This is the day to target… Purposes

The source for this material and our 25-Day CT Challenge is… 25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life, by Dr. Linda Elder & Dr. Richard Paul, Pearson, 2006; and the Center and Foundation for Critical Thinking, CA.

Know Your Purpose… “Thinking is always guided by human purposes. Everything you do is related to some purpose you have…Your thinking goes wrong when you: are unclear about your purpose, have unrealistic purposes, have contradictory purposes, or don’t stick to your expressed purpose.” (Drs. Elder and Paul, in 25 Days to Better Thinking…, Ibid.)

Ask yourself these questions: In any given situation (or part of your life), what are you after; what are you seeking? Are your real goals (or purposes) convergent or are they in conflict and mutually inconsistent. Can you admit your real purposes (in this or that part of your life). Do you know what your family, friends, associates are after? What are their purposes? (Ibid)

Your purposes or goals… Drs. Elder and Paul suggest that you make a list of your important goals, and see if you find inconsistencies in them. (Ibid) __________________ Can you take a few minutes to do that now; focusing on your own personal goals or purposes right now may help you relate to these concepts more quickly.

Inconsistencies… Our authors remind us that “In human life, there is often a discrepancy between public (announced) goals and private (unspoken ) goals…[and that] “It important to examine the basic purposes that guide how you live.” (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid.)

“Examine the purposes that guide how you live”… Which of them are you explicitly aware of? Which lie beneath the surface of your thinking? Which would you be willing to admit? Personal goals Professional goals Political goals Economic goals National goals

…examine your purposes further Personal goals Professional goals Political goals Economic goals National goals How many of them guide you to superficial actions? How many guide you to important ends? Which are difficult to accomplish—and why?

It’s not all about you You want to examine and know the truth about your purposes, and You need to assess the truth in others’ purposes—which are often contradictory to their stated purposes (from 25 Days to Better Thinking, Elder and Paul)

The authors state that… Knowing these things can “enable you to see through facades and keep from being manipulated by others.” (Ibid)

Strategies, or questions you can ask to target purpose: What exactly is my purpose in this situation? What am I trying to accomplish? Is this purpose realistic, justified, even the most important right now?

…more strategies from our authors: 3. What do I need to do first to accomplish my purpose(s)? What about the purposes (or agenda) of my spouse, children, friends, employers? How does my agenda differ from any of theirs?

Does my stated agenda differ from my actual one? …and most importantly Does my stated agenda differ from my actual one? Would I be willing to admit to my true purpose in this situation? And if not, why not? (Elder and Paul in 25 Days to Better Thinking &…)

This is the day to know your purpose “Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves.” -Shakespeare

Daily Reflection Notes Print the following slide, one copy for each day of this week, (remember to use “print current slide”). Reflecting and making some notes on your thoughts and experiences of the day help to internalize this “challenge”, as you know.

DAILY REFLECTION NOTES Today I was successful in using the following ideas/strategies: The key insights that emerged for me today were: One problem in my thinking that I now realize is: I plan to continue working on this problem using the following strategy: