Critical thinking as a fundamental life skill

I read a handful of blogs, and some of them are political or sports-related. (This post is NOT about politics or sports.)

One thing that I have noticed when reading the comments is just how much dogma is accepted as fact. The core beliefs are never questioned. Those who do the questioning are labeled "trolls" and attacked back into anonymity. This is especially true of political blogs, where a mix of group-identity, political doctrine, dogmatic beliefs, and culture serves to limit dialogue and crush civil discourse. Many of these blogs seem to encourage a comfortable insularity where one is always right and every one else agrees.

Then there are the sports blogs. Clearly, rooting for a team or person and disliking another is all part of the fan experience, so one would expect a certain level of trash talking. Civil discourse really isn't expected here, but the consequences of a lack of civility are far less important. My main problem with sports blogs is the adoption of "truths" with a lack of evidence. In fact, in the world of 24 hour sports coverage, it makes its way into television, radio, and print media. It's as if we need a simple short hand to understand complex issues. But that short hand leads to some really silly conclusions by both the writers and the consumers of sports news and opinion.

I think what we lack is the ability to think critically. For me, these are the two areas where this lack of ability routinely and visibly manifests itself everyday.

One of my favorite books in recent years is Critical Thinking by Richard W. Paul and Linda Elder. It is intended to be a textbook for a college course in critical thinking, but it really reads as a great introduction and handbook on the subject. (The book is apparently in a 2nd edition now. I have the first.)

I've always thought of myself as a decent critical thinker, but I have never thought about critical thinking. Paul and Elder have done a lot of thinking on that topic. They have come up with a model for critical thinking that satisfies both the theoretical and the practical.

The base for the model is the Universal Structures of Thought. These structures are there whether we think of them or not. If we're to improve our thinking then we'll need to think about these structures also. I'll note the structure in a moment.

They have also developed the "standards" of critical thinking that are applied to the "elements" of critical thinking (these elements are the components of the Universal Structures of Thought) while we continue to develop our intellectual "traits". I know, I know, that all sounds like a lot of mumbledepan gobbledegook theoretical nonsense. For now, just trust me that it isn't, please. It does make sense.

What I would like to do over a series of posts is define the standards, elements, and traits. I'll present them in no particular order. We'll dig in to what they mean and how they apply to our daily practical lives. As much as I would like to apply them to the stuff I read online, I don't want to violate my own rules. Application of this knowledge will be left up to you.

I encourage you to buy the book. The 2nd edition is a little larger than my 1st edition, so I'll probably obtain it to see what was added.

For now, though, let's look at a statement about the elements (or universal structures) of thinking. I'll italicize the elements.

Whenever we think,
we think for a purpose (What is my fundamental purpose?)
within a point of view (What is my point of view with respect to this issue?)
based on assumptions (What assumptions am I using in my reasoning?)
leading to implications and consequences (What are the implications of my reasoning if I am correct?)
we use data, facts, and experiences (What information do I need to answer my question?)
to make inferences and judgments (What are my most fundamental inferences or conclusions?)
based on concepts and theories (What is the most basic concept in the question?)
to answer a question or solve a problem. (What is the key question I am trying to answer?)

I've read people talking about deporting, attacking, taxing, spending, arresting, outlawing, enforcing, building, razing, voting, etc. and you can tell that they have never asked more than one or two of the above questions of themselves related to the topic on which they pontificate.

Ah, I've bored you enough with this. Let me know what you THINK about it though.

Historical self-help: a commentary #2

We continue with The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian, first published in Spain in 1647.

2. Mind and spirit: The two elements on which our faculties depend. One without the other is only half happiness. Mind is not enough; spirit is necessary. The fate of a fool is to fail in his calling, professional, commercial, political, social.

Well, that was short. A bit cryptic, too. Maybe not. Let's see.

Mind means mental powers; the ability to think; our cleverness. Spirit means the energy we bring to bear on life. It is our passion, our disposition, our emotional intelligence. Faculties is another word for our abilities or capabilities.

We can be very smart, but if we are depressed or frightened or unwise, that intellectual power won't do much good. Many people believe that being smart is enough. We know it isn't. Gracian is just reminding us that you have to develop your spirit.

More modern writers would probably add a point about making sure we take care of our bodies, too. An ill body makes it rough on the spirit. Also, fitness and activity are good for mental ability as well.

Gracian seems a bit rushed in his final sentence. When he refers to a fool it appears that he means someone lacking spirit, though he could mean someone lacking mind or spirit or both. I like how he ties foolishness to practical failure in our work, business, political career or living with other human beings. He has a common sense take on getting along in life, which is what Gracian means when he uses the term happiness.

That is why Gracian's book is still popular. It makes sense for everyday living.

Do you have a different take on his words? Do you agree with him?

Olympic sport: fencing - sabre

The Olympic games are fast approaching, and while it is a given that China will win the medal count (the home team always takes home more gold than they usually do, and China is a powerhouse,) the United States will do well in their traditional areas: basketball, softball, baseball, swimming, and track & field.

But there's another event where they are nearly guaranteed to excel: women's sabre. The women of the USA Fencing team have three of their four sabrueses ranked 2, 3, and 4 in the world. They have World Championships under their belts and, if you click on the photo, a window will open showing the NBC video of the first ever women's sabre gold medal match in the Olympics. It's great to watch. The Chinese fencer, Tan Xue, is currently ranked #1 in the world.

There are three types of fencing based on the weapon used. Foil is most common, meaning this is the weapon with which most people start. There are a number of rules a fencer must follow, including those regarding etiquette, but the important thing is to score a touch before your opponent. For foil, the valid touch area is the torso and groin. Touching the legs, head, or arms does not count.

The longest weapon is the epee. Here the entire body is a valid target, including the hands and feet. Epee is the style used in modern pentathlon. Epee is my favorite style. Anyone can score at any time, even while defending an attack. With other fencing weapons the fencer must establish the attack (or right of way.)

With both foil and epee, only the point of the sword can be used to touch. Bouts with foil and epee can appear to be much more like "movie" fencing. Lots of parrying and lunging. Some people refer to fencing as physical chess. It is a sport of the mind and body. You need to think in a series of actions and counteractions well before they happen.

But then there is sabre. Sabre is the aggressive cutting version of fencing. It is lightning quick. If you're new to it, watching it can be confusing because you aren't sure who scored the touch. Sabre touches cover everything from the waist up, including arms and head, but not the hands. With sabre, however, slashing is allowed. This is why sabreurs seem to be relaxed when a bout begins, rather than in the formal en garde position. Attacking with only your point is a quick way to lose.

Gabe has fenced for a couple of years. He hasn't fenced so far in 2008, mainly because he needs to work harder to keep up with school, but we'll get him back out there. He loves it.

Fencing clubs welcome beginners and offer lessons. It is a great form of exercise, you'll firm up your bottom and legs and you'll improve your balance. Don't worry about equipment right away. At most place you need only by an relatively inexpensive fencing glove. The clubs provide weapons, masks, jackets and other safety equipment.

If you try it, let us know about it.

Hungarian Goulash

My mom made hers with elbow macaroni. It was loaded with tomato sauce. I didn't like it.

But at least once every week or two, this was our dinner. I was reminded of the dish when I recently read Graham Greene's The Honorary Consul. One of the supporting characters likes to have the goulash at the "Italian Club". I immediately thought of this regular childhood meal.

We all have them, the staples of the dinners of our childhoods. Besides this dreaded tomatoey concoction, we regularly had cube steaks, liver and onions, hot dogs and sauerkraut, kielbasa, hamburgers, instant mashed potatoes, real mashed potatoes, cans of peas, green beans (french cut), corn, creamed corn, succotash, and carrots. We had pots of navy, lima, pinto, or great northern beans quite often, too. My least favorite would have been the lima beans. My favorite meal was probably chicken and dumplings.

We rarely, if ever, had fish. Fried chicken came from the Hitching Post in Cincinnati. Of course, we had our share of White Castles (my mom worked there when I was a baby) and either Gold Star or Skyline chili. Hot dogs came from Kahn's, beer came from Hudepohl and sometimes Burger or Schoenling, not that we were served beer as children, I just remember my dad having this.

Each week, during the summer when I wasn't visiting my maternal grandparents in Kentucky, I had lunch with my paternal grandmother, Elnora, in Cincinnati. We would go pick up her paycheck at Walgreen's each Friday. I would eat at the lunch counter. Chicken-fried steak was my typical choice.

Food is pretty simple when you're a kid. You either like it or you don't. If you don't, you have a strategy for dealing with it. For goulash, I ate the beef first. Cleaned the sauce off the pasta as best I could and used heaps of water or Mountain Dew to keep the acidic tomato taste off my palate. It isn't like I had options. Skipping a meal wasn't going to work. Though I could have made a meal out of Oreo's in those days. (According to Jocelyn, I could do so today, too.)

Was there a meal that you particularly dreaded? How did you cope? Was there one that you really looked forward to having? Did your family have a routine for meals? Leave a description in the comments.

(photo from belly-timber, who sadly doesn't seem to be producing entries anymore.)

032 - Buy a bugle and learn to play Taps

I think the first time that I heard Taps was as a kid watching the movie No Time for Sergeants.

In it, Andy Griffith plays a country boy US Air Force recruit (kind of like Gomer Pyle is a country boy marine recruit.) There's a scene where he is in the barracks his first night when lights out is called. From outside, the lovely 24 note tune, Taps, is played. Airman Stockdale, Griffith's character, says thoughtfully, "Somebody brung their trumpet." It was a beautiful sound and it seemed to calm my emotions, even while watching a screwball comedy movie.

Then I heard it in 1975, when my young uncle, Albert, my teenage uncle, died while in the Marine Corps on a Navy ship off the coast near Thailand. I answered the door when the men in their dress uniforms came to tell my grandmother (I used to spend at least one day a week with her during the summer months.) When Al was buried with a full military ceremony, they did the 3 volley salute (seven rifles, fired three times) and the bugler played Taps in the distance.

I played trumpet in elementary school band for a few years, but gave it up. Now, I think I want to get a valveless bugle. I want to learn to play Taps.

It didn't help when about ten years ago I finally read From Here to Eternity by James Jones. (I can't recommend the book enough.) I lived in Hawaii for many years and knew the places Jones refers to very well. One of the main protagonists in the book, Private Prewitt, is the company bugler. He plays bugle like no other. No matter what people think of him, they are astounded when they hear him play. (If you can't read the National Book Award winning novel, then at least rent the movie made the following year.)

All my life, the desire to play bugle, especially Taps, has been ricocheting around my subconscious. I need to act on it, so here it is on the 101 in 1,001 list.

Please do not misunderstand. Taps is not a morbid tune. It is a short melody that practically forces calm and quiet. It centers one, causing introspection and thoughtfulness. The spiritual nature of the piece (especially for someone who isn't traditionally spiritual, like me) appeals to me. I feel the same way about certain classical and new age compositions, but for those, I don't hold out hope of learning how to perform them.

I linked an .mp3 of Taps to the image of the bugle. Click on the image and a window will open and it will play on your preferred applications (winamp, media player, etc.)

Historical self-help, a commentary, #1

From The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian, published in 1647:

1. Everything today has its point, but nothing is more important than becoming a person. More is required to produce one wise person than used to be required for seven; and more is needed to deal with a single individual in these times than with an entire population in the past.

This is the opening salvo from Gracian in a book that contains 300 such entries. This is one of the weaker ones, mainly because of its generic introductory nature.

What I like about this paragraph is the human conceit that one's time is so much more complex and difficult than any earlier time. I don't know if "seven" is from an idiom of 17th century Spain but it serves to show that Gracian wanted to make his audience feel that they have a great responsibility for themselves. He makes the ratio even greater for our responsibility in dealing with others.

The real importance of this paragraph is in the initial sentence. Everything has meaning, art, commerce, nature, science, religion, philosophy, etc. "But nothing is more important than becoming a person." Aren't we all persons? Isn't that just another word for human?

It is, but in this context, Gracian is talking about our character and our individual personalities. We'll see as we review this book that he focuses on how to behave and get along in the world. Clearly, he believes if we focus on correct behavior, we'll have a far better go of it here on Earth. And a better go of it, to me, is what happiness is all about.

Surprisingly, his advice isn't all that dated. As a matter of fact, a lot of so-called self-help gurus have probably just rewritten Gracian's wisdom, maybe even unknowingly. I'm not charging anyone with plagiarism.

This commentary will be a periodic thing. I'm not promising a post per day on this one. And this feature will not be limited to this book, though most everything will be pre-20th century (or at least in the public domain!)

A song you won't remember - Cinderella by Firefall

Here we have a song from my tween years, by Firefall called Cinderella. This is soft rock mixed with pop country. Not really my thing, but I always enjoyed Firefall. Their lyrics stood out for me, especially with this song.

We're told of a young girl who falls for the narrator, a man who disdains her so-called love, yet is still willing to have sex. She gets pregnant and he gets angry, mainly over finances, and sends her away. There is plenty of understated irony here. The notion that she doesn't know what love is, yet this shallow guy does? When he finds she's pregnant, he seems worried about how he'll get the Camaro running and repainted with a kid around.

After a musical bridge, with a lot of "no no no" repetition where the singer/narrator seems to be trying to convince himself that he was in the right, we come to the final verse. Here we discover an older man contemplating possible regret, maybe even remorse or guilt over having abandoned a young woman and his son. Somehow he finds a way to rationalize his wrong by blaming her for not leaving sooner.

The oddly soothing synthesizers, harmonica, and guitars belie the lyrical content of this song. But it works without being a cringing country message song or an intentionally misogynistic pop tune.

It is one of my favorite songs of the '70s and it takes me back to a time that I thought would always be filled with regret for me. Things change. Things are what they are. What is important is how we respond to them. We have to forgive ourselves especially if we want to be forgiven.

Cinderella could have left earlier but she didn't. The man could have kept them all together but he didn't. The boy might or might not have had a happy childhood. None of those decisions can be reversed.

The question is: what are we going to do now? The present decisions are the important ones.

100 - Do the taxes without filing for an extension

It has happened every year for the last 18 years. April 15th (or whatever day is Tax Day for a given year) rolls around and I sit down to do what I have put off since late January when the W-2s arrived: I fill out the filing extension form and mail it in.

Then I fret about doing the taxes for the next three to six months. The undone paperwork stays in the back of my mind, gnawing at my happiness and for nearly two decades I've attacked it with the poorest weapon in my arsenal: I procrastinate.

This is simply stupid on my part. I need to get the taxes done, the sooner the better. If I owe, I can put off filing until the last day, but otherwise, just do them.

That's why, task number 100 on my 101 Things in 1,001 Days is doing the taxes without filing for an extension each year. Even on this list I nearly put this task off until the end.

And this year, I did them. I did my taxes with two weeks to go. They took me a long time to do because of some interesting income from 2007, but I got them finished.

Next year's will be even tougher, especially if we move. Even if I have to hire an accountant, I'm still taking credit for completing this task.

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you make yourself do it?

Where have you been?

Geez, I turn my head for just a moment and over a month goes by. What happened?

Well, I accomplished one of my 101 Things in 1,001 Days. I did my taxes, on time, without an extension. I haven't done that since...1990. Yes, it has been 18 years since I did taxes without filing an extension. And this was one of my more complicated years. It took me about six or seven hours to get them done. I have a real mental block when it comes to taxes. I'm not a fan of paying them, but to be forced to report them and my exemptions and my deductions and it just gets to me that we're required by law to do this. There must be a better way.

I'll add the task to the list on the right. It feels good not to have that burden hanging over my head for the next few months. (And if you think I am putting off a monster refund, I am not. I try to plan my taxes so that I have either a very small refund or a very small payment due. This year it was a medium sized payment due, but it was offset by a state tax refund, so we were pretty happy.)

I never told you that Monica received 2nd place in the Science Fair for her project on hydrogen fuel cell efficiency and the challenges surrounding that technology. She did a great job. Once she figured out the scientific principles, she really connected with the project. Her science teachers loved it.

We're exploring a possible move, too. Things are very busy here. If you're looking for a reasonably priced modest 4 bedroom brick two-story transitional, with an acre or two of wooded lot and a fenced backyard, let me know.

I've yet to see a wrist specialist, because I've been seeing a sleep specialist. I'll post more on that later, but getting a good night's sleep seems like a fairly important activity.

So, I'm writing this post basically to do a quick catch-up, in an effort to restart this blog. Winter has never really been fun for me. That's something I need to improve. I'll have to work it into the list.

Anyway, welcome back, even though you haven't been gone at all.

Abbreviated Spring Break trip this year

We won't be going to Arizona as we planned, nor even to Florida or Georgia this Spring Break. We have had too many things happen recently to enjoy this trip. We also have too many things to do at home, that we have neglected for far too long, to spend a week away. We might take a few days and go to Charleston, SC. We'll see.

Ralph is walking, albeit on three legs. Suzzie died last week.

Happiness isn't some outcome when everything is going great.

Happiness is the context of how we interpret and respond to life's moments.

We care for Ralph and carry him where he needs to go and nurse him back to health.

We keep Suzzie comfortable as her life ends. We hold our children and cry along with them when we lose her.

We call our friends and family and listen with our empathy and sympathy to their own tragedies and conflicts. (A friend recently lost her mother and is now undergoing another major life change. My older children are all in various states of health or wealth flux. A cousin was just diagnosed with a life changing illness. My sister balances professional and home life with two young children while her spouse is rehabbing from a surgery. Life never seems "normal," does it?)

Happy people not only embrace the good and the pleasant, they endure the bad and the difficult. We understand that both are required. Strength comes from love and support of each other. Sadness is not despair.

Life's hurts and losses deepen our understanding and appreciation of life's blessings and pleasures.

We become happier, on a much deeper level, because we have endured.

Visualizing the ordinary

But if ever a magazine could capture that, then this is it. This photo was taken by a contributor, Jeremy Stockwell (who had two photos published in this first issue.)

Life Images is basically a large photo album with short text (no more than 450 words) attached. The photography isn't too artsy and the images are just beyond ordinary. Pick this one up now, because the Spring Issue comes out in April. The cover price is $14.99.

Leafing through it is a calming experience, grounding us in the everyday. The sky, water, flowers, feet, birds, faces, hands, shadows, and myriad things of life's routine captured in still images with bits of text in the form of quotes, poems, raw emotions, false affectations, or simple explanations turn out, in aggregate, to be far more powerful than I anticipated. The tag line for the magazine is "A collection of captured moments and inspired journaling." That says it pretty well. I like it and recommend it.

I think we could all use a little ordinary some of the time.