A guide to critical thinking and argument with readings - Essay Example

Outline Paper: Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument with Readings Sylvan Barnet, Hugo Adam Bedau Current Issues and Enduring Questions is a book, which contemplates on the elements and fundamentals of critical thinking. The authors presented arguments and literature materials from various sources in order to support the conclusions conveyed by the book. It is divided into two significant chapters, which makes it a complete package for the readers to understand the ideas the book aims to impart to the intellectual market it serves. Chapter 1: Critical Thinking Critical Thinking, the title of the first chapter of the books presents the various elements of critical thinking by presenting several arguments which significantly represents each major element of critical thinking. The first subchapter presents the argument regarding driver's licenses and photographic identification. The authors expounded the tribulations the present transportation system and person identification industry faces. Numerous accounts of the dilemma are seen on both parties of the drivers and the traffic enforcers, as well. Hence, it necessitates critical thinking. As the introductory subchapter, it represents the element of identifying the subject of critical thinking and expounding several manipulative ideas governing the subject. The second part of the first chapter is a widened and deeper analysis of the first subchapter. It concentrates on the deeper societal issues of driver's licenses. It presents facts on why these matters and issues call for critical thinking and its three major elements, which is comprised of imagination, analysis and evaluation. Writing as an integral part of critical thinking is beyond doubt. This fact is introduced in the third subchapter. Theoretically, writing as an intellectual way of evaluating and interpreting different aspects of man's life has become a myth for the ordinary man. However, this subchapter presents reliable evidences which attests for the critical thinking attributes of writing. It also enumerates the elements of critical thinking, which are widely fulfilled by writing. The fourth subchapter, hypothetically, encompasses the heart of the chapter. Entitled "A Checklist for Critical Thinking," it details the elements of critical thinking and describes the impact of each element on man's critical philosophy. It itemizes each element and differentiates one from the other, which makes it comprehensible for the readers to identify one element from another. The fifth subchapter represents the exercise part for the readers. It comprises of an essay of Alan Dershowitz illustrating critical thinking, which is entitled, "Why Fear NationID Cards" Hence, the readers are able to apply the elements learned in the previous chapters by reading the essay. At the same time, it also supplements additional information regarding the issue of National I.D. cards. The sixth subchapter puts forward a casebook on examining assumptions. It presents two literature materials, which are both essentials on evaluating the underlying important procedures on assumption evaluation. This subchapter includes the articles, "A Proposal to Abolish Grading" and "Test for Aptitude, Not for Speed" by Paul Goodman and Howard Gardner, respectively. Both materials identify the values tests have in examining assumptions, which is an integral part of critical thinking. The seventh and last subchapter, as a whole, represents a checklist for evaluating letters of response. It comprises of an article by Diane Ravitch, entitled, "In Defense of Testing." This subchapter spells out the necessary factors of critical evaluation of response letters. This proves to be an essential aspect of critical thinking, as proper evaluation gives way for judicious interpretation of various subjects. Chapter 2: Critical Reading: Getting Started Whilst the first chapter concentrates on the essential elements comprising critical thinking, this second chapter focuses on the aspect of critical thinking. Hence, it first discusses the important role of critical reading in analytic evaluation of facts and circumstances. It also significantly differentiates critical reading from the conservative reading attributes ordinary men possess. In today's context where time has become an inevitable consideration, reading is tackled in this chapter as a habit of essence and intellectual growth. The chapter comprises of two subchapters, both supplemented by relevant articles to corroborate the ideas presented by the authors on each subchapter. The first subchapter is entitled, "Summarizing and Paraphrasing," which, as it name bears, focuses on the habits of summarizing and paraphrasing as vital factors of critical reading. It also tackles the summarizing and paraphrasing, as two fundamental skills one should possess in order to achieve the appropriate characteristics of critical reading. An article of Susan Jacoby, which is entitled "A First Amendment Junkie", accompanies this subchapter. This article serves as an important piece of work in developing the two skills of summarizing and paraphrasing. The article strategically contains a deep content, which requires for a profound interpretation of the ideas in the article in order for it to be summarized and paraphrased interpretatively and concisely. On the other hand, the second chapter provides a comprehensive casebook for critical reading. Generally, the casebook itself concentrates on the issue of whether should some kinds of speech be censored. Advantageously, the issue is a very methodical, rational topic which is quite relevant in today's context. The casebook is supported by four articles, namely: "Let's Put Pornography Back in the Closet," "On Racist Speech," "Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus" and "Own This Child." Each article represents a detailed facet of the major issue on the chapter. Thus, it paves way for a more specific analysis and evaluation of each article representing its own parameters on the issue. The first article by Susan Brownmiller deliberates the issue of pornography as a controversial speech area. The article's stand on the issue can best be evaluated on the title itself. However, the content of the article provides sufficient evidences supporting the author's stand on the issue. The second article on the other hand ponders on racist speech. This article by Charles R. Lawrence III also presents evidences, which supports the author's neutral viewpoint on the issue. The third article by Derek Bok broods over the kind of speech present in the campus environment. The article concentrates in the modern campus speech as a growing area in the context of modern verbal communication. It also contemplates on the issue of the freedom of expression in such environment. The fourth article by Jean Kilbourne entitled "Own This Child" is an article of the deepest content among the articles in this subchapter as it focuses deliberately on man's language in an inert, yet common context. The article does not only pave way for critical reading and interpretation of the subject but also touches man's vulnerability and pathos which greatly affects his speech in today's context. Read More