Chuk Yan Edwina Wong TOK 25 May, 2012

Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
On a daily basis information is gathered and processed into knowledge. Knowledge is everything that is understood or learned through the ways of knowing (excluding fixed action patterns). Our knowledge, or understanding, is something that is created and not come across as information is. Information that is gathered must be processed by thinking and reflecting in order for knowledge to be generated. There are two ways in which information can be processed: critically and creatively. Critical thinking is the process of actively applying, analyzing, evaluating, and conceptualizing information. Creative thinking is the process of taking gathered information and putting it in an unorthodox context in order for the information to be understood or perceived in a different light than is common. Usually, there is a preconception that critical thinking is best for creating knowledge- especially in the natural sciences. On the other hand, the opposite is said for the arts. Why? What kind of knowledge is obtained by critical thinking and creative thinking? Are there times where knowledge should be generated through both ways of thinking? This essay will consider the natural sciences and the arts in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of creating knowledge through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Generally speaking, critical thinking is associated with reason as opposed to emotion or perception. This is because thinking logically reduces the chances of our knowledge being adulterated with bias or misconception. Emotion as a way of knowing can hinder rational thinking. Perception can lead to misinterpretations. Often times, knowledge is shaped to what we think best depicts reality. This affects how knowledge is created as we strive for it to be absolutely true. Because of this, critical thinking rather than creative thinking is relied on in order to objectively arrive at conclusions of how the world is with minimal error. As a result, critical thinking is very prominent in the natural sciences. In the natural sciences it is significant for results to be as accurate as possible. It is an area of knowledge in which generalizations are made to attempt to understand the inner workings of the universe- the epitome of what critical thinking is used to try to achieve. Inductive reasoning uses critical thinking to come up with scientific theories through the development of patterns through

observations.1 Inductive reasoning can be used in forming a theory explaining the nature of a fundamental quality of life or theories in doctor-patient advisories based on signs, symptoms, or genetics. For example, imagine a scenario where a doctor is put in the position of advising his married ex-wife whether or not to birth children. Based on the knowledge of a hereditary sickness in the family, the doctor would have to examine the familys ancestry to determine the probability of the child inheriting a deadly disease. If the doctor were to advise her properly, regardless of any negative feelings he harbors against her, he will have to put them aside in order to prevent any hindrance from arriving at an accurate conclusion. The scenario calls for critical analysis of the family trees genes and application of genetic principles. 2 When thinking critically he uses the information at hand to form the idea of whether or not producing offspring is advisable. The doctor is presented with a clear aim and enough information to produce precise and straightforward results. There is no need for lateral thinking or creativity. However, there are instances involving the natural sciences where creative thinking is required. This applies in the case where creative thinking is needed for critical thinking to take place in deductive reasoning. Contrast to inductive reasoning where theories are conjured based on observations, in deductive reasoning theories are made and later on confirmed by critical thinking. Many scientific discoveries could not have been possible without this method of reasoning. Creative thinking creates the possibility of approaching issues in more than one ways. Solely relying on critical thinking can put a restraint on innovativeness which is just as important as analysis. In the 1900s America thrived on non-renewable energy resources.3 By the start of the 1970s an energy crises was asserted- illustrating the concerns of resource scarcity. This eventually led to the proposal of implementing renewable energy resources. The proposal included various methods that may have seemed quite eccentric to the majority of the public at a time where many citizens were unaware of alternative lifestyles without non-renewable energy. If it were not for creative thinking in the natural sciences, instead of obtaining and using energy in a more eco-friendly manner, we would be left with constant predictions of when energy resources would be depleted or even take the extremity of ceasing the use of it all together
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because of its deleterious effects. Instead of creating, we would be strategically conserving and postponing until our very last drop of fuel. Imagine that! Simultaneously, creative thinking is ubiquitous in the arts. Contrast to the natural sciences, individuals contributing to or learning from the arts involve a great deal of using perception and emotion. People use the arts as a form of expression. The portrayal of this catharsis is presented in a way that is open to multitudes of interpretations by the creator of the artwork and audience. With this said, through thinking creatively can the viewers perceive various art forms differently from how they normally perceive things in the place of the artist in order to know from a different point of view. Similarly, through thinking creatively can artists make others pay attention and view normal, everyday things at a different view point. Literature embodies this. In my English A1 literature course I discovered The Story of Zahra written by Hanan Al-Shaykh. She wrote about the Lebanese civil war using much symbolism and historical information to bring her personal experience across to the reader. Through her words I was able to view and know from the perspective of a bystander and participant in a war instead of an acknowledger of it. Through her literary techniques she made many connections between mundane subjects (e.g. promiscuity) and the war, making me reflective on these matters with a new outlook from then on. Like the natural sciences there are instances in art where critical thinking is needed for a holistic way of generating knowledge. Aside from the viewer, it is manifest that creative thinking is called for from the artist as well. What is less evident is the need for critical thinking. Through the expression of sentiment from the point of view of artists, masses of historical and statistical information are often times intertwined in their art. This mass of information can be overwhelming for the viewer in which it is up to the artist to structure the information in an effective and understandable way for their audience. For instance, Chris Jordan is an artist best known for his large scale works in depicting behavior engaged in unconsciously on a collective level.4 In one of his public presentations, he exhibited some of his works. On viewing his works I was particularly appalled at his artwork depicting a portrait of a woman and her bare breasts. The entire portrait was composed of 32,000

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pictures of nude Barbie dolls. The significance of this portrait was to illustrate the number of breast augmentation surgeries that take place in the United States of America in a single month. 5 This example shows the use of interaction of critical and creative thinking. Critical thinking was used in order to invoke a creative way of taking a statistical data value often times not fully comprehended until visualized. Chris Jordan first had to understand the raw language of data about a specific subject, think of a way to represent it in an understandable manner, and add meaning to the numbers by doing it unconventionally. Through both ways of thinking, a holistic understanding of an issue important to Chris Jordan was attained. All in all, we are now able to answer the knowledge issues presented in the introduction. The preconception that critical thinking is best for the natural sciences stems from this area of knowledge calling for logic and extreme precision that countless lives are dependent on. The preconception that creative thinking is best for the arts stems from it being a personal expression of self with a diffuse manner. Critical thinking allows for straightforward answers to be produced while creative thinking produces many different answers subject to the individual. In each area of knowledge, the use of one or the other presents shortcomings. In the case of that occurring, when used together creative and critical thinking complement one another such that the knowledge created is holistic. In both the arts and natural sciences, the interaction of both ways of thinking is used to generate knowledge. If this were not done in the natural sciences, scientists would never be able to think of new and innovative approaches to solve previously unsolved problems. Discoveries would not be made and the scientific community would never see progress. If this were not done in the arts, it is quite possible that the message of the artist would never be properly conveyed to the viewer. The knowledge of the artist would never be comprehended by the audience and the objective of many artists would not be met. Though it may seem that one way of thinking is appropriate for a situation over the other, it is through the interaction of both ways of thinking in different measures is a complete understanding made.

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Bibliography
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B. Ward, William, and Alan Damon.Pearson baccalaureate: higher level (plus standard level options) : biology developed specifically for the ib diploma. Harlow, [England: Pearson Education, 2007. Print. C. "Chris Jordan (artist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Jordan_(artist)>. D. "Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.." TOKnow-12. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2012. <toknow12.wikispaces.com/Knowledge+is+generated+through+the+interaction+of+critical+and+ creative+thinking.+Evaluate+this+statement+in+two+areas+of+knowledge.>. E. Caruba , Alan . "Blogspot." Warning Signs . N.p., 29 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 May 2012. <http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/09/when-did-energy-become-enemy.html>.