What+is+Critical+Reasoning?


 * WEEK 1: Why do you want to think critically?**

So if you saw the previous clip, what do you think of the argument presented for critical thinking? Was it convincing? What parts of that argument appealed to you - why? Did you disagree with anything that was said - why?


 * History** is replete with examples of people, and that will include us one day, being blindly asked to comply with the demands of authority. Sometimes these authorities (e.g. governments, businesses, religious institutions) persuade people to do things that they and later generations deeply regret. Alternatively these institutions can blind people, that are not critical thinkers from seeing a better way.

Follow the link to this sights watch this You Tube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7_xBEPcu2o which explains the famous Milgram experiment found on page 8 of your study guide.

Also go and have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7_xBEPcu2o and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA8FpI5Vqm0 which examines the Mai Lai Massacre that occurred during the Vietnam War.

Here is a fascinating talk by a contemporary psychologist who also provides some answers - http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html

Both of these pieces of real history brutally expose how ordinary people like you and I can, if we do not learn to think critically do the unthinkable.


 * Now here are some questions to get the discussion going....**

1. Why do we always believe people perceived to be experts?

2. Do we need expert advice in our lives? Why?

3. Why is it that some people are able to think critically?

4. Why are most people afraid to think critically?

5. Why would you like to learn to think more critically?

6. Besides not wanting to "do evil" what might be other advantages to learning to think critically?