Taking a Position

1.     CheckPoint: Taking a Position

Axia College uses this definition of critical thinking, originally coined by the NCTE Committee on Critical Thinking and the Language Arts: Critical thinking is “a process which stresses an attitude of suspended judgment, incorporates logical inquiry and problem solving, and leads to an evaluative decision or action.”

Reference

Tama, M.C. (1989). Critical thinking: Promoting it in the classroom. Retrieved October 2, 2006 from Indiana University, Clearinghouse on Reading, English, & Communication Web site: http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/digests/d40.html

• Resource: Appendix B
• Due Date: Day 4 [post under 300 words total to the Individual forum]
• Read the Coffee Break comic strip in Appendix B.
• Address parts A and B in the same post
• Address the following in a100- to 150-word response in part A of the post:

o    State the key issue from the comic strip.

o    Does Anita suspend judgment before taking a position, or does she immediately take a position on the issue? Explain your answer.

o    Does Anita use logic when looking into the issue, or is her position based on a moral value judgment? Explain your answer.

o    Does she solve a problem, make a decision, or take action as a result of taking the position she did? Explain your answer.

• Recall a situation in your life in which you took a position on an issue. The issue could concern a political matter, a family or community topic, or a moral or ethical problem.  
• Address the following in a 100- to 150-word response in part B of the post:

o    State the issue, the position you took, and the considerations that helped you determine your position.

o    Did you suspend judgment before taking a position, or did you immediately take a position on the issue? Explain your answer.

o    Did you use logic when looking into the issue, or was the position you took based on a moral value judgment? Explain your answer.

o    Did you solve a problem, make a decision, or take action as a result of taking the position you did? Explain your answer.

Coffee break was about glitch in system making is so you can increase your pay raise and no one notices.  Anita decided no, and called the hotline to report the loophole.

1)      The key issue in the comic strip was about honesty.  Some could say theft, but at the heart of it, theft is about honesty.   Honesty is a broad term that covers many things where as theft is a specific honesty issue.  Anita does seem to suspend judgment before taking a position, although I would not consider one day to be abnormally long to consider whether or not you wanted to turn in a friend.  Clearly her friend is committing a major crime in exploiting a loophole in a company she works for.  Anita seemed to use her own moral values to determine how to proceed with the information she has been given.  She then makes the decision to report the loophole.  It is unclear on whether she is turning in her friend or only reporting an anonymous tip on the glitch in the system.

2)    My decision to move to Iowa is a good issue.  I thought on it for over two years, eventually the time came where we ran out of places to go in Orlando and we made the decision to move fairly quickly.  We did weigh the pros and cons of moving but in the end it was an easy decision to make.  The decision was made from both logic and emotional pros and cons, as so many of my decisions are.  I use facts to lend support to my emotions.  This time I had facts to support my emotional decision to leave Orlando, and that is what we did.  The end decision took around two weeks of debating.