Description
1) Consider the following statements:
We all have beliefs
They come from somewhere
They influence our lives
There are different beliefs out there
Different beliefs lead to different results
Using the list we make during our discussion this week (posted in Materials-Content-Notes)
and the domains of thinking listed in chapter 2 (Sociological, Philosophical, Ethical, Intellectual, Anthropological, Ideological & Political, Economic, Historical, Biological, Theological and Psychological) write about your background in relation to your beliefs and influences on your thinking.
What factors in your life have played a large role in shaping or influencing your thinking? Explain these and provide examples of how they have impacted your thinking. You can choose to include as many “factors” as you like. After analyzing these, do you believe that these influences have produced rational beliefs and thinking? Why or why not?
750 words, Essay format, typed and double-space
2) Exercise 2.8 (pg. 42) in your text. Choose 3 of the 10 strategies listed below and on pages 37-40 in your text; try using these 3 strategies over the next week. Choose the strategies you would most like to work on. Don’t worry about perfection, just see how it goes. You will document your findings in an essay.
Use wasted time
Handle a problem a day
Internalize intellectual standards
Keep an intellectual journal
Practice intellectual strategies
Reshape your character
Deal with your ego
Redefine the way you see things
Get in touch with your emotions
Analyze group influences
In your essay, write a discussing your findings in this activity, answering the following questions:
Which 3 strategies did you choose? Why?
How did you implement them?
How did it go? What worked, what didn’t?
What (if anything), did you learn from this activity? Will you continue using these strategies? Would you do anything differently?