Last Week: Question 3

The one concept that I feel can use further discussion is the chapter on mass media. Although the discussion questions for this chapter were really good, I think that it would have been more fun to get more creative with them. We could have talked more about how legitimate popular websites are such as Yahoo where I always find “articles” with a lot of grammatical or spelling errors. Where do they get their news? Why don’t they proofread their work? It’s just interesting to see if such websites are trustworthy because they have definitely taken over as major sources of news. It would have been kind of cool to have “reviewed” like a website or an article to see if it had any fallacies or lack of credibility. I think this topic of mass media is very relatable to us, being in the information age and always exposed to the media wherever we are.

Last Week: Question 2

My favorite thing about the class was the use of blog and discussions. I enjoyed hearing other students’ views on the topics we discussed. It opened my mind to how similar and different we can be, and also to the different ways we think and argue. I like that we were able to communicate through the comments. We were also anonymous (at least most of us!) therefore totally disregarding age, ethnicity, etc. and that just allowed for a more inviting and liberating writing environment. My least favorite thing about the class was the group papers. It was just difficult to keep track of our schedules and fit them to each other’s. I did gain something from it like learning how to communicate with different people and allocating time. However, in the end, that wasn’t what taught me how to think critically. It was more of the individual reflections and the interactive blogs that really taught me the gist of this class. I guess this class can be more fun if we could incorporate other types of posts like videos or pictures. But overall, this class was really helpful and I’m glad I took it! 

Last Week: Question 1

Over the course of the semester, I have learned a lot about the different ways of arguing, reasoning, and communicating effectively. I found the concept deductive and inductive arguments really helpful because they are part of the basics of our decision-making. They also help a lot with writing papers and essays.  I have also learned a lot about different fallacies and this is especially interesting because I realized that I’ve definitely committed some fallacies before. What we think may be a small thing like being slightly ambiguous for instance is already considered a fallacy. Even making some grammatical errors in arguments is also a fallacy. I’ve learned that we really have to be careful when we’re arguing whether it’d be on a paper or with someone. Overall, thinking logically before we act was the most applicable concept I learned this semester. I’m sure I will be able to use those guidelines for reasoning and logic in the future, whether it’d be at work or school or just daily life choices.

Week 11/12: Ch. 12 Question 3

What I found the most interesting this week is the section on Evaluating Scientific Hypotheses. The criteria for evaluating hypotheses include the use of precise language and providing a testable explanation and relevance to the problem that is studied because we can’t just include everything we observe. In other words, there needs to be a focus in the study. The criteria also include consistency, meaning that the scientific explanations should be consistent with the “facts” in that field. An example given in the book is the release of methane in the ocean as a cause of global warming. This is considered a good hypothesis because it corresponds to the known and accepted idea that global warming is a result of both mankind and physical, natural changes on earth. Another part of the criteria is simplicity which in its name explains what it really is. Scientists basically choose the simpler hypothesis when there are rival hypotheses. Furthermore, the criteria also include testability and falsifiability. Studies should be testable in that they can be replicated by other scientists because science is a continuous, changing process where people find more discoveries. An explanation must also be falsified. An example that makes falsifying an explanation easier is the one given in the book where they’ve hypothesized that all swans are white, when really there are also black swans. Lastly, a good hypothesis should also have a predictive power, meaning that this explanation can be used to predict or explain similar events.

Week 11/12: Ch. 12 Question 2

An observation I can think of is when I hear other people speak a language different from mine. For instance, I was in a restaurant or a salon once and the people around were speaking some other language. I thought they were mad because they were speaking quite loudly that it almost seemed like they were yelling at each other. I was just listening and looking at some of their faces which appeared to be a bit serious. But then seconds after I had concluded that there was bad blood between them, they all started laughing about something! So, that was definitely a situation where a conclusion I made had been incorrect. Thinking scientifically did not really come to mind then because I was pretty much misjudging them. I guess how I could apply science to this is by asking myself questions and thinking of the situation first before making an assumption or a hypothesis. I should observe them well first or consider other possible hypotheses before concluding that they were angry at each other. I guess I can also apply the idea of empiricism which means that we can gain knowledge just through our senses (since I listened to them and watched their expressions).

Week 11/12: Ch. 12 Question 1

“You are feeling like a doormat -- but not everyone sees you that way! In fact, your great energy helps you to say no just as often as you should. You may need to adjust your expectations.” (Yahoo Horoscope for Pisces November 13, 2012)

Firstly, I am not feeling like a doormat! I have not interacted with enough people today to feel like I have been used or that I give in easily to what people tell me to do. However, a friend did text me yesterday, asking me to work with her on an essay that is due next Monday. I know that she is fully capable of writing it on her own and just wants to work with me to make it easier for her. For our first essay, we worked together because she didn’t get to read the book since she enrolled late to class. That was acceptable because obviously she needed help. But for this paper, we’ve been reading a Superman comic book that she should’ve been reading as well so why does she need my help? It’s only a 3-4 page paper on Superman, for goodness’ sake! Anyway, I’m getting all enraged here. I said “no, I can’t help you this time” not just because I knew that she could do in on her own, but I have so much stuff due for other classes. 

So, creepily enough, this horoscope somehow applies to my situation. But like mentioned in the book, horoscopes are usually so vague that they could apply to most people’s situations. The prediction is definitely falsifiable because this all happened yesterday. Plus, I’m not necessarily feeling like a doormat. I haven’t given in to anything today. I just went to school and went back home. Lol.