Intellectual Standards (Week 5)

I understand “depth” to mean that the solution for a problem should be well thought out. In other words, rather than having a shallow explanation they should be touching base on all the underlying issues associated with the question. For example, teen smoking is controversial problem amongst many schools who have taught students to just say “no” when they’re offered a cigarette. This solution lacks depth therefore the challenge is to create a long-lasting solution for this problem that resonates with adults and teens alike. An example of someone exhibiting depth with social media would be a YouTube page dedicated to showing stories of teens from all walks of life showing the effects of smoking and how they were able to build courage to refuse the offer.

“Breadth” to my understanding is a individual taking time to view the issues through various points of views to be able to reason fairly. In other words, rather than looking at an issue through your own opinion, beliefs and facts supporting your side you should take a look from the oppositions side. This is so that a fair evaluation of your flaws can be made so that you can strengthen your reasoning. An example of someone exhibiting breadth in social media would be Kaepernick taking into consideration the comment of a veteran that kneeling was a sign of respect versus sitting. This individual was not blinded by emotions but gave a listening ear to someone of the opposition. Respect which is a common denominator became the focal point in changing his approach but not the goal of his movement.

Logical thinking is as it says which is a way of ensuring reasoning makes sense in a sense that all the moving parts of your reasoning are cohesive. In other words, your supporting thoughts should be able to be in agreeance with each other so that you’re not contradicting yourself. Concrete evidence that is used as a basis for reasoning will be clear and concise so that each moving thought will make sense of itself because the core of it all will be that solid piece of evidence. An example of someone exhibiting logic with social media would be articles published by major news outlets that use logical thinking to create pieces that display their view of an issue logically.

I understand "significance" is sifting through all the relevant information to able to differentiate whether it is truly relevant to the issue. In other words, often we are bombarded with a plethora of relevant questions when in the process of finding solutions. Therefore, it is imperative to prioritize all these questions and bits of information to focus on the significant parts that help us maintain a clear focus on the topic at hand. An example of someone exhibiting significance with social media by using the block button on a friend and using that solution by seeing their snapchat and Facebook posts about going out when they said they were sick hence why they didn’t come to your baby shower.

I understand "fairness" to mean as it entails which is to be free of any bias so that your thinking process is impartial. In other words, emotions are no longer of importance nor are opinions the only thing carrying weight should be evidence. To maintain a standard of fairness questions should be asked to maintain these standards because thinking process may  be manipulated when a person is unaware that they are straying from a impartial route to finding a solution. An example of someone exhibiting fairness with social media is a post that represents a view in a fair light where the negative of an issue is also on display because whether they like or not it is still a significate detail that should be included in the post.  

Intellectual Standards are the different pars that we need to hold ourselves to so that we are continuously thinking past shallow solutions. The human mind is a tool that wanders which is more of a reason for us to discipline it by challenging ourselves to maintain high standards when reasoning with others or finding solutions. The purpose of this assignment is to touch base on these important facets of the intellectual standards that as learners we should begin practicing to become more effective when seeking solutions. The key question at the heart of the assignment is “Are the questions that I ask when problem solving meet the Intellectual standards?”