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Tuesday
September 27, 2005

What We're Up Against: Critique of a Contemporary College Text by Ed Thompson

This essay serves the specific purpose of arming reasoners against the onslaught of contemporary academia. It highlights major positions taken by academia, and it offers major rebuttals to such positions. In a war for men's minds, one must come to battle with the proper armor. This essay provides it. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (11 messages)

Post 0

Tuesday, September 27 - 6:23am

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Thanks, Ed. I know how cathartic that can be. I have my own academic horror stories, perhaps useful for Halloween. I agree that your first blow hit the nail on the head. The moral-practical dichotomy goes to the root of the deepest metaphysical problems. I am taking a class in Logic, so I get this twice an hour: it is just logic; it does not pertain to the real world.

Again, your summarizing tirade was fun to read, totally unarguable, and greatly appreciated. In the lyrics from Carmen Jones, the prizefighter sings:
"Stand toe to toe.
Trade blow for blow."

Engage the enemy! (and always be 'engaging', when you do... (:-) )

Post 1

Tuesday, September 27 - 7:15am

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Now if you cross reference that with the two worldview syndromes, you gain an understanding of where the person's view came from, and why that person holds those sets of views...

Post 2

Tuesday, September 27 - 8:52am

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This is why it is so incredibly important to teach your children critical thinking skills. That's about all you can do. And discuss concepts with them.

So many times, my kids have been in situations where they had to write not only as if they understood, but agreed with things like that, if they wanted to pass.

I count that as a win, sad to say.

Post 3

Tuesday, September 27 - 9:06am

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Thanks Michael! Regarding your course in Logic, you do have my sympathies. Might I suggest the following arguments be brought up in your class (by you)?:

Syllogistic Reality

Folks need to eat.
Poison kills.
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Therefore, if folks eat poison, they'll die.

Folks want to live.
If folks eat poison, they'll die.
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Therefore, folks ought not eat poison.

Note: Many concepts can replace POISON to bring it more "to life" -- such as: "jumping into a cauldron of acid (or molten lava)," "self-detonating nuclear devices," "calling Peikoff a whim-worshipper (at ARI meet-up)," etc. All of these concepts are probably lethal, some of them are definitely so!

Real Logical Equivalence (e.g. double negation)

POISON is unhealthy/lethal
~POISON is possibly healthy/non-lethal
~~POISON is unhealthy/lethal

Ed

Post 4

Tuesday, September 27 - 9:17am

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Andrew, I want to thank you for implementing your editorial talent, once again! You really cleaned that one up, nice!

Damn, it's [Ferris Bueller pun coming] like I could hand you a lump of coal and -- in 2 weeks -- you'd toss back a diamond (and I would picture you stretching, as if you were 'just warming-up' with that!).

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Robert, thanks for the tie-in. Regarding the 2 worldviews, could you please distill those lists you'd displayed (of how folks view reality) into "top-3"s? If there were only 3 items on each list, then even concrete-bound folks could appreciate the disparity between the 2 worldviews (two, 3-part views can be held in awareness perceptually -- your long lists can't).

Ed

Post 5

Tuesday, September 27 - 9:46am

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Rich, you are so right.

The book I'd suggest (for pre-teens/early teens) is: Asking the Right Questions by M. Neil Browne and Stuart Kelly. This book has 2 'cartooned' characters and a running theme (capital punishment) -- which both are used in order to integrate the different lines of questions/answers available.

Other good books (for older teens/adults) are:

-Attacking Faulty Reasoning by T. Edward Damer (superb reasoning and value-focus!)

-How to Think Straight by Antony Flew (great real-world examples!)

-The Art of Deception by Nicholas Capaldi -- Though this book has often been the stock suggestion for critical thinking -- I found that TE Damer's AFR book was best; and that Flew's HTTS book had real gems that deserved mention. I used AFR in order to create** a debate paradigm for sincere debators seeking BTUP (benevolence, truth, understanding, progress) from their discussions.

Ed

**My articles page:
http://solohq.org/Articles/Author_101.shtml

Post 6

Tuesday, September 27 - 11:13am

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Informative, well-written, impassioned article, Ed.

In my "Culture and Society in the West" class, I deal with many students who are not critical thinkers. I put the following sentence on the board and asked for comments:

"Truth is determined by consensus."

Only one student saw the absurdity. Before consensus is achieved, individuals must determine that something is true.

I am grateful to this day, for Rand's identification of the "stolen concept" and other examples of muddled thinking.

I hope you will contribute to the Solo Education section. You have much to say about this vital topic.

Post 7

Tuesday, September 27 - 11:25am

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This is why it is so incredibly important to teach your children critical thinking skills.

I remember the time I was walking down the street with my daughter. She was about seven. I do not remember what I was saying, but she interrupted me with, "So, what's your theory on that?" which I took for meaning "Why?" but I think she said that because she had heard me say that for "Why?"

Anyway, it was nice to know that her gears were turning.

Post 8

Tuesday, September 27 - 11:27am

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Might I suggest the following arguments be brought up in your class (by you)?:
Syllogistic Reality.

Thanks for the hint.
I am waiting for the opportunity to ask her how she drives a car. ("What?") Do you drive as if reality were unknowable and the rules of the road just a priori assertions? (-- courtesy of a David Kelley lecture.)

Post 9

Tuesday, September 27 - 4:23pm

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Ed, good article!

Post 10

Tuesday, September 27 - 4:30pm

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Thanks Marty, I like your in-class "workshop"! You've got me to thinking of taking the first day in classes to have a critical thinking workshop. I'll get over to SOLO Ed. soon ...

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Michael, I wish I could be there to see the poor woman's face! ...

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Thanks for the acknowledgment Pete.

Ed