...The Art of Thinking Clearly Critical Review Colby Wallace Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Abstract This paper is a critical review on Rolf Dobelli’s novel, The Art of Thinking Clearly. It is composed of a literature review and a critical analysis. The literature review section will be a composition of research gathered to: have a better understanding of the books sources, test for sloppy reasoning and get a good understanding of how the book is perceived through reviews. All research will be done through the novel itself, N.A.I.Ts library database and reputable online sources. The information found in the literature review will then be evidence used to determine the answers to the seven key critical questions: 1. What is the source of the article? 2. What kind of publication is it for what audience? 3. What is the main point (thesis) of the article? 4. Are there any new insights about the topic that you did not have before reading it? 5. Do you agree or disagree with its position and evaluation of the topic? 6. How reliable is this particular source as a guide to the truth of the topic? 7. Also, which, if any, of the sloppy reasoning errors can be found in the article? The paper will close with a conclusion that reiterates the papers key points. The Art of Thinking Clearly Critical Review Dobelli, R. (2013). The Art of Thinking Clearly. London: Sceptre. The Art of Thinking Clearly (TAOTC) takes a philosophical look at...
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...860987602 ETST 001: Intro to Race July 7, 2012 Critical Response 1 The Conquest Of A True Identity The ‘survival of the fittest’ was a theory coined by the English naturalist Charles Darwin in which only the fittest organisms will prevail. This phrase has unfortunately been connected to his name with the negative view that it sparked the racial hierarchy that esteems one race over the other. However, Darwin meant for this theory to apply to animals; the predator-prey relationship, and not to human-beings. His cousin, Francis Galton was responsible for tying the theory to the social construction of humans. This helped spark the concepts of colonialism, slavery, and enlightenment in Europe and America which ultimately was the conquest of many people’s identities most especially to the colonized and oppressed who were deemed inferior to the White man. Hegel’s dialectic states that freedom was a condition achieved first by the ownership of oneself (Lowe, 200) During the age of US imperialism, African Americans were held under slavery precisely under this notion that the Whites were more “fit” than non-Whites. Because of this, African Americans were driven to lose their identity not just of being the inferior race but they were dehumanized as well. Black female slaves were not viewed as “mothers” by slave-owners but merely as “breeders” like animals. (Davis, 7) The slave system also discouraged male supremacy in Black men. Because of this, Blacks did not have a chain of command...
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...Taylor Leyva A.P. Language Jackson 29 January 2012 Critical Response: Deloria In this excerpt from We Talk, You Listen, Deloria campaigns on behalf of the rights of all minorities, but namely Native Americans. The unorthodox way he went about it, however, was the most interesting. Unlike most advocates for this cause, Deloria suggests that rather than attempting to join in on white history, minorities should remember and celebrate their own. He downplays the importance of a national sense of unity in order to promote togetherness between racial groups. Thinking back in history to the most well-known battles fought by minorities, the Civil Rights’ Movement definitely stands out. However, it seems that in this instance African Americans wished to fit in to a “white man’s world”. Of course this is understandable, simply because of what we believe of human nature. As Mark Twain said, “If [a man] would prosper, he must train with the majority; in matters of large moment, like politics and religion, he must think and feel with the bulk of his neighbors” (717-718). This desire to be apart of what others are, to join the majority is, in a sense, refuted by Deloria in this excerpt. He gives specific examples in which it seems the truth has been stretched in order to include minorities into white history. This supporters of this theory think that, “Crispus Attucks, a black, almost single-handedly started the Revolutionary War, while Eli Parker, the Seneca Indian general, won...
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...Annette Moore English 122 September 6, 2015 Sarah McMahon Critical Response #1 On the Uses of a Liberal Education: As Lite entertainment for the Bored College Students Mark Edmundson is an English professor at the University of Virginia as well as a published writer. Edmundson’s writing consists of several academic articles on literary, cultural criticism and books for academic specialist on the politics of reading and writing to include an article named “On the Uses of a Liberal Education: As Lite entertainment for the Bored College Students” (Edmundson, On the USes of a Liberal Education: As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students) published in an issue of Harper’s Magazine in September of 1997. In “On the uses of Liberal Education” Edmundson speaks of how professors no longer have the passion for teaching as they once did. Edmundson explains how teaching has become part of a consumer report. In fear of receiving bad evaluations the professors have compromised their teachings by becoming more lenient while grading or not being as challenging. As a professor Edmundson didn’t want his students to think of him as being fun or enjoyable instead Edmundson wanted them to be challenged, learn and to make a difference in their education as he was. While in school Edmundson didn’t seek out to be an English teacher, like any other young student Edmundson had other interest such as music and sports but as he matured so did his passion. The action that would transform...
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...The Death of Gemini In Virginia Grise’s, “Blu,” the female character that stands out from Soledad and Hailstorm was Gemini. She is described as a young girl who had dreams to get out of her circumstances and become successful. She was aware that there was a bigger world than the barrio. Unfortunately, Gemini’s outlook on life changes the day she was raped by her brother’s gang. She could not go past the traumatic event and begins to think that her dreams will never come true. The text implies that while she was sleeping she had a dream of committing suicide, but was still alive because her character continued throughout the text. However, one could argue that Gemini is dead and is only a spirit. Based on textual evidence, Gemini is only alive through the masculine characters of the text. Through Blu, Hailstorm, and Lunatico the reader learns more about the character of Gemini. The memory of Gemini lives on when Blu coincidently joins the army right after the rape of his sister. One cause can be the feelings of guilt for allowing it to happen and watching his sister have violence enacted upon her by his gang brothers. In other words, he believed he needed to make it up to himself to quit being apart of that bad gang and fights for the country instead. When he leaves, Gemini expresses feeling betrayal from her brother, but forgives him. Based on textual evidence, Gemini’s spirit lives through her brother as the victim of rape, causing her to contemplate suicide; and through...
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...Writing Critical Response Papers: An Introduction A critical response paper is not too different from other types of essays that you might have written before. Like all papers it arises as the result of a process of personal reflection. Your Reader: You must assume that your reader is already familiar with the text that you are writing about. It is someone who has read it and understands it at an average level. Your Aim: Your goal is to advance your reader’s level of understanding by revealing to her/him a deeper aspect of meaning. This would be something that confirms a given interpretation, enhances it, makes it more complex, or challenges it. Coming up with a topic (brainstorming): As a writer, you can begin by asking yourself questions and then answering them. Your answers will bring your subject into focus and provide you with the material to develop your topic. See the following handout: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html Having generated a list of ideas, your next step is to organize those ideas in relation to other ideas; that is, to group similar ideas with other similar ideas. If you have written your ideas on cards, all you need to do is to reorganize them into a logical order. A logical order, is one that is easy for the reader to follow. The Topic and the Thesis: A topic would remain an unfulfilled promise of knowledge if it were not by the delineating virtues of a thesis. A thesis statement informs the readers of the...
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...Critical Response Essay Life is full decisions, some harder than others, but those hard decisions have to be made sometimes for the wellbeing of others. Medical technology is beginning to take of the medical field and is making ethical decisions and issues a thing of the past. Due to this there are has been some debate on whether or not the technology in the medical field is harming the medical profession or not. Some people agree with the topic others do not and think that the medical team should be the ones making the decisions not the computers. The passage, Medical Technology and Ethical Issues by William E. Thompson and Joseph V. Hickey, explains the dilemma of technology in the medical field, and the different sides of it. The technology that is being referred to is the RIP computer. This is a computer program that doctors us to help make decisions about whether to administer lifesaving actions to patients that are dying or to let them die. In the passage critics and supporters take opposing sides to the issue of technology being used in the medical field. Some believe computers will be making the decisions, while others believe it just provides data to make decisions on who to treat. On the debate of the use of the RIP in medical field has two main positions, the critics and the supporters. The critics disagree with the technology because, they say that it is a “frightening example” of the overreliance of computer technology that makes decisions that should be...
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...Critical Response on Democracy DeVry University Political Science 330 July 16, 2011 Democracy when looked at as a system of government is when power is vested in the people who rule either directly or indirectly through freely elected officials. (democracy. (n.d.) The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, n.d). There are certain criteria and conditions that must be place in order for a government to be considered democratic. In a democratic society the government will get its power form the people that it is to govern over. The people will elect representatives who are given the responsibility of being their voice in the state capital or countries capital. The representative’s job is to make sure they are trying to do what is in the best interest of the people that they represent. This way is called a representative democracy. The representatives under this type of representation are allowed to be in office for a specific period of time through elections. When they have completed the set term they were elected for then they must step down or try to stay in office by seeking re-election. (Dr. Almon Leroy Way, n.d.). Today you have current events that provide evidence of democracy at work in America. Looking at 2006 and 2007, our economy started to collapse and you could see that the American public as a whole was not happy with the direction of the economy and the government. They had grown weary of the War in Iraq and the drain on America’s...
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...CRITICAL RESPONSE PAPER #2 I would be addressing how I would set up a government system in Nigeria, a country with three major religion beliefs. In conjunction with the legislators we will create a law that will allow citizens to practice the religion they wish in order to be able to persecute people who kill others because they didn’t accept their religious beliefs. Also, whenever a government official is to be sworn into office, he/she will be required to use the books of the main religions in the country which are Christianity, Islam, and traditional religion. This will help to minimize the belief that one religion is superior than the other. Also, there will be public holidays for the celebration of each religion so as to maintain equality. Institutions will be set up in a way that all religious worshippers will have access to employment and services all the institutions are offering. All the religious worshippers will all attend the same schools so as to create peace among them and also create a good relationship among different religious worshippers. Also, different worshippers will work in the same organization, In other words the workforce will be more diverse. Also, all men and women will be able to work and have access to basic amenities irregardless of what their religion might have said. All this will help to reduce stereotypes and racism in our society. Political parties will continue to represent groups of interest but in a different context, no political party...
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...Critical Response Essay: Fred’s Dilemma In respect to the given example of Fred, the view of utilitarian would propose that the person should do whatever is going to offer him or her the most pleasure while obtaining the least pain possible from it. Considering this case, the utilitarian perspective would most likely indicate that Fred should keep the job because by doing so it would provide him with pleasure in many different ways. Some of the reasons he might consider keeping the job are his desperate need for money to support his family. On the contrary, a utilitarian would not consider keeping the job because the company is adding more addictive and toxic ingredients to their products which can cause cancer and many other diseases to their consumers. According to the given scenario, it would not matter if Fred quits his job, because then the company will offer the position to some other applicant who will gladly accept the job with full benefits. Also by quitting the job, Fred would not be able to expose the company’s activities because he signed the confidentiality agreement. In addition, through this theory it is possible to consider that the pain he would obtain if he does quits the job, would be higher due to his financial situation to support his family and also due to finding a another job anytime soon because of the economy. Therefore, the view of a utilitarian would propose that Fred should keep his job because he would obtain more pleasure for him and his family...
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...Critical Response Essay 1. If Fred were a Utilitarian, what would he do? Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory where right and wrong depends on the consequences of one’s actions for everyone who might be affected by them. In other words, Utilitarian individuals want a system that will bring good to society than any other system. The philosophy of consequentialism is also based on the belief that the moral and ethical value of one’s action should be judged by the consequence of such action. In the case where Fred has signed a confidentiality agreement with Greyarea Inc. he is unable to leak out any information to the public about his research findings. If he were to tell anyone else that the cigarettes are more harmful, then the consequences of him being sued by the company due to a breach of the contract would be the repercussions. This is not to say that if Fred did give out the information about the truth of their newly developed cigarettes, he would be right or wrong. In the case with his company, he will be considered doing wrong. If Fred were a Utilitarian he would want to bring good to the society as a whole by letting the public know that the cigarettes in production is actually more addictive and has a higher chance of developing cancer in smokers. He would disregard the repercussions that would affect his family and career even when he is financially secure. His moral beliefs would tell him that his actions are for the greater good and so much more important...
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...Critical Thinking Response Kyra Schamber Parents teach kids how to be bullies by Allan Levine is Credible. In order for a document to be accurately critiqued as credible, the writer must provide concrete examples, concessions, and make reference to their thesis statement, all of which is shown in this document. Levine frequently references his thesis “Parents teach kids how to be bullies” throughout the piece. When talking about a hockey game he states: “They cheer when their son hits a player on the other team, whether the check was legal or not”. Referencing his thesis statement and previously stating that bullies grow up to be parents and sometimes pass on their own behaviours to their children. This may be so. But by stating that...
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...The argument from design is also referred to as the teleological argument, which comes from the word telos, meaning purpose in the Greek language, in other words teleology is the study of purpose. The argument from design is Thomas Aquinas’s final way of proving the existence of God. Aquinas is an Italian philosopher who was ranked as the most powerful thinker; he was highly influenced by Aristotle. According to Aquinas’s argument, all things have a disposition or an order, in a way that when you look at the world, every object, every human and basically everything that exists had to be designed by someone, and that someone is God. Aquinas also believes that everything in this world has an aim, even the unintelligent beings, such as trees. For example, apple trees have a purpose of producing apples not bananas. There must be some intelligent being controlling and directing all the unintelligent to their end, and that being is in the name of God. William Paley, an English philosopher who was the first to analyze the argument from design. He published a book called natural theology, where he demonstrated that by studying nature, we can show the existence of God. Paley uses the analogy of the watch to prove the existence of God. He concluded that the watch didn’t just appear out of nowhere, but was designed by an intelligent being. A watch implies a watchmaker, yet everything that exists in this world implies an even greater designer, which we believe is God. The argument from...
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...Class: POLI330 What is the difference between liberalism and socialism government? Sometimes people mistakes one for the other. In order to differentiate between these two terms, we have to clear define the ideology of each term. Liberalism is divided into classical and modern liberalism. Classical liberalism states that the government should take control of an institution in order to ensure that it continues to be of service to the people, free of charge. Classical liberalism does not see any need for the government to enforce law and order and subjugate its citizens under the iron rule of law and order. However, modern liberalism veers away from this ideology by adding a new twist. Modern liberalism asserts that aside from ensuring economic and political security, it is also the government’s job to interfere with people’s day-to-day affairs in order to maintain social security. Socialism asserts that the states should have total economic power by manipulating prices of goods and wages of workers. Furthermore, socialism requires people to submit to the rule of law. In return for their compliance, citizens are provided with resources rationed by the government. Modern liberalism, in effect, can be compared to socialism, because both of them assert that the government can effectively uplift its citizens not only by seizing control of the economy or private institutions, but also by keeping...
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...The article is about the declining market of Coffee Beans. The article, written by Oxfam International, describes the different problems that coffee bean producers and countries now face as the price of coffee beans is declining drastically. The general consensus shows that besides large coffee companies, private growers and farmers of coffee beans, due to lack of technology, power and information, have sold their beans for such low prices, that even sometimes they sell their beans for less than the cost needed to produce them. This destroys the livelihood of many farmers. The study also shows that currently, there is a far greater amount of beans produced than consumed, and in the end, the coffee market will collapse altogether. I personally feel that the current market status and stability of coffee is legitimate and correct. According to the study, prices have begun to fall because there is no longer any government regulation and that it is a free market. The authors feel that should be governmental regulation and control to improve the quality of coffee and limit the amount that suppliers and produce. I feel that this is completely incorrect. The world economy prides itself on free markets. It is only when the markets are completely free and unregulated can innovation and buyer choice take precedence over supplier power; and, in the end, there are definitely more buyers than producers. Thus, buyer’s priority should take president over the supplier’s problems...
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