Ch. 4. Q.3

In chapter 4 of Think, the section of “The Unreliability of Hearsay and Anecdotal Evidence” caught my attention because hearsay is often used as evidence. Hearsay is defined as, “evidence that is heard by one person and then repeated to another.” This definition is simple to understand and is used on grounds to object in a courtroom. I thought this was important because it always plays a big role in any situation. When talking to a professor about a certain assignment that was missed because you received information from another student. Anecdotal evidence is defined as, “evidence based on personal testimonies.”  This is when people are witnesses and provide their description of what they think occurred. These are not very reliable because people have different interpretations of a certain event. One person might think people were yelling and another might have thought they were talking at a normal level. Both of these concepts are really interesting for me because I hope to one day work in a court room and these two concepts always take place in any courtroom.

Ch.4 Q2

Condon, Allenhynek, and Paynter each had different arguments and evidence to support their “theories” on the existence of UFO’s. Allenhynek believed that there was a possibility of the existence of UFO’s but he stated that there should be more studies and research to prove his belief. Paynter says, unlike Condon and Allenhynek, he is uncertain of the existence of UFO’s.  All three of the experts believe in further research of the matter, but Paynter also turns to reasoning and facts proving the existence or non-existence of UFO’s. Condon did not really support or provide evidence to the existence of UFO’s but he stated that it would be enjoyable to research this. All three of the experts had their thoughts on UFO’s but I have to agree with Paynter’s view. I admired his non-biased judgment in this matter and turning to facts, evidence and a line of reasoning in proving the existence of UFO’s.

Ch.4 Q1.

After reading chapter 4 in Think, I believe that there is a thin line between wisdom and knowledge. I do agree with Aristotle that “wisdom is the greatest virtue.” Anyone can become knowledgeable in any subject/issue. Knowledge is what we go to school for and learn politics, mathematics, and English. Knowledge is viewed as facts. Knowledge can also be described as being literate or knowing how to become an expert in something specific. In college, we acquire both wisdom and knowledge. As I said earlier, we learn certain subjects but students become wiser in certain aspects. Wisdom are life lessons experiences through knowledge received. Wisdom is gained through experiences people have and this is also acquired in college. Students encounter experiences by dealing with different situations and people with different personalities. When getting older, numerous experiences help in becoming wiser than before. I  have gone through very difficult situations that have made me knowledgeable about trust have made my wiser in choosing friends. Wisdom and knowledge are both important at the end of the day.

Ch.3 Q.3

The concept I found interesting in this week’s reading is learning how to evaluate the different type of definitions. According to Think, evaluating definitions are clearly defining key terms as an essential component of clear communication and critical thinking, and there are five criteria to evaluating good definitions. Number one is described as a good definition is neither too broad nor too narrow. A good definition will never be too broad or too narrow and will be specific. Number two is that a good definition should state the essential attributes of the term being defined. A good definition will be clear in stating the characteristics of something such as, the community college definition the book explains. Number three is a good definition is not circular. A definition will give information about the meaning of the term. Number four is a good definition avoids obscure and figurative languages. Good definitions should be clearly stated. Number 5 is a good definition avoids emotive language. Lastly, good definitions will not substitute definitions with slang terms such as the “man-hater” definition the book explained. These are the 5 rules to recognizing what a good definition is and this is an effective way to clear communication.

Ch.3. Q.2

In chapter 3 of Think, they go over Rhetorical devices, “the use of euphemisms, dysphemisms, hyperbole, and sarcasm to manipulate and persuade.” The types of rhetorical devices that are used tin manipulation are the following: Euphemism, Dysphemisms, Sarcasm, and Hyperbole.  According to the book, euphemisms are described as the replacement o f a term that has a negative association by a neutral or positive term such as, using the word pass away rather than the word died. I used this specific example because my doctor of 10 years has recently passed away. This has been extremely hard on me because he became a part of our family. I was having such difficulty dealing with this that I missed class and I talked to my professors and said, “My family friend recent passed away.” I use euphemisms almost every day when talking to my mom and sister. I say words such as, charming when I really want to say that person is rude. I also take pride in speaking fluent “sarcasm.” Sarcasm is described as the use of ridicule, insults, taunting, and/or caustic irony. This week my roommate is not allowed to have a job and is supposed to focus on school. She complained that her previous manager offered her old job back and she said she was scared her parents were going to become angry with her If she world. My response to her was “O.M.G. how unfortunate for you. You’re going to have income aside from mommy and daddy.” She laughed it off but I am known for being sarcastic half of the time.

Ch.3. Q.1

Sally Ride was a very intelligent astronaut who earned degrees in English and Physics. She became an astronaut for NASA because of her impressive critical thinking skills. According to chapter 1 of Think, signs of a good critical thinker are the following: analytical skills, effective communication, research and inquiry skills, creative problem solving, etc. These are a few qualities that I think Ms.Ride takes pride in. For her job as a Capcom, whose tasks include, handling all the ground-to-staff flight communication shows that her critical thinking skills can be trusted with such an important task. According to the book, being an effective communicator is a good quality to have because it allows you to take a leadership position such as, a Capcom like Ride is. She also is described by her friends as being able to “see the heart of things” and “to quickly think”. These two descriptions describe not only Ride but an effective critical thinker. A critical thinker would quickly figure things out and getting to the real issue at hand.