Critical Thinking Skills

Opinion: 

Should Chimpanzees Be Considered Persons?

Retrieved from: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/opinion/sunday/chimps-legal-personhood.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Introduction:

• You might be aware that chimpanzees can recognize themselves in a mirror, communicate through sign language, pursue goals creatively and form long-lasting friendships. You might also think that these are the kinds of things that a person can do. However, you might not think of chimpanzees as persons.

Positions:

• One view is that only humans can be persons because humanity is the basis of personhood. 
• Only humans can be persons because only humans have the ability to use language and reason in abstract and sophisticated ways.

Background Information:

• The Nonhuman Rights Project does. Since 2013, the group has been working on behalf of two chimpanzees, Kiko and Tommy, currently being held in cages by their “owners” without the company of other chimpanzees. It is asking the courts to rule that Kiko and Tommy have the right to bodily liberty and to order their immediate release into a sanctuary where they can live out the rest of their lives with other chimpanzees.

Agreements: 

• I agree, and many other philosophers do, too.
• This view is more plausible than the opposing view, in part because it includes all humans within the scope of personhood. At the same time, it includes some nonhumans too. 

Disagreements: 

• In response, the Nonhuman Rights Project is taking a bold position: It is arguing that if every being must be either a person or a thing, then Kiko and Tommy are persons, not things. 
• However, this view is implausible. There is nothing special about species in and of themselves. They are morally arbitrary taxonomic categories.

Summary: 

• Sometimes when we are overwhelmed by the complexity of an issue, it can help to start by stating a simple truth and going from there. In this case, the simple truth is that Kiko and Tommy are not mere things. Whatever else we say about the nature and limits of moral and legal personhood, we should be willing to say at least that. 

Conclusions:

• This is why we can all know that we have rights without having to check our genes.
• As a result, they count as persons on any view inclusive enough to meet contemporary standards of human rights.
• The only alternative is to continue to accept an arbitrary and exclusionary view about what it takes to merit moral and legal recognition. Kiko and Tommy deserve better than that, and so do the rest of us.

Summary Of Stephen Brookfield's Lecture on Creative & Critical Thinking

Stephen Brookfield is the author of "Teaching for Critical Thinking: Tools and Techniques to Help Students Question their Assumptions". It is a book in which there are many strategies and tips to help people think in a deep way. This book is taylor made for students who want to improve their learning competences through encouraging them with activities where their creativity and criticism will be required.


In the lecture he says that when a person think critically, they can:

• Identify assumptions behind thinking and actions
• Check assumptions (accuracy and validity)
• Take informed action.

Brookfield also explained the kinds of assumptions, those are:

• CAUSAL: Explains a sequence of events
• PRESCRIPTIVE:Assumptions about how things should happen and how whe should behave
• PARADIGMATIC: Framing and structuring assumptions that may look obvious.

When talking of creative thinking, it is inevitable not to relate it to he way people sort out situations, and the ones who think creatively can:

• Moving outside of habitual/ typical mental frameworks.
• Generate perspectives and responses unusual
• Able to communicate learning through a lot of modalities.

One of the most important topics he talked about was the 4 key Intellectual Traditions:

1. Analytical Phylosophy: Inductive, deductive, infeential, logical fallacies.
2. Natural Science: Hypothetical deductive method, principle of falsifiability.
3. Critical Theory: Uncovering power dynamics and ideological manipulation.
4. Pragmatism: Experimental and creative pursuit of beautiful consequences. 

Finally he talked about how Critical Thinking is learned: 

• Ending discussions
• Speaking in tongues
• Drawing and musicalizing discussions.

What is Critical Thinking?

Emotional self-management

I consider myself as a very honest person. When something is disgusting to me, I just express it, and I expect the same from people. If somebody disagrees with me I try not to cause any trouble, but of course it depends on the situation. Even though when I know I am right I always fight for my beliefs, even when I am not because I am very stubborn. In those terms I would believe that the most difficult emotions to be managed are:

• Anger 😡

• Irritability 😒

I deal with these by taking a deep breath a letting go all the bad feelings. I know that I may not be always right and other people's opinions, even again yours, are importante to build up day by day your criteria and capability to fight for what you say and for what you want to achieve. 

Influences on my thinking

In the current world there are many factor that may influence on our thinking. In the way I see it there are two of them that are all over the world and are the most known: fashion trendy,  and the misconception of freedom. 

Once a person is into the fashion world, it is inevitable that everything becomes around it. The  dependency, and the desires about looking good for keeping appearences is insane.  

Additionally, the misconception of freedom. Freedom does not implies that I am capable to do whatever I want to. There are some limits and those are to be respected.

I deal with this by being sensitive. I believe that you will be treated in the way you treated other people. Everything goes back to you, it does not matter if it was good or bad, you just get what you deserve. 

Challenging Opinions

When I just came in the University I was really shy about challenging other people's opinions. Maybe I was kind of shy and it did not allowed me to express what in my mind was. Afterwards I felt comfortable enough. I started to give my opinions. Shyness is not part of me anymore if talking of giving opinions. I deal with it by being secure, self- confident and strong enough to express whatever I want to, of course being absolutely polite. 

Reflection

According to Bodner's description of students I feel completely identified with it. I think that the way we have been educated, I mean, in a very traditional way, it did not permitted to explore and to learn by doing. Books and letters have been always in our enviroment, but what if we just change the starting point with activities that awake their curiosity and at the end of the path the answres to their questions will be answered by themselves and with an ironclad conviction. 

This approach would have a great impact in education. The learning process is better when there is a desire to learn. So, I am very convinced that this is the right way not only to teach students but also to learn from them.