Reading Response 1

 Here is my first reading response for Intro to Philosophy.  It was a one page maximum.

(1) Give specific suggestions for what we can do to promote an open mind and attitude toward other people's ideas. The more practical these are, the better. (2) Give specific suggestions for what we can do as reflective thinkers to avoid being deceived. Again, be very practical with your answers. (3) Which of the above activities do you do? (4) Which of the above activities and suggested actions do you think you could do more of in your life, as you pursue truth and why?

 

There are several ways that one can nurture an open mind and attitude so that one is receptive to others ideas. One must first begin to value listening over speaking. The better listener one is, and the more willing one is to listen to others, the more open one's mind would become. When one refuses to listen, only valuing their own voice over the others, then one does not have time to listen to other points of view. Another way to nurture an open mind and attitude is to remember that the other will be more receptive to one's ideas if one is receptive to theirs. One must also realize the value of seeing the other side of the story, because if one only listens to others that believe the same as one, one's ultimate knowledge of the world is confined to whatever values and belief systems that one surrounds oneself with have. That is a very slim section of the knowledge of the world, and if one strives to improve oneself, the way to do it is by gaining knowledge through the multitude of other ideas.

There are also several ways to avoid being deceived. It is never safe to hear something from one source, and one must try to find a different source of information or a way to verify what the other is saying. One must use rationality and logic in order to determine the possible truth behind what others are saying. One must establish a habit of investigating what one is told, be it through personal reflection, or through establishing that the knowledge is indeed correct by consulting another source. Thinking ideas through, from the beginning of the idea to the end, is essential if one wishes to determine what is really truth or not, or whether one wants to associate oneself with such ideas. One must always be at least slightly skeptical in order to not be deceived.

I personally practice the above activities on a daily basis. Quite a bit of my time is spent lost in thought, processing the new ideas I've encountered that day. That is not to say that I am not guilty of occasionally being stubborn about my personal belief systems, or being deceived by others. These are the times, however, that I do not think about the strategies I have described above. I have had to make these strategies habit, which takes much time and effort. I continue to improve in my ability to think about these things, so the strategies I wish to improve on my frequency of use would be all of them.

Would you give me an A?