradictions. They develop a negative attitude toward the government and question the institutional structures.  However, they lack confidence and anything positive to change the unsatisfying and messy democracy (Golding, n.d).  They make arguments that are not convincing or valid.  They blame the government for failures but have no power to change the structures.

  Grade 3

 An example of grade-three thinkers is ‘whites'.  In the U.S society, whites say that there should be a colour blind society that eliminates racial classification and discrimination and promotes racial equality. However, whites treat the people of colour unequally. This means that they use their feelings that it is important to stop discrimination, but they support racial practices (Golding, n.d). Therefore, whites can be described as hypocrites because their praises the colour blind society but they are highly prejudiced.

From the reading, the three types of thinkers shed lights on critical thinking.  For example, the author says that initially, he treated thinking as a hobby but after conducting his research and finding out the types of thinkers, he never used thinking as a hobby, but he became a critical thinker (Salmon, 2012).   The essay has helped understand that one should be aware of the three types of thinking and understand the importance of developing critical thinking which is associated with evaluating information (Salmon, 2012). Note that information come from many sources such as observing, communicating, reasoning, and more.  In making decisions, one should use his or her reasoning abilities to avoid biases and prejudices. The important thing to note that thinking can shape or destroy the quality of lives in that life depends on the quality of thoughts. This means that one should cultivate critical thinking; that is; analyze and evaluate the information (Salmon, 2012). In making arguments, it is important to think critically and apply deductive reasoning, which entails the use of valid reasoning.

            After learning the different types of thinkers, I can say that I am a grade-one thinker.  This is because, every time I detect a problem or a contradiction, I must propose a solution.  As a student, I criticize situations and offer an alternative even if the alternative is not the best.  While arguing with other students. I take my time to ensure that I support my argument using facts and finding evidence. I challenge the ideas and use my mental capabilities to correct false ideas and to offer my viewpoints. I usually question the beliefs and offer what I believe.

 

Reference

Golding, W. Thinking as a hobby.

Crisp, R. (2013). Virtue ethics.  Oxford University Press

 Salmon, H. Merrilee. (2012). Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking. Cengage Learning