Some Men...

Thanks to alert student, Mayra, for sending me this image. I'm going to put it on my office door. So, according to our friend, Aristotle, the work of humanity is that of Logos (articulate speech), reason (being open to persuasion), critical thinking (although he didn't have such a buzz-worthy name for it as that), and work.

It seems to me that this makes for fine summary of our course. Ideally in our small group activities as well as in our final presentations, we'll each being using our capacity for articulate speech to both create and analyze arguments (the skill for which I'll hopefully be working us through this coming week).  Second, I trust that we come to this course with our minds prepared to be persuaded, open to the notion that our maps are incomplete, that we have plenty to learn. Third, what even is this buzz-term "critical thinking"?  For me, at its simplest, it means using your brain. Slowly. It's not memorization or repetition. It's not rote. It's not multiple-choice. It's essay, but not easy. It is the final term, "work".  And I believe almost more strongly than anyone I know, in the real value of the work part of college. The struggle, as I wrote about in my "This I Believe" essay, is what makes the vista worth it.

I justify this course in Ethics and Argumentation quoting Aristotle in speaking of rhetorical skills and persuasive ability: "For he who uses things of this kind justly, may benefit others in the greatest degree, and by using them unjustly may effect the greatest injury." Thus, let us do good for ourselves and for others in our quest to discern.