MBA TC XIX MIM Critical ThinkingCase: Clayoquot Sound
Group Number: 4
Group Members:
1. Arambur Geng, Carlos 2. Ashcallay Samaniego, David3. Casusol
Herrera, Miguel4. Feria Angeles, Diana
Date of Submission: Tuesday, June 2nd
2015As a critical thinker, Isabel is aware that a series of
steps must be followed in order to make a conscious decision. The
steps that Isabel should take are presented below:Before arriving
to a decisionStep 1: Get rid of her emotional attachment to the
situation in Clayoquot. Isabels emotional attachment to the case
comes from her relationship with her friends, which could
eventually lead to peer pressure, and the fact that she values the
preservation of the natural environment, especially regarding the
forests and animals. Being that so, she must not take those two
facts in consideration to arrive to a final decision.Step 2: Gather
more accurate information about the current situation.If she does
so, she will avoid thinking biasedly and will have a solid base of
arguments and information to avoid undermining her critical
thinking process. This step is very important because from this
point, she will evaluate the presented arguments wisely.Step 3:
Identify the arguments of the environmentalistThe following are the
arguments from the environmentalist that Isabel will consider: They
believe that losing trees that take many years to grow cannot be
tolerated anymore. Trees are the lungs of any ecosystem and they
prevent global warming. Forests are the natural habitats of many
species Old growth forests highlight the aesthetic qualities of
life in British Columbia. Step 4: Identify the arguments of the
government supportersThe following are the arguments from the
government supporters that Isabel will consider: Forest industry
needs to cut at least a part of Clayoquot and other primary forest
if they are to continue providing jobs for people. The supply of
wood to build houses would be diminished. The contribution to the
government revenue would decrease.Step 5: Get rid of her biases and
prepare to take a conscious decisionAfter determining the arguments
from both sides, Isabel will take in consideration all of them in
her critical thinking process. She will also have to evaluate them
and see which may create a higher welfare for the people in this
place. By doing so, she will be one step closer to take her final
decision.Step 6: Ensure that nothing has been left outIn this final
step, Isabel has to determine if the information she has in her
hands is the only one available to make a decision. For example,
she might go deep and further in her investigation, collecting
information from NGOs, environmental organizations, experiences
around the world similar to the one in Clayoquot and even if there
is extra unofficial information coming from the government itself.
She needs to bear in mind the importance of having as much
information for her decision-making process so as to arrive to the
best one.After arriving to a decision and before executing itStep
7: Re-think her decision. A common flaw in reasoning is the failure
to consider evidence or arguments that do not support preferred
claims or positions. Hence, Isabel will need to review her whole
thinking process and evaluate each of the steps in terms of
relevance in the arrival to a final decision. This will help her to
realize if the information considered in each of the previous steps
is meaningful and essential to support her final decision.
