...Critical Thinking and Language Essay University of Phoenix PHL 251: Critical Thinking February 6, 2006 Course Facilitator: William Salmon The purpose of this essay is multifaceted. I will describe an aspect of my life using metaphors; discuss the role that language and language diversity play in the critical thinking process; discuss how language can limit or empower the expression of our thoughts; and discuss the role of critical thinking in persuasion. Life has its ups and downs and in the past several months I have faced more downs than ups. As nurses we are trained to care for other and be aware for the signs and symptoms of multiple disease processes. When it comes to ourselves we tend to ignore all the warning signs of our body when it comes to any impending illnesses. In September a seemingly harmless virus turned into a painful auto immune disease that will affect me for the rest of my life. I usually avoid doctors and hospitals like the plaque when I’m not at work, so by the time I was forced to go to the emergency room I was as weak as a kitten. My gut was twisted in knots while I waited for the doctor imagining every possible cause of my problem. After hearing the diagnosis and being told that I had to be admitted to the hospital I was at the end of my rope. I was in denial, I don’t get sick often and it’s never serious. I’m a nurse I get exposed to countless germs and am never sick more than a few days; I was too young to be...
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...Critical Thinking and Language Essay Benjamin Antillon PHL/251 Dr. Lentz June 23, 2009 Prior to moving to Las Vegas all I would hear is “Las Vegas is hot as hell”. Who really knows how hot hell really is? As far as we know hell could be a comfortable seventy-two degrees and fully stocked with bible thumping Christians vying for my acceptance to Christianity. Who knows but the omnipotent rock star or god or ala (take your pick), whichever one sends the biggest shivers down your spine and lets you spill your guts to redemption. As far as hell goes I’ll let you know when I get there, but as for the Las Vegas heat goes it’s hot, but manageable as a Las Vegas stripper in heat. How does language empower or limit thoughts Language can empower or limit our expressions and thoughts. Metaphors are an implied comparison between an object or an action, but not literal. Metaphors can enrich perception and understanding by bringing clarity and understanding to the language in order to better help others understand your perspectives. Metaphors although can help the clarity of ones thoughts or perspectives, it can also limit ones understanding. Language reveals or demonstrates a particular society, thus a metaphor in one society may have a completely other meaning in another. It is this that can limit the power of metaphors and lead to a translation of murkiness. An example of this is when your telling a story and you are describing a car in your metaphor, your interpretation...
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...Slice of Life A Synthesis Paper on Philosophy and Logic Jonn Denzel V. Ramos BSGE-1E Does God exist? How to build an attractive city? Does life is real or just an imagination? An average person fails to answer these questions objectively, but philosophers have this will on solving these problems. Philosophy and logic are the fundamentals in search for meaning. Philosophers have these skill set which makes them think different from others, which leads and guides them to real and unbiased answer, it is a slice of life where they embrace every single moment they put up time and effort in their search for answer. Long time ago, Ancient Greeks invented philosophy as the way of thinking and asking questions about all things through its ultimate causes. Pre-Socratic Pythagoras coined the word philosophia which means “love of wisdom” or people who are faithful to wisdom as St. Thomas Aquinas called as wise man. Philosophy began to spread throughout the rest of the world, as the knowledge and discipline that engages and sharpens our reasons. There are three components of philosophy, the material object, formal object and natural scope. The material object refers to the subject being observed and finding the root cause on how it exist is its formal object. The natural scope is simply defined as natural reason which philosophers use in search for explanations. Ordinary and profound are two types of knowledge in philosophy. Ordinary knowledge is the foundation or the simplest form...
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...implications of reading skills to the critical thinking of third year high school students The profile of the students on sex, English rating and English language preference were considered. It assessed the students’ reading skills on word recognition through context clues, noting details, getting the main idea, inferring, making generalizations and predicting outcomes. It also evaluated the students’ critical thinking skills, particularly on knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The impact of reading skills to the critical thinking of the students was also analyzed and examined. The results showed that in general, the reading skills of the students are low, with making generalizations as their lowest skill and noting details as their dominant aspect. The students’ critical thinking skills are also low with synthesis as their lowest level and knowledge as their dominant aspect. Male students have lower critical thinking level compared to the females. The females are significantly higher in knowledge level. Students with very good/good English ratings have higher critical thinking level compared to those with fair and poor English ratings. Academic performance in English affects their critical thinking ability. Students who prefer the use of the English language are also higher in their critical thinking levels compared to those who did not prefer to use it. Preference of the English language has an inclination of influencing...
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...improving students’ speaking skill, such as: dialogues, small-group discussion, debate, song, and games. Additionally, Hasibuan & Batubara (2012) also reveal that debate is a method of language learning which is applied to improve speaking ability as well as critical thinking (p.19). Hence, debate is a method of language learning which is applicable not only to improve the students’ speaking skill but also critical thinking. In addition, debate is potential to develop students’ critical thinking and speaking skill. This statement is supported by Walker and Warhust (2000) who claim that debates in the classroom have been effective in increasing critical thinking by letting students connect as they learn subject...
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...Thinking and Language Reflection Worksheet Name: Stephanie McGuffee | Reflect on your understanding of the relationship between thinking and language. Answer the following questions in 100-200 words each: a) How do individuals acquire and develop language? Philosophers have long argued whether language is innate or something you acquire. I believe that it is an acquired skill, simply because you could be a Mexican adopted into a white English speaking home from birth and never know a single word of Spanish. Language is something we are taught without even knowing we are being taught. If one certain language is spoken to us since birth that is the language we acquire and the language we will think in. I also believe that if you speak more than one language, you will most probably think in the language you first acquired. b) How do you personally communicate your thoughts and how did you learn to do so? I learned to personally communicate my thoughts from the environment I was brought up in. My parents taught me pretty much all of what I know. They taught me to think before I speak, always say yes ma’am, no ma’am, etc. I was taught to be honest but not hurt anyone’s feelings which means taking into account who you are speaking to before you speak so that you use the right amount of respect. They have taught me a lot about effective communication and the effect that words can have on people. Words are something you can never take back once they are said, which is why...
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...identify common fallacies, to reflect on the use of language for the purpose of persuasion, and to think critically about the sources and biases of the vast quantity of information that confronts us in the "Information Age." INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Required Resources Soomo (2013). Critical Thinking. [Webtext]. Asheville, NC: Soomo Publishing. Note: For each week of the course, all of the following materials in the Preparation and Evaluation portions can be accessed through the Webtext link within Blackboard. The Activities portion (discussion question) will not be located in Webtext, but rather in a separate Blackboard link within your shell. Supplemental Resources Critical Thinking Community. (2013). Defining Critical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 Ellerton, P. (2011). Reason to Think. Issues, (95), 33-35. ETS. (2013). Introduction to the Argument Task. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/ Holyoak, K., & Morrison, R. G. (2005). The Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Hughes, W. (2000). Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Basic Skills. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press. Philosophy Pages. (2011). Categorical Syllogisms. Retrieved from http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e08a.htm Tittle, P. (2011). Critical Thinking: An Appeal to Reason. New...
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...Critical Thinking and Society Exercise Allen V. Briscoe PHL 458 September 14, 2013 Joseph Zodl A situation where creative thought and critical thinking could have been used for a better outcome has to deal with hiring the right skill-set of people in barbershops around the world. Many barbershops around the world hire people who can give good hair-cuts to different customers with different textures or styles of hair, unfortunately that doesn’t go well for some minorities. All barbershops around the world should hire barbers suited to cut all styles of hair to customer satisfaction to include all people around the world. Thinking creatively and critically introduces new ideas and ensures careful planning. Free will is the will to do what you please at any time. Truth is when someone tells facts that happen and could be proven. Knowledge is the research and experience you have on different subjects. Opinion is something everyone expresses about each and every subject. These are all used in our formulation of thoughts. Our thoughts are made up of free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Three habits that are hindrances to the critical thinking process are human limitations, use of language, and misconceptions due to faulty logic. Methods of overcoming each one of these hindrances are to acquire an adequate basis of understanding of the situation at hand for human limitations, for use of language we need to recognize when words are not intended to communicate ideas...
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...Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology University of Phoenix Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture plays an important part in one’s life as it relates to the field of psychology. Culture enables one to define him or herself and differ from one to another, and helps one survive. Culture facilitates self-expression, through language, appearance, and behavior. Culture exists everywhere and is a product of one’s environment. The significance of culture and its influence by oneself and others will be explained in this paper. In addition, the role of critical thinking in cross-cultural psychology and the scientific method involved with cross-cultural research will be addressed, and defined. Definition of Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture is learned, passed down, from generation to generation and strongly influences individual behavior. It is an existing element in one’s environment, shaped by oneself and many others. Culture either shapes or influences one and is what makes one human. Psychology is the study of human behavior and performance; therefore, it is vital that the cultural and cross-cultural aspects are considered in determining the cause of one’s actions. Behavior is affected by sources both biological and environmental in nature but these do not entirely explain human behavior. There must be an acknowledgement of the social-cultural...
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...Dakota Stephens Professor Baker English 1301 9/13/13 Our Generation on Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking Reading and writing are things that I am very well at. The difference is, I’m stronger in my writing skills than my reading skills. The reason for this is that when I’m writing I get so into my words and imagination to where my hand with the magical pencil does the talking. My skills in reading only depend on one thing, if it catches my attention or not. Stories have to get me involved with the story somehow in order for me to get interest. If it’s not catching my attention, I’m not reading it. But most importantly, critical thinking is what ties reading and writing together. I am very picky about the books and articles I read. Stories for me have to have a mystery or even sometimes a sappy love story. Of course I’m going to love romantic books because I’m a girl, right? Yet again, some love stories bore the living hell out of me because it’s a “typical” love story. Reading books just all depends on how the author grabs his reader’s attention and how he plays the story throughout the book. When I find a book that I’m interested in, I will read the entire novel. Or even something that is scary will keep hooked on the story. Scary stories are my favorites because the story just keeps my suspense in play. Celebrity gossip is definitely something that I get into reading. There is always something new with these celebrities. Since these celebrities are well...
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...Thinking and Language Reflection Worksheet Name: No name Reflect on your understanding of the relationship between thinking and language. Answer the following questions in 100-200 words each: a) How do individuals acquire and develop language? Individuals acquire languages from birth as infants. Some theorists have said that language acquisition "starts", in a sense, by our having a built-in or hard-wired capacity for language. Infants learn language by copying their parents their first word are most times mommy or dad. They learn first basic words that refer to common objects or actions. They learn to associate noises with actions by or objects by repeatedly experiencing both in close conjunction. Humans have the greatest ability to acquire languages before the ages of seven. As we grow older, though, we can continue to learn new languages (GCU textbook). b) How do you personally communicate your thoughts and how did you learn to do so? I’m not that good at communicating my thoughts. So when I do what helps me is to go over it again and again in my head. Then I communicate my thought this helps me keep from offending anyone. It also helps me make sure they understand what I'm saying. I learned to do this at a small age with the help from my father and teachers. I was in speech class in elementary school they would make us write down in a journal about our day then read it out loud to them. This has helped me develop my communication skills and express myself...
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...Cross-Cultural Psychology Samantha Mortinsen 9/18/2011 Psy/450 Dorothy Rodwell Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture, we all have grown up knowing one, or at times more than one, kind of culture. Everyone has different beliefs and ways of doing things and this usually has to do with our culture and the way we have been raised and brought up. This type of psychology looks into these many different cultures and studies how they affect us as humans and our development, mental processes, and behavior. Cultural psychology is a field in psychology that assumes that the idea that culture and mind are inseparable and that psychological theories in one culture are likely to be limited in applicability when applied to different cultures. Cross-cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, under diverse cultural conditions. Both of these types of psychology have similarities but are different in their own ways. Cultural psychology focuses a lot on just one culture at a time and the people within that culture, whereas, cross-cultural psychology looks at different cultures and compares them to each other and then to people within each culture. Both types of psychology are important in studying humans and their behavior and thought processes. The focus of cultures is important to psychology because it helps psychologists see how individuals have been raised and what things might play a part on their behavior and thoughts due to the things that happen...
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...Critical Thinking Application Paper Brandi Rhodes February 28, 2011 MGT / 350 Ernest Pressburger Critical Thinking Application Paper In this cutthroat economy we live in it is vital to understand the basics behind the importance of a good critical thinker both personally and professionally. As the business markets constantly change the economy continues to place increasing demands on familiarizing skills possessed by valuable critical thinkers on their staff and in their everyday lives. To have such skills is extremely important in promoting effective critical thinking. Not only does critical thinking provide individuals with the etiquette to become a good decision-maker, it allows individuals to analyze specific situations and provide step-by-step answers to the problems at hand. At some point, we as humans will engage in some aspects of critical thinking to a degree. Nevertheless, life occurrences will influence these abilities, yet certain expertise, approach and environments can develop and enhance our abilities to think decisively and critically. In this paper, I will describe critical thinking and its importance as well as elaborate on my own personal work-related experience in applying critical thinking. Primarily, how we tackle new information, concepts, problems, and demands is considered the basis of valuable critical thinking. It is defined as “the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating...
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...Week One Critical Thinking Application University Of Phoenix Critical Thinking MGT/350 March 16, 2011 Week One Critical Thinking Application Socrates’ famous quote, “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Kemerling, 2002, p. 9) I find to be one of the most provocative in terms of critical thinking philosophies. Through the vast and seemingly endless sea of possibilities, critical thinking offers those who pursue deeper meaning and understanding useful methods to accomplish that end. Drawing upon the wisdom of such philosophers and thinkers as Socrates, Aristotle, and Descartes, I describe in this report, a brief overview of what critical thinking is and its usefulness. I offer an example of how I applied some of the principles of critical thinking to the making a specific work-related decision. I conclude my report with an explanation of the importance and benefits those principles were to me through my decision-making process. Critical Thinking Defined Critical thinking is aptly described as “thinking explicitly aimed at well-founded judgment, utilizing appropriate evaluative standards in an attempt to determine the true worth, merit, or value of something” (Paul & Elder, 2006, p. 26). To distill the definition of critical thinking down to an overly simplistic expression is nearly impossible; however, it is possible to describe its essence. The art of critical thinking broadly encompasses three criteria: analyzing, evaluating, and improving. The best...
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...Critical Thinking Application Paper Critical Thinking Application Paper University of Phoenix April Armstrong Instructor Karen Amabile Date August 3, 2009 Critical Thinking Application Paper Critical thinking can be described as identifying and challenging assumptions and exploring and imagining alternatives. The idea of not having critical thinking would be to believe everyone no matter what they are saying. Everyone would believe all the commercials on television, any politicians who are giving his or her election speeches, all reading material that is read, and it must be correct if certain organizations are doing it. Critical thinking has eight main components that are known as perception, assumptions, emotion, language, argument, fallacy, logic, and problem solving. Perception is the how an individual receives or explains our personal experiences and how it is received interprets what that person thinks about a certain situation. This can vary from individual to individual. Assumptions in critical thinking are ideas about human nature that are evidence without proof of argument. The assumptions are what people believe to be true and make a person feel comfortable in his or her beliefs. Presenting the choice between two possibilities is an important feature of thinking critically. Emotion is another component in critical thinking that should not be involved even though it is always there. Emotions help individuals to understand all the issues...
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