Thinking Critically Prevents Death From Alligators

In response to this week’s question I think that not only is there a moral imperative to think critically but that we also don’t use our critical thinking skills enough. Throughout the examples shown in class, there is a clear idea that “maybe if they had thought that through, they wouldn’t be in such a mess”. Using critical thinking skills is beneficial for society and also for the health and safety of each human being. I find it slightly ridiculous but also quite sad that the life of a man could have been saved if he had only read and obeyed a sign that warned against swimming with alligators. Instead of reading it and thinking “maybe I shouldn’t go swimming with something that could kill me”, he jumped right on in for a swim and died a horrible death and traumatized many people. If he had been thinking critically, he could have avoided death. He really shouldn’t have died, he should have felt obliged to obey that rule for his own safety!

Another example of an event which should be avoided by thinking critically is believing Stephen Harper. In History class, we did a blog post about Syrian refugees in Canada and I came across an article which explained that Stephen Harper had not been correct when he stated that “Canada was first in accepting refugees” when in fact Canada was tied for 41st. If some people took what Harper said as fact, they could end up completely disregarding the issue of Syrian refugees because they could think that we are doing enough already. It is important that we clearly think through what is said to us in order to determine if it makes sense. The internet has made it so easy to determine if “facts” are true or not and still we have people believing every word out of politicians mouths when they are not obliged to tell the truth and they could be lying for their own gain.

Therefore, we do have a moral imperative to think critically for the sake of ourselves and our society. Thinking critically will prevent lies from being spread and could even save a life. Although it is sometimes easier to accept the truth from one source, it is important to fact check with other sources to prevent these lies from being spread.

First Attempt At Tok Talking

If one is familiar with the Dual Processing Theory, one is aware that emotion is always one’s first defense and one’s first consideration when making a decision. Emotions are inherently human; they are what allows us to love and what stands in the way of a logical, sensible, perfect human race, as we are ruled by our emotions. Emotions have very little value in the 21^st Century, society attempts to disregard emotions in favour of logic and reason. Emotions are seen as a weakness, especially in such areas of knowledge as the Natural Sciences, and emotions are exploited in all aspects of society. Despite this, emotions still hold a special position in Religious Knowledge Systems, even as the number of those who believe declines rapidly.

In the 21^st Century, emotions are viewed as weak. Emotions are closely associated with women, as they are also viewed as ‘weak’, so words such as ‘girly’, ‘emotional’, or ‘sissy’ would have a negative connotation. An example of a popular writer exhibiting these beliefs in the 20^th Century, a writer with whom one would associate incredible writing, one needs only to look toward Ernest Hemingway. His “Code Hero”, always a man of course, exhibits such traits as ‘stoicism’ and the ability to repress emotions. In the Natural Sciences as well there is no place for emotions. If the results of an experiment have been changed because someone “didn’t like the results”, there would be dire consequences in the scientific community. 

In the advertising world, and in the political world, emotions are freely exploited. When referring to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, Pathos, when used effectively, is the most useful of the three because of the human instinct to resort to emotions first and logical reasoning second. Politicians will use Pathos in their speeches to appeal to their audiences; if they generate positive emotion towards themselves, it may help them win the election. Many effective advertisements will play to human emotions to enact a strong response.

Although I am not religious, my family is Catholic and part of my childhood was deeply involved in Catholic ideals. Emotions are highly important in religion; those who believe tie their emotions and religion closely together and link them to their self-worth. In prayer, or making decisions, their beliefs and emotions are of the upmost importance. Happiness, to those who believe, comes from being “a good Christian” or “following the Lord’s will”. Any jealousy or rage and it is a betrayal of their faith. In this way, the “Catholic guilt” is very strong, I’ve felt it through my family when I behave how the Catholic God would not approve. There have been claims made that perhaps religion gives us a stronger sense of morality. “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” is a quote from Soren Kierkegaard which well represents how investing emotions in religion is still a desirable practice in the 21^st Century.

In general, in the 21^st Century, emotions are valued very little. They are deemed weak and manipulated in many aspects of society. I think that they have incredible value, we must invest them wisely. Using our emotions to improve ourselves will improve our morality and decision-making skills. Maybe we need not ask “What would Jesus do?” but we can all change ourselves by devoting to a cause worth changing ourselves for. 

IB Must Really Like Talking About Languages

For humans, language is very natural and it changes as our needs change. I feel that there is nothing wrong with vocabulary becoming smaller or languages naturally dying out as they become useless as long as these changes were not forced by a government or organization. In 1984, obviously this was not the case as the government was removing words which did not suit their needs or which showed rebellion against their ideals. Richard Rodriguez was a child of a Spanish speaking family who, upon entering school, was forced to learn English. He is convinced that this was a good thing as it allowed him public individuality and let him integrate into society. If the world all spoke one language, yes culture might be lost but everyone would be able to communicate. As my mother tongue is one of the most used languages in the world, I don't feel that I can adequately comment on the extinction of languages.

Spicy Food Makes Me Cry

I have always disliked spicy food but until this year, I didn't think there was any problem in that. I was never criticized by my family for consistently choosing mild, or for running to get water if I ate a barbecue chip. (I also have been spelling barbecue wrong my entire life so thank you TOK for helping me with that). When I got a Foods class this year I was not aware that apparently EVERYONE IN THE WORLD likes spicy foods and I was just weak. My group and I argued many times about the amount of spice to add to each dish. They didn't feel satisfied until their mouths were burning, I almost cried when I smelled a hot pepper. Eating spicy foods was somewhat of a contest for them, in that they tried to eat the spiciest food possible without needing to drink any water or admitting defeat. In the end since there were four of them and only one of me, I ended up suffering through a lot of jalapenos and tabasco sauce. It really sucked. The End.

Questions:

• Do emotions affect the way we perceive taste? 
• To what extent is intuition a factor for our food preferences?
• Can the natural sciences determine how food universally tastes?
• To what extent are our food preferences affected by our families or the people with which we associate?

Super Deep First Post

The way one perceives the world cannot be taken at face value, there may be a greater truth than the truth one already knows. In the Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners were blind, they couldn't see the truth, because their vision lied to them about the reality presented to them. What they thought they knew, was all based on a lie which meant they really knew nothing. People are as sheep, led around by those smarter, stronger, more capable of critical thought and when their thoughts are liberated, at first it is altogether too much and they cannot deal with the reality. When the dark is your norm, the light one embraces will be harsh, the light is the truth and the dark are lies and illusions. They will accept it in time, and they will eventually adapt to their new reality.

Socrates point about human tendency to confuse "shadows" with "reality" is still incredibly relevant today. Humans love to avoid the truth, remain blissful and happy off in a false reality. Video games can provide this today, a distraction from the woes of modern society. Some may even become addicted to the rewards and cease to take pride in real life accomplishments. "Knowing" in the modern world is less about actual thinking and more about trusting that others will always have the answers for you. Although some humans may realize this horrific detachment from reality, most are content to have their minds filled with thoughts that are not their own and abandon reality for the shadows of something which keeps them locked in their own mind.