The Importance of Critical Thinking
When you hear the words—science, formulas, scientific methods, experiments, procedures—where do you go? Do you turn off? As an educator in the field of science, how can I turn you on?
For some people it may be second nature to notice whether or not descriptions (in newspapers, various publications, on television or in professional journals) make any sense logically or are avoiding some obviously related questions that should be asked and answered. Logical fallacies are perpetrated in every field, but the vast majority of people must be taught this type of skeptical reasoning—it is not second nature for most of us. This recognition of faulty reasoning is learned by those specializing in Science, while those not specifically trained in Science are often scientifically illiterate.
Many of the American public seem to have a desire to believe whatever is the current fad—such things as the 50th anniversary hype in 1997 of alleged government cover-ups of alien autopsies in Roswell, New Mexico or that current advances in cloning will be used by those in power (politically or economically) for subversive means. These beliefs may stem from a variety of factors and fear is certainly one of those factors. Fear comes in many forms—fear of the unknown, fear of that which is not understood or is misunderstood (often resulting in erroneous conclusions), fear that something important is being kept from all but a select few (conspiracy theories).
Fictional writers often portray science in a negative light, feeding on the fears of the masses, exemplifying the worst possible outcomes. Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” suggests there is something monstrous about science, something to be feared. But is it ...
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...hould we apply (question) to test this idea/theory’s validity? Does it still hold true? Does the theory of gravity hold true if you use a boulder, a rock, and a pea? What could be done to prevent an egg from breaking when dropped from a second story? Once we have students’ interest and curiosity, test the theory. Don’t expect them to memorize something someone else tested and found to be true—allow them to learn for themselves.
Works Cited
Bishop, J. Michael. “Enemies of Promise.” The Presence of Others: Voices That Call for Response. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997. 255-261.
Sagan, Carl. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. New York: First Ballantine Books, 1997.
21st Century Education. The Scientific Method. 15 Nov. 1999
The town of Mecca was the birthplace of Islam, at first the leaders of the city refused the changing of this new religion and forced Muhammad to leave. Muhammad returned and preached to the people about what he had heard, that there is only one god. Islam spread quickly for two main reasons they are the message and military conquest.
Aldridge, Alexandra. The Scientific World View in Dystopia. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1984.
The short story starts by creating curiosity with the revelation that a man will be hung in the owl creek bridge. At that moment the reader does not know the reasons for which the man will be sentenced. In the second section, the name of the man who will be hanged is mentioned, the motives for his crime and how he was captured. The final section illustrates the struggle Peyton Farquhar was facing and the events that went through your mind at that moment. He imagined/dream that he escape and peaceful return to their home. But the reality is another and his life ends in darkness and silence. (Bierce 201-209)
In his book Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology, John S. Hammett, professor of systematic theology at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, attempts to provide a biblical and distinctively Baptist ecclesiology that is relevant for the Church’s contemporary setting.
Edwin Hubble. (2003, March 25). Retrieved January 19, 2014, from Edwin Hubble Biographical and Information Resources: http://www.edwinhubble.com
In the article from the official NASA website, NASA gives a list of Hubble’s accomplishments, which gives the reader a comprehensive picture of Hubble’s importance. Hubble has not only given astronomers the most detailed images of outer-space in existence, but also taug...
... Science is not inherently evil and never will become evil. Though the knowledge gained from science can be used toward producing evil, intended or not, and can be dangerous. The story of Victor Frankenstein shows the irresponsibility possible in the advancement of science and furthers the caution which humanity must take when it attempts to master its environment or itself.
As the Hubble telescope’s life comes to a historic end, we look back at all it has done for the scientific community. The Hubble has helped scientists make many new discoveries about our universe. Galileo Galilei and Edwin Hubble were huge contributes to the astronomical community, therefore a major help in transforming the first telescope into something as amazing as the Hubble. The first telescope was perfected by Galileo in 1609, and around four hundred years later the Hubble was launched into space. Since then the Hubble has shown scientists many new discoveries about space that they would have never been able to figure out without the Hubble’s help. Since April 1990 the Hubble telescope has been greatly appreciated by the scientific community because of everything it has done. However, the Hubble has faced many problems along its way as well.
Islam continued to spread by making the idea of being a Muslim sound great. The Muslim Empire didn’t force any Muslims to pay taxes(Doc 1). The idea of changing religions made a lot of sense money wise. The change to Islam was not a large difference, pray more, and eat a little less during sun up. The idea of going to paradise after your death seemed Marvelous (Doc 2). It also gave you an idea about fighting for the Muslim Army, if you died, you would be taken to Heaven with Allah and his Apostle. To some
Bishop, J. Michael. "Enemies of Promise." The Presence of Others:Voices that Call for Response. 2nd ed. Ed Andrea A. Lunsford and John J.Ruszkiewics. New York:St Martin's Press, 1997. 255-263.
Bibliography Why Good Cops Go Bad. Newsweek, p.18. Carter, David L. (1986). Deviance & Police. Ohio: Anderson Publishing Co. Castaneda, Ruben (1993, Jan. 18). Bearing the Badge of Mistrust. The Washington Post, p.11. Dantzer, Mark L. (1995). Understanding Today's Police. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. James, George (1993, Mar. 29). Confessions of Corruption. The New York Times, P.8, James, George (1993, Nov. 17). Officials Say Police Corruption is Hard To Stop. The New York times, p.3. Sherman, Lawrence W(1978). Commission Findings. New York Post, P. 28 Walker, J.T. (1992). The police in America, p.243-263, chp. 10, Walker, Samuel (1999).
Centuries ago, people gazed into the night sky wondering what it was that they were looking at. When astronomers first started to study the night sky, like Galileo, Copernicus and even modern day astronomers, they all shared one goal, and that was to see further than anyone has ever before. The invention of the Hubble Space Telescope changed the study of astronomy forever. Astronomers were seeing and learning more in just days of the launch of the telescope than past astronomers had in their lifetimes. The Hubble Space Telescope is the most technologically advanced telescope to enter space. Its advanced technology has made it possible to obtain countless amounts of data about space and open many doors in the exploration of space. Its accuracy has and still is proving/debunking the myths of space.
Goerner, H. Cornell. All Nations in God's Purpose: What the Bible teaches about missions. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1979.
Rich, Martin. “An Analytical Look into Police Ethics.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol.80. Issue 5. May 2011. 11-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013
In his essay Critical Thinking: What Is It Good For? (In Fact, What Is It), Howard Gabennesch explains the importance of critical thinking by drawing attention to how its absence is responsible for societies many ills including, but not limited to, the calamity in Vietnam. Yet, at the end of his essay, Gabennesch also mentions that, despite “the societal benefits of critical thinking, at the individual level, uncritical thinking offers social and psychological rewards of its own.”(14). Similarly, it is these rewards that, like the bait on a fishhook, often make individuals hesitant to engage in critical thinking despite the resulting harm to both them and society.