Becoming A Fair-Minded Thinker Samar zaki al-awami 201000499 Afia Zmaili 200800169 Nouf al-ali 200800203

Outline Introduction Conclusion Strong Critical Thinkers Weak Vs. Strong Critical Thinking Strong Critical Thinkers Fair-Minded Thinkers Traits of Strong Critical Thinkers Conclusion

Critical Thinking Self-Centeredness: Concentrating on making your opponent’s thinking look bad Weak-Sense Critical Thinkers: Noticing the mistakes in others without crediting their strengths.

Weak-Sense Critical Thinkers Works in some sense, yet misses a vital point Lacks fair-mindedness Making good thinking look bad and vise versa “Sophist” The use of emotionalism and trickery in an intellectual manner Examples include unethical lawyers & politicians

Strong-Sense Traits

Fair-Mindedness Developing in such a way that we learn to see the mistakes in our thinking, as well as others Leads to Strong-Sense critical thinking Ethical thinkers Strive to understand others’ viewpoints Willing to listen to arguments that oppose your own beliefs The ability to change your views when faced with better reasoning

Strong Critical Thinkers Realize the ease with which the mind can ignore the rights & needs of others. Treating viewpoints in an unbiased, unprejudiced manner. Consciousness of the fact that we tend to prejudge views of others. The ability to view others’ viewpoints who’s welfare is in conflict with our own interests.

Intellectual Self-Centeredness Opposite of self-mindedness Failure to treat others’ views by the same standards you treat your own.

Intellectual Humility Consciousness of the limits to ones own knowledge. Being aware of ones biases & prejudices. Limitations of ones viewpoints The extent of ones ignorance

Intellectual Ignorance Not recognizing limits of our knowledge Example: Police Force Knowledge of ignorance leads to improved critical thinking Recognizing our owns biases and prejudices False beliefs Habits of the mind that lead to false thinking

Intellectual Courage A consciousness of the need to face and fairly address ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints towards which one has negative emotion. Intellectual cowardice Fear of ideas that don’t conform to our own beliefs

Cont. Personally threatened by ideas that conflict with out personal identity. Courage is vital to overcoming fear of rejection Not afraid to be proven wrong Freely admitting past mistakes Happy to correct current mistakes

Intellectual Empathy To put oneself in the place of another in order to understand their views. Opposite is self-centeredness Blinds ones capacity to see the views, thoughts, feelings, and emotions of others.

Self-Integrity To stand by your view. Act the same as you expect others to do. Opposite is intellectual hypocrisy Expecting others to hold standards or views that you yourself don’t uphold.

Intellectual Perseverance To work through difficult situations Completing tasks regardless of obstacles. Opposite is intellectual laziness Giving up easily when met by difficult situations or obstacles

Confidence In Reason Recognizing that good reasoning has proven its worth A belief that ones own higher interests and humankind will be served by giving the freest play to reason Opposite is intellectual distrust Irrational world surrounded by irrational beliefs and behaviors.

Uncritical/Blind Faith Faith in folkways or a social group Faith in ones own unanalyzed experience Faith in ones unanalyzed emotions. Faith in charismatic cult leaders Faith in intuition.

Intellectual Autonomy Being a independent thinker In charge of their lives Not irrationally dependent on others Not controlled by infantile emotions

Intellectual Conformity Difficulty to develop autonomy because of social institutions depend heavily on passive acceptance of the status quo. Example: Ph.D can be intellectually dependent. Must accept beliefs without considering the merits and demerits of those beliefs for oneself.

Thank you for listening.