Most people believe they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices - Essay Example

Prejudice is the adverse opinion or judgment formed without knowledge or beforehand without examinationor knowledge of facts. Real thinking involves a logical process in which ideas and information are formed based on the available facts. The quote given by William James is an indication on how numerous people are simply applying various adverse judgments which have been formed without facts in place of another (Brainyquote, n.d.). This is all different from actual thinking as real thinking is based on the examination of facts, and coming to an informed decision or logical reason which is based on certain facts.

Most of the people usually see that they involved in the real thinking process while in the actual sense they are using rearranged prejudices. Without facts, an individual cannot have an intelligent decision nor have the ability to perform any logical reasoning. This leads to making everything become a hypothesis or a conjecture. This is an indication that with real thought an individual can come up with something which does not require the use of preconceived or performed notions about the subject of interest.

For any real thinking done an individual must have the facts right and any other supporting documents. This requires the need to leave out the prejudices or preconceived notions behind. Without the existence and presence of the two conditions an individual is not really thinking but just moving around some of the rearranged or preconceived prejudices. Finding facts in the current world that we live in is a fairly straight affair and this leads to the spending of minimal time used in considering some of the portions that are required for adequate preparation of the thinking process.

The difficult part arises in the ability of the mind to recognize and release some of the preconceived notions. When things and ideas are not based on the available facts they are accurately described as beliefs. Beliefs are based on faith and as result become stubborn in the mind of an individual. An example about the real thinking process and the rearranged prejudices will be based on an individual wearing a hoodie sweatshirt. Over the past years several crimes have been continually occurring within the community.

On proper investigation by the police it has been found out that most of the suspects have been reported to be wearing hoodie sweatshirts. Based on this information the police have been closely scrutinizing and interrogating any individual wearing a hoodie sweatshirt. This is a clear indication on the distinction between real thinking and rearranged prejudices. Does the hoodie sweatshirt say more about the person wearing it or does it say more about the police and the community on their thoughts about the whole subject.

Real thinking has only been used in the identification of the perpetrators of the crime as they were seen wearing hoodie sweatshirts. This is an indication that the facts collected from the sense of sight are used to form the thought process. However, what the police and the community think and feel about any individual wearing a hoodie sweatshirt is a result of the rearranged prejudices. This is a clear indication on how preconceived notions and prejudices affect most of our though process.Works CitedBrainyquote.

William James Quotes. Retrieved Nov, 16, 2012. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamjam109175.html