Comments on: A Little Bit of Philosophy Makes You Smart – Apparently

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:44:30 +0000

Very true. I wish to be better at thinking. One of my major reasons for blogging is to have my thinking tested. Writing definitely tests your thinking, as you say. Thoughtful comments do too!

By: Nakka

Nakka — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 18:56:11 +0000

OK– how about this one… they can’t identify the subject in the sentence. This is VERY common.

This is the very topic that I struggle with teaching in my college classroom… how to think. What you gentlemen have a leg up on is that you write, and seems to me, read. Both of these skills– the writing more importantly, are skills that help evolve critical thinking skills. When we write we are forced to think about what we think.

By: thelonedrifter

thelonedrifter — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:10:14 +0000

You’re not kidding. It is sickening to me when we have college students who can’t perform basic math skills and are unable to tell us who was the first president of the U.S. (current, republican form of government), and think Hitler’s first name was Alex.

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:12:02 +0000

I did resist the line of thinking that says “so, you teach someone the skills needed to do well in an IQ test and they do better?” :). But more seriously, it is amazing what we isn’t taught in school these days. I’m currently reading a book about how to read a book, sounds nearly as bad as philosophy, but it would have been great stuff to have learnt at school.

By: thelonedrifter

thelonedrifter — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:19:27 +0000

no duh?