Week 11 - The Application of Six Thinking Hats

Week 11

The Application of Six Thinking Hats

            Six thinking hats is actually a strategy that was created by Edward de Bono. This strategy requires people to extend their way of thinking about a topic by wearing a range of different “thinking” hats. He uses thinking “hat: metaphor because of familiar expressions like “put on your thinking hat.” Putting on a hats means it switches the thinker’s attention to that specific mode to simplify the process. For switching hats just redirects thinking to another mode. There are 6 colors of thinking hats which are white, blue, black, yellow, green and red.

            White hat means cold and neutral. With this hat, you will not make any judgments. You will just convey information. You will be also the one that provides facts, figures and objective information. For example, when you were asked to wear white thinking hat that means you need to focus directly on the information and not about the arguments. You will look to see what information is available, what is needed and how to obtain it.

            Red is a warm color. It has to do with the feelings, intuitions, hunches and emotions. The red hat represents ANGER. It gives the thinker permission to put their feelings forward about the subject. For example, when you were ask to wear red hat that means they are asking about your feelings about the subject. Black is gloomy and negative. It is a color of authority and prevents mistakes by urging caution.

The black hat is for the people who examine every possible action. They will have a role why something will not work. For example, when you are wearing black hat that means you will be putting negative elements onto the discussion. Black hat is very valuable and can be a problem at the same time. It is valuable because you need to be cautions in every idea that you have. So that any further mistakes will not be done. Black hat can be a problem because it can easily kills creative idea with negative thoughts. Yellow is a color that looking for potential benefits based on constructive thoughts. The yellow hat provides constructive and generates proposals and suggestions.

Green is a symbol of vegetation/ grass. It will result in making new ideas. The green hat wearer will look for new ideas or possibilities. They will find a way to find new creative ideas for the problem. For example, when you are in a meeting, you will need someone to find new ideas. They will be the person who think of new ideas and make it better.

The last one is blue. Blue means that you are looking from a higher and a wider perspective to see whether you are addressing the right issue. Usually the person who wear blue hat is the person who are in charge such as a chairman or an organizer. They will be the person who are organizing and controlling the process.

For conclusion, this topic is really helpful for me and for my assignment. It will be more helpful if it is a group assignment. It help us how to solve the problem quickly and effectively. The entire group member plays different roles. Sometimes there will be an argument but we quickly with these thinking hats. With everyone wearing different hats, it making us more away about the wider picture of the problem. So, this topic is really helpful in daily life.

Week 10 - Application of Thinking 1

Week 10

Application of Thinking 1

            This topic helps me how to solve problem effectively. I learn about DAID and the steps. After this topic, me and my friends apply it to our assignments. It is really effective to solve problem. Helps us a lot. Below, I tell you more about the topic. So, enjoy reading.. 

            As I mention on my post before this. There are two types of thinking which are critical thinking and creative thinking. Critical thinking is more on the facts and data. We need this thinking to solve problem. Problem solving is the process of working through details of a problem to reach a potential solution. Problem solving and decision making is two different things. There are 14 techniques in problem solving. Abstraction, analogy, brainstorming, divide and conquer, hypothesis testing, lateral thinking, means-ends analysis, method of focal objects, morphological analysis, proof, reduction, research root cause analysis and trial and error.

            Common logical approaches are the DAID model brainstorming technique.  DAID model is actually a problem solving model. DAID means Define, Analyze, Identify and Decide. You have to follow these 4 steps to problem solving. First is defining the problem. You have to know what the problem is before you can solve it. The steps are you have to identify the gap between your expectation and what is really happening and write a clear and concise problem statement.

            Next is analyzing the problem. This is for you to try and understand the problems. The basic method is using the 5 W 1 H which are What, Where, When, Why, Who and How. By using this method, you have to extend the questions and ask a planned sequence of action. 3^rd is identifying the possible solutions. In this stage, you have to list down all the possible solutions and DO NOT analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each solution yet. The last stage is deciding on the appropriate alternative. This is for you to choose the solution that possessed most advantages and least disadvantages. On this stage is where you analyze the advantages and the disadvantages of the solution.

            If these steps did not work, you can always brainstorming with your group mates. Get all the solutions from different person because every person thinks differently. It can be really effective if you handle it well. There must be a leader to organize it. There are few steps that you can follow. Such as bring a board and list down everything. Later, you will pick the one that have lots of advantages and least disadvantages. 

Week 9 - Thinking Critically About the Media

Week 9

Thinking Critically About the Media

            On this week lecture, the title is thinking critically about the media. This topic actually let me know whether the media is giving you what you want or giving you the truth. This lecture will make me learn more about the media and what have they done to make people confuse.

            As a critical thinker, you must be aware of the presence and power of suggestion in electronic and print media. I start with suggestion. Suggestion means presenting ideas to reveal certain ideas or qualities. We use suggestion everywhere, in daily life, in professional world and in media. Suggestion in media include in electronic or printed.

There are many types of media. Media came from Latin word which means “in the middle”. The first one is news media. News media is like a bridge between us and the world of events that happening everywhere. Usually, news media will prefer to make news as entertainment. This is because many people don’t really like watching news. They will select the issues that attract people such as accident or fight in the parliament. Use of language also very important in news media. It can affect audience perception of an issue.

We should be responsible readers when we consider the use of headline, the balance of reporting on issue, the fairness and the photo composition when we read print media. Headline is important because it is the first thing that a reader will see when opening a newspaper or magazine. The media always can easily manipulate us by photo. If they want people to sympathize for that person, they will put a young and innocent photo of that person on paper. Making people believe that the person is innocent. For a critical thinker, you should consider finding the facts and not just by looking at the photo.

            Next, I’m going to talk about advertising. Advertising is to inform and to motivate people on buying certain product. There are many types of advertisement that companies used to attract people. For example, humor, catchy slogans, sex appeal or anxiety ads.

Example of catchy slogan

Example of humor advertisement

So that’s all from this topic. I learned so many things through this topic. Now, I read newspaper or magazines and watch news with attentions. I do that because so that I will get the right message and facts. I also told my family about it so that we will not spreading the wrong message. Overall, this is an interesting topic and really fun to learn. 

Week 8 - Evaluation Sources of Evidence

Week 8

Evaluation Sources of Evidence

            On this week lecture, I learn about how to evaluate sources of evidence and what is the source of evidence. There are many evidence that you found are related to whatever you are talking about. But are all of it valid and can be used in a statement? Not all of them. So, in these I learn about how to know whether your evidence that you choose can be use or not in an argument.

            There are primary source and secondary source. A primary source is sources that are originate from the time and place of the events being investigated. For example, letters, documents, newspapers that are published at that time, and testimonies of witnesses. A secondary source is sources that are written or produced about the event sometime later. For example, books, articles, web pages, and documentaries.

            To search for evidence, there are few things that you have to consider before you take it as your evidence. First is the authenticity and validity. You have to make sure that the evidence is true and valid. There are so many invalid evidences nowadays. Next is currency and reliability. Source must be in still relevant in the present. You also must be sure that the source of evidence is reliable and can be trusted.  There is also relevant and irrelevant evidence. You must know how to differentiate between these two. Relevant evidence is that which is necessary to give good understanding of the issues.

            Lastly, I’m going to talk about a good generalization. We are generalising if we conclude that a claim is true about a group (or population) based on what we find out about some part of the group (or a sample). A generalization is good when the sample is big enough, representative, and studied well.

Week 7 - Fallacy

Week 7

Fallacy

            For this week lecture, I learn more about fallacy. This time, it’s all about fallacy. Just like what I mention for the week 6 post, fallacy is another type of bad arguments. The argument should be rejected as it so bad and it is typically unrepairable when it is a fallacious argument. There are also people saying that fallacy is a faulty argument that appears to be correct at first but when further examination is done, the argument turns out as false. The fallacies that I learn this week are Ad Hominem (attack), Ad Populum (manipulating emotions) and Petitio Principii (avoiding argument).

First I’m going to talk about Ad Hominem fallacy. In Latin, the word ad hominem means “at the man”. To my understanding, that means that you attacking “at the man” in attempt to people to believe in your premises. There are 3 types of Ad Hominem, which are Ad Hominem abusive, Ad Hominem circumstantial and Tu Quoque. For Ad Hominem abusive, it means that they are attacking the person’s CHARACTER. Ad Hominem circumstantial means they are attacking the other’s person’s CREDIBILITY. The last one, Tu Quoque, means they are ACCUSING the other’s person of having the same fault.

Next is about the Ad Populum Fallacies. With Ad Populum Fallacies, they always persuade people by manipulating emotions, hoping that the people will incline to agree with their argument. There are many types of Ad Populum. Ad Populum appeal to force/fear, to pity, to shame, to vanity, to authority, to ignorance, and to spite. I’m going only to talk about to force, to ignorance and to spite.

 Ad Populum appeal to force/fear also known as “scare tactics”. It uses threat or force in an attempt to accept a conclusion as correct. For Ad Populum appeal to ignorance, the arguer will treats LACK OF EVIDENCE as a reason to think that a claim is true or false. They will say that a claim is true because no one has proven it to be false or vice versa. Ad Populum appeal to spite also known as “Two wrongs make a right”. To make it understandable, it is just like it is right to revenge towards people because in the past they did bad things. Revenge is still wrong no matter what.

Lastly, it is Petitio Princpii. This happen when people avoiding talking about the argument. Sometimes, the premises are missing or the actual issues are side tracked by irrelevant issues. There are 3 types, which are begging the question, circular argument, and red herring. Begging the question means they are just repeating the same thing. For example, they said driving is dangerous because it is not safe. Next, circular argument assumes a premise of an argument had the same meaning as the conclusion. Last is red herring fallacy, An arguer tries to sidetrack his audience by raising an irrelevant issue and then claims that the original issue has been settled by the irrelevant diversion.

Week 6 - Critical Thinking and Application to Management

Week 6

Critical Thinking and Applications to Management

            On this week of critical thinking, I learned about analogy and analogical arguments, causal relationship and causal arguments and fallacies. Honestly, I have no idea what will we be learning. The overview of the topic makes me think of biology or psychological subject because of the analogy and causal arguments. So, I didn’t really know what to expect from this lecture.

            First, we start with analogy and analogical arguments. The definition of analogy is a comparison made to draw out similarities between two things. The important thing is the comparison must be VALID!  The two items is not valid of the two items not have similarities, the comparison is misleading and the description is inaccurate. An analogical argument means that when an analogy became a part of an argument.

Then I learn about causal relationship and causal arguments. Basically, causal relationship is correlations vs. causes. It’s flawed reasoning to assume that just because two things are found together, there must be a causal link. Remember that correlation is NOT cause. Before making a causal claim, you must check whether it is maybe just coincidence or maybe you have got the cause and effect reversed. There are few other things.

Lastly, I learned about fallacies. This one is the longest compared to the other two before this. A fallacy actually is another type of bad arguments. This argument should be rejected as it is so bad and it is typically unrepairable. Causal fallacies are fallacy that is associated with causality. For example, post hoc and slippery slope.  For fallacies of generalization, according to the lecture, a generalization is a statement that asserts that all or most things of certain kind have a certain quality or characteristics. The most popular are hasty generalization, sweeping generalization and false dilemma. The last fallacy is false analogy. This will occur when the arguer compares two things that are not really comparable in relevant aspects.

Week 5 - Analyzing and Formulation Rational Arguments

Week 5

Analyzing and Formulating Rational Arguments

            The topic for week 5 is analyzing and formulating rational arguments. The topic is actually going to explain more on validity and good argument. There is more explanation in detail about good argument. Basically, this topic will let you know whether you choose the right 1 or not.

            First thing I learn is that accept means that you are agreeing with the argument and reject means you are disagreeing with the argument. It is based on whether you are being persuaded with the ideas in the argument. This topic also tells that you always want to ACCEPT good arguments and REJECT that NOT a good arguments.

A good argument is when the statement has true premises and is supported by true conclusion. There are two types of argument, which are deductive arguments and inductive arguments. In deductive argument there are valid and invalid. In valid deductive arguments there are also good and bad. In inductive argument, there is only one type that is invalid. Invalid inductive argument will then be decided whether it is strong or weak.

Even if I have valid argument, I still can reject it because an argument can be valid and bad at the same time. What I need to remember about validity is that valid does not mean it is TRUE. Valid just means that the argument is well reasoned.