PHIL347N Week 1 Discussion Latest 2020 November

PHIL347N Critical Reasoning

Week 1 Discussion

Wisdom vs. Knowledge

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 1, 2, 3

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)

Introduction

In 2012, Psychologist Heather Butler studied the importance that critical thinking plays in our everyday lives. “Critical thinking is not just the new buzzword in education. Critical thinking involves real outcomes that can be measured, predicted, and—perhaps for the negative life events—avoided” (Butler, 2012, p. 725).

In 2013, studies by Grossmann, Varnum, Kitayama, and Nisbett concluded that wise reasoning, rather than intelligence, was a predictor of well-being. In 2017, Dr. Butler and her colleagues, referencing the Grossmann study and based on their own research, determined that the ability to think critically was a better predictor of effective life decisions than was intelligence (Butler, Pentoney, & Bong, 2017).

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, address the following:

Do you agree that wisdom/critical thinking is a better predictor of well-being than intelligence? To answer, you will have to define what the following terms mean for you:

Critical thinking

Wisdom

Intelligence

Well-being

Reflect on what you read in the text this week. Think of the people you know.

Are the good people smart?

Are the smart people good?

How do you define “good”? How do you define “smart”?

Can we use our intelligence to become “good”? If yes, how? If no, why not?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. Look at your peers’ definitions. Do you agree with them? If yes, why, if no, why not?

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)

Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside source)

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines

Course Outcomes (CO): 1, 7

Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday

Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday

References

Butler,H.A. (2012, Sep/Oct). Halpern critical thinking assessment predicts real-world outcomes of critical thinking. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(5), 721-729. 10.1002/acp.2851

Butler, H.A., Pentoney, C., & Bong, M. P. (2017). Predicting real-world outcomes: Critical thinking ability is a better predictor of life decisions than intelligence. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 25, 38-46. https://www.umass.edu/preferen/You%20Must%20Read%20This/ThinkingSkills.pdf

Grossmann, I., Na, J., Varnum, M.E.W., Kitayama, S., & Nisbett, R.E. (2013). A route to well-being: intelligence versus wise reasoning. Journal of Experiential Psychology: General, 142(3), 944–953. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3594053