Two parts to this first,
250 word min For the first part! Recall a situation in your past in which your beliefs were skewed by self-interest, face-saving, or group pressure. Think about (1) how one or more of these three factors affected your beliefs, (2) what consequences (negative or positive) resulted from the event, and (3) what beliefs you might have acquired if you had used critical thinking.
Then answer the following;
- 1.What are the two main categories of common obstacles to critical thinking?
- 2.Are you a social relativist? Why or why not?
- 3.What are the three guidelines for overcoming the excessive influence of self-interested thinking and how might you use them?
- 4.How might a critical thinker counteract the phenomenon of selective attention?
- 5.Provide a specific example of stereotyping in society or politics and explain how it undermines critical thinking.
- 6.According to the text, what’s wrong with passively accepting the beliefs that we are given?
- 7.Do you accept the idea that it is immoral to believe claims without good evidence? Why or why not?
- 8.What are some of the implausible implications of subjective relativism?
- 9.How have philosophers responded to the challenge of philosophical skepticism?
- 10.From a critical thinking perspective, what’s wrong with relying only on news sources that reinforce your existing political beliefs?