TASK #5

ASSUMPTIONS

-IDENTIFY THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS:


6.1: 
 Students of the late twentieth century regularly campaigned against nuclear weapons. Students rarely demonstrate against nuclear weapons any more. Students must be less political than they used to be.
EXPLANATION: as time has been passing, there has been many other political and social issues, so that students are complaining about other aspects different to nuclear weapons. It does not mean students are not being aware of the use of weapons, It is just a proof that there are other aspects to deal with.

-IMPLICIT ASSUMPTIONS USED AS REASONS:

6.7:  

Conclusion: As there has been so little advance on humanoid robots assisting with housework and construction, it will probably never be achieved.

-An implicit  assumption is that although they claim that the idea of robot was created a long time ago by da vinci, It does not mean that there has not been constant efforts in order to create a robot with these characteristics. 

-FALSE PREMISES:

6.14: 

Getting wet in the rain gives you a cold. the builders worked for several hours in pouring rain. therefore, they will get colds

EXPLANATION: It is a false premise with weak arguements due to the fact not all the times when people are in pouring rain, later they get a cold.

-IMPLICIT ARGUEMENTS: 

6.22: 
when our candidate says he fought for his country, he really did fight for his country. when our candidate says that he has not stolen from the nation, he really has not. and when our candidate makes electoral promises about taxes, he will keep them. 

EXPLANATION: The implicit arguement is that they are talking positively about their candidate and they are giving a hidden message that the opposite candidate is not as their candidate is. 


-STEREOTYPES: 

1) We´ll decorate the room pink as they have two girls

EXPLANATION: This is a common stereotype on society which claims that all girls like pink or that pink is just for women but as it is stereotype, it is not always true. 

 -ASSUMING CAUSAL LINKS: 

7.3:
the man´s body was found in the kitchen. a bloody knife was found nearby. the lock on the door had broken. somebody must have broken in and killed the man. 

EXPLANATION: the assumption causal link is that there are two aspects that explain that a man  was killed there: the knife and the lock. 


-IDENTIFY THE NATURE OF THE LINK : 

7.4: 

EXPLANATION: in this example there are assumptions that are not supported with strong arguments. Not all the times teeth decay due to the fact of eating a lot of  sugar. also, not only children consume sugar; adults also do it. 

-FALSE ANALOGIES: 

7.10

 EXPLANATION:  in this part, there is a comparison between the atmosphere and a blanket due to the fact that both (atmosphere and blanket) protect people and provide warmth



VIDEO: FRENCH STEREOTYPES 

stereotypes are deep inside in the  common beliefs of the society and I think stereotypes work sometimes on people negatively and separate them because there can be people who do not follow those ideas that others practice.
I think in the videos they mention just some speculations about behaviors there in france like the one about shaving and It called my attention due to the fact in our country we have similiarities with other people around the world. an stereotype we have here is that we tend to be  lazy people just because we procrastinate everything for the last time. It is just an assumption because It does not mean all the people are the do the same. 
Also, I have to say not all about stereotypes is negative. It can also create identity about certain community considering them as a way of demonstrating how culture impact social relationships. 

 #4 TASK B:

Should Chimpanzees Be Considered ‘Persons’?

1)

-POSITION:

In all seriousness--because this is a fundamental question about how we respect ourselves and other social animals


-DISAGREEMENT:

Somewhere, there must be a "third factor" to assist us in escaping our literal or analogous pre-biblical, Abrahamic endless replays all across our Earth.

-CONCLUSION:

We need to get some commitments, at least about beginning to work towards--not even solutions, yet--some real flourishing of hope, the gift that keeps on giving: "Only Signs of Willingness Need Apply."

2)

POSITION:

I hope that a party has previously complained about to condition of these two chimpanzees

AGREEMENT:

I agree w with the goals of the Non-Human Rights Project and would advocate for consideration of the rights of any big brained mammal,

 TASK #4

Should Chimpanzees Be Considered ‘Persons’?

-POSITION: 

One view is that only humans can be persons because humanity is the basis of personhood. 


-ARGUEMENT: 

If you are a person, you have the capacity for rights, including the right to habeas corpus relief, which protects you from unlawful confinement. If you are a thing, you do not have the capacity for rights. And unfortunately, even though they are sensitive, intelligent, social beings, Kiko and Tommy are considered things under the law.


-EXPLANATION: 

“Human” is best understood as a biological concept that refers, at present, to a member of a particular species, Homo sapiens. In contrast, “person” is best understood as a moral and legal concept that refers to an individual who can hold moral and legal rights.


-AGREEMENT: 

In response, the Nonhuman Rights Project is taking a bold position: It is arguing that if every being must be either a person or a thing, then Kiko and Tommy are persons, not things. I agree, and many other philosophers do, too.

-DISAGREEMENT:

 However, this view of personhood is unacceptably exclusionary. We all lack the ability to use language and reason in abstract and sophisticated ways early in life, some of us lose these abilities later in life, and some of us never develop them. Yet while humans might not have moral or legal duties when we lack these abilities, we can clearly still have moral and legal rights. This is why many judges and legal experts now rightly reject this exclusionary view of personhood as fundamentally at odds with contemporary standards of human rights.


-SUMMARY:

The Nonhuman Rights Project does. Since 2013, the group has been working on behalf of two chimpanzees, Kiko and Tommy, currently being held in cages by their “owners” without the company of other chimpanzees. It is asking the courts to rule that Kiko and Tommy have the right to bodily liberty and to order their immediate release into a sanctuary where they can live out the rest of their lives with other chimpanzees.

-INTRODUCTION: 

You might be aware that chimpanzees can recognize themselves in a mirror, communicate through sign language, pursue goals creatively and form long-lasting friendships. You might also think that these are the kinds of things that a person can do. However, you might not think of chimpanzees as persons.

-BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 When we think about the basis of our own personhood, we do not think about how we happen to be classified in a biology textbook. Instead, we think about features of our lives such as conscious experience, emotionality, a sense of self and bonds of care and interdependence. 

-CONCLUSION:

 Sometimes when we are overwhelmed by the complexity of an issue, it can help to start by stating a simple truth and going from there. In this case, the simple truth is that Kiko and Tommy are not mere things. Whatever else we say about the nature and limits of moral and legal personhood, we should be willing to say at least that. The only alternative is to continue to accept an arbitrary and exclusionary view about what it takes to merit moral and legal recognition. Kiko and Tommy deserve better than that, and so do the rest of us.

WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING?

 

 Critical thinking for me is the ability people  have to reflect about many aspects we see around us. The deep anaysis of the things is crucial for developing logical skills in our minds; That is the reason why people should question themselves about how things are done and get answers that can elaborate new questions. For that reason, critical thinking is a never ending process; knowledge can not just be static on people´s mind, The goal of knowledge is  to generate new ideas and positive thoughts for people´s mind. 

SUMMARY: LECTURE BY STEPHEN BROOKFIELD

Creative & Critical Thinking

Taking into acount the ideas proposed in the previous video, Critical thinking becomes a human capacity that enhances the different skills people have in order to explain how answers to things are perceived. Being a teacher is more than the explanation of a class; a teacher is who facilitates and provides tools for students to think beyond the static knowledge.

Critical thinking is the process when people become aware of the assumptions that frames the way people think base don the knowledge but also the way people think of the set of aspects happen constantly. Someone who thinks creatively is able to communicate with others with facility. Critical thinking in this video is also perceived as the way of seeing the things from multiple perceptions.

Kinds of assumptions:

-          Causal: try to explain events

-          Prescripive: explain how things shoud happen

-          Paradigmatic: is the way we put together ideas and through common sense, we presen tour thoughts.

Critical thinking is the aplication of the scientific method. People have hypotheses that are proved or disproved by others.

A critical thinker is someone who has knowledge about different fields like politics, how people with power control the world. A good critical thinker is someone who does not see knowledge as an static thing. Knowledge is constantly opened to new perspectives,  points of view and ways of practising things.

Critical thinking should be implemented in classes and teachers are the instructors in that process. Discussions, chalk talk, debates and questions are the best strategies we as teachers can use in order to improve critical thinking skills on students. As students start questionning about many aspects we learn in the classroom, knowledge goes beyond learning from books.

Reflective Task 1: Emotional self-management.

For me, the emotions that more difficult to manage when others disagree with me are: to understand that there are many points of view instead of mine. I am tolerant but I accept sometimes I am not enough patient to understand and get along with others.

I deal with this by: keeping calm when other people are talking about other things different to the ones I have in mind. being  patient helps me to deal with those troubles I may have with people. 

Reflective Task 2: Influences on my thinking.

For me, the influences on my own thinking that I need to be most aware of so they don’t prejudice my thinking are: I have to start thinking about how I have to change many aspects in my life and mood in order to reflect to others what I want to demonstrate

I deal with this by: having positive thoughts and expressing the best of my personality

Reflective Task 3: Challenging opinions.

For me, the thing I find most difficult about challenging the opinions of other people are: sometimes I do not like when other people do things I do not like them to do even if I know they are right. I know it but causes fury on me. 

I deal with these by: being patient and taking into account other people have different thoughts to mine and I have to respect them. 

Reflective Task 4:

Do you recognize anything of yourself in Bodner’s description of students? What effect would the approach he suggests have on your learning and understanding?

yes. We as students are used to believing in everything teachers are saying without questionning about if what they are saying is real or not. That is the reason why is important to start having a critical view of the context we are living in order to help to build a society where students, children and adults are part of processes where  opinions help to change people´s lives and perceptions about things. 

Reflective Task 5:

Consider what you could to manage these barriers of critical thinking in the next few months:

I will try to come up with new ideas so as to change my manner of analyzing things that happen in my context. Being a citizen is not just to have a name; the importance of being an student and citizen is to be part of the positive changes we can do on people by being creative and critical.