I am an incredibly wise unwise person. I am perceptive and (when I want to) I can totally and completely think out something to it's full extent. However, unless I find myself in the position of writing a paper, sitting in a classroom, or having an intellectual conversation with someone, I find myself completely filter-free. I say the first thing that pops into my mind no matter how hard I try not to or how dumb it is. (This probably stems from some deep seeded insecurity from my early childhood because I was more inclined to learn than my peers and was ostracized because of my intelligence-being dumb/saying dumb things helped me make friends. Pathetic, I know.)
This filter-free unwise way of going about my life has had its ups and downs. I was able to get out into the "social world" and make friends, but I also made a fool of myself. I've said things like "Europe is south of Canada," which, it totally isn't. My independent and strong-willed personality has also really not benefited from my apparent lack of verbal filter. If you ask my mom, she'll tell you that as a child (and even today) men in my life, like karate teachers or music coaches, who have treated me less than equal have found it difficult to "deal with me" because even as a 7 year old I expected to be their equal and I would tell them so (this ended in the inevitable switched of karate studios and music teachers). If you ask my friends, they'll tell you I'm occasionally offensive and often find myself apologizing. Everything I say that is somewhat offensive, of course, is completely unintentional and I never plan to say it before it comes out of my mouth. Like a "speak before regret later" type of scenario.
My point in all of this useless rambling is that being unwise (and therefore not thinking critically before speaking) has often landed me in some sticky situations. Therefore you can probably conclude that, in direct relation to the fact that is morally wrong to offend people, there is a moral imperative to think critically. If I was able to avoid potentially offending someone with my inability to control what I say then I could argue that in social situations it's fine to not think critically. There's a time and place for everything (which is why I'm a nerd in class and borderline daft out of class) so there should be a moral imperative to think critically if say, you were involved in the media and were broadcasting a news story or if you are a celebrity and have a huge following. You can't just say what you want when you want because you want when a large group of people are listening. Especially today when there are a group of people on the internet practically begging to be offended.
A question that may come to mind is the inconclusive personal definition of what is moral. People from different groups of life have different morals. Here, in western society we punish those who go against the law, however there is a tribe in Africa which praises those who lash out against societal rules because they believe that the individual is acting out because they are feeling unnoticed (or something along those lines). Basically everyone gathers together and say good things about the person. Here we think its morally right to punish those who go against the law, and there they do not.
Another example of the shades of grey between what is morally right and wrong is the "heart in a box" transplant technique which is under clinical investigation in Europe and the US. I read an argument that said that if they could still keep the heart beating, at what point can a doctor declare the patient dead. At what point does the doctor stop trying to save one patient's life in order to use their organs to save another? Medicine is probably one of the most iffy areas for moral right and wrongs so a lot of questions can arise from it.
Also one last question. If we cant define what a moral right or wrong is, how can we justify what thinking critically is. Someone can do a lot of "critical" thinking on something and completely miss the point entirely. And if they miss the point did they really think that critically?
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