Critical Thinking Blog 4

Junk thought is one of those tools that can be compared to pseudoscience. Both are used to mislead the general population and can easily be believed by any audience. Why? Both junk thought and pseudoscience use deception and colorful language that make them sound credible. The main difference between the two is that pseudoscience is a completely fake science while junk thought is science being used wrong. Unlike pseudoscience, Junk Thought is picked up by politicians on all sides of the arena and use certain facts or angles to make their agenda look legitimate. For example, Jacoby writes about the liberal group showing pictures of polar bears to promote sympathy for global warming. Jacoby points out that children and many people think of polar bears as big and cuddly so they sympathize and jump on the bandwagon to stop global warming. She goes on further to say that polar bears are shown when a ice chunk breaks off the southern ice shelf even though polar bears do not live in the southern hemisphere. Susan Jacoby uses many other examples like this one to describe junk thought and I completely concur with her. Americans are getting too much data these days and not thinking about how to use the data, they just use it how they need it to work for them. Instead of thinking in logical ways, people are just regurgitating information to look intellectual. The biggest problem with the junk thought being produced is it detracts from intellectual and practical thought. Its like people have been given screws and use hammer on them- it is just not going to work.

Pre-Reading Blog 4

Our Nation's attention span has diminished greatly since the advent of portable digital devices. In the past few years, we have gone from playing phone tag to texting and checking the Internet wherever and whenever we want. While cell phones greatly increased how quick and conveniently we have could get a hold of someone to talk in the nineties, the 2000's have revolutionized this instantaneous to even further endeavors. Texting has allowed people to instantly respond to a Friend. Instead of waiting after a presentation at work or a lecture in class to take a call, people can now multitask and text while doing business. Once phones became mobile computers, all the information we could possibly ever want became accessible whenever and wherever. I know teachers hate it but I admit that I randomly text while in class. I also know that I can not possibly listen to the professor and text at the same time but I have managed to be a quick switcher and listen and text at the same time. I also make sure that anyone around me can not see my phone and get distracted by what I am doing...or at least try to keep it out of sight.; Its not a guilt thing but I am just trying not to disrupt those around me. Cell phone services being costly enough with texting, I opted not to even bother with getting Internet on my phone. However, I have seen many people check the net for movie times or check there email and myspace while sitting in class. My point with all this, we have all become greatly distracted by our new gadgets and all these forms of media are to blame. Before texting, I would sit at family events and class and be completely focused on the discussion but now I can easily jump on the phone and be entertained by others miles away. While I enjoy these luxuries, I admit that we have all become greatly distracted these technologies and I wonder just how much of a hindrance they are becoming. Even if texting and surfing the net does not hinder what we are doing, I think it is a complete demoralization in manners and courtesies.