Wishful thinking

Is our universe one complicated computer game with us being mere artificial intelligence made of ones and zeros? This is a strange question, one that I believe cannot be totally disproven or proven but what can we know no matter the answer? The philosopher Descartes wrestled with similar questions. He was concerned about the nature of our reality and more specifically the nature of our knowledge. (Descartes 166-167) He wanted to form a base for knowledge and a method to prove that what we know…

Higher education emphasizes higher order thinking skills (Bostock, n.d.), in particular in relation to specific disciplines, but also serves to build effective citizenship skills (Chan et al, n.d.). Merriam Webster (n.d.) defines idea as: “a thought, plan, or suggestion about what to do; an opinion or belief; (or) something that you imagine or picture in your mind”. The appropriate context is that this is an academic environment, and that such environments demand academic rigor. Academic rigor…

If I’ve learned one thing in the last semester, it’s to never study abroad. Upon our less-than-graceful arrival on Snake Island, it was made clear very quickly that survival might very well be impossible for the lot of us, given our diverse collection of ethical models and the resulting struggle to work together. From the get-go, we had troubles with communication: we couldn’t agree on how to establish rules, we couldn’t decide how to approach island researchers, and we certainly couldn’t form…

When entering a new class curriculum, you do not know what to expect. Throughout this English 1B course the main focus was on critical thinking. It was what generated the whole class, but the topics that were covered went beyond the words in the articles. From the various reading responses to the claim essays, it all impacted and changed my point of view, beliefs, and way of life. Not only did it make me a better reader and writer, it also made me think beyond the context to think differently.…

1.) did some research on what a chemist does, what the work environment is like, what education is required, what skills you need to be successful, how much they are paid, and what a typical day in the career is like. According to O*NET OnLine, the Strong Interest Inventory letters are IRC. This makes sense because chemistry is a true science that requires a very investigative approach. Chemists analyze data and reactions. They make new discoveries and changes. This is a realistic career…

demonstrate the banking concept due to teachers depositing information and having their students retain it for future tests and quizzes, while in the one hour classes, students demonstrate problem-posing education from receiving information and using it to thinking critical rather than reserve the new knowledge. In their algebra class, a two hour period, students experienced both the banking concept and problem-posing in the classroom. In the first semester of the school year, during the first…

Making Ethical Decisions For me, ethical decisions take careful consideration and a great deal of critical thinking. I try to think of multiple outcomes that my ultimate decision may cause, as well as my confidence in that decision. If I don’t feel completely comfortable with a decision that I’ve made, then it’s an indication I need to analyze the situation and possibly more before coming to a final conclusion. When this option isn’t available, due to time constraints or other hindrances, I put…

and warrants to prove a principal. The warrant is at the center of the reasoning and connects the data with the claim, and is usually the generalization the is used to explain how the claim and data are connected. The warrant can be views as the thinking that lead the writer on to the opinion that they hold. V. Deductive and Inductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning can be viewed as reasoning based on experiences mixed with general reasoning. For inductive reasoning to work, the method of…

section, Foster clarifies that there is not always a deeper meaning to everything that an author writes. Like he says, scoliosis could just be scoliosis. Furthermore, his discussion of the physical markings on a character allowed me to see that this thinking could be applied to other novels as well. A specific book that this made me think of was J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. In this book, the main character, Harry, has a mark on his forehead that resembles lightning. In his discussion of the…

The effects of fear on people and how people can be manipulated by fear are Gore’s main points in the excerpt from The Assault on Reason. Gore argues these points most effectively through his demonstration of his expertise. Both his use of personal experience and scientific research exemplify that his argument is well thought out and researched. Other interesting features of his argument that relate to his illustration of his expertise and strengthen his argument are his use of historical…