Reading And Critical Thinking (1967)

[music] [music] >> Some things you read are obviously not in agreement with what you know. When you see a statement [music] such as this, you immediately go through a process of critical thinking. You think that the statement is false, or that it may be [music] a misprint, or perhaps you may even think that whoever wrote it is off his rocker. Good for you. Critical thinking is a trait you should continue to develop. In fact, [music] developing that trait is what this film is all about. >> [music] [music] >> Critical thinking [music] is an active process which requires an open mind, a mind searching for truth [music] and understanding. For example, a statement which might seem false may prove to be true [music] in some cases. In Renoir's painting, grass is blue. [music] On the other hand, someone describing this painting by another artist might truthfully write, "Grass is red." [music] From the writer's point of view, it is. Let's read the poem Silver by Walter de la Mare, applying what we've just learned about the importance of the writer's viewpoint. Slowly, silently now the moon walks the night in her silver shoon. This way, that way, she peers and sees silver fruit upon silver trees. One by one the casements catch her beams beneath the silvery thatch. When we understand the writer's point of view, understand that he was observing a scene by moonlight, then we can agree with him that grass is silver. And we have also learned something important about critical thinking. Critical thinking does not necessarily mean finding fault. It means thinking about the truth. And what is true from one point of view may not be true from another. Since a writer's point of view must be considered as you develop your skill of critical thinking through reading, let's see how we might discover a writer's point of view. Often at the beginning of a story, you will find some information about the author. Two big bears is part of book called Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The author really is little Laura in the story. In it she tells about the exciting time many years ago when she was growing up in a log cabin home in the big woods of Wisconsin. With this kind of information about the author, you can read her story knowing that it was true of the times in which she lived, a time very different from the times in which you live. You can compare her life with yours, and when you do, you are sharpening your powers of critical thinking as well as enjoying an exciting tale. The textbooks you read are written by people especially qualified in the subject. But beyond noting their qualifications, the text may not seem to give you any information about the writer's point of view. However, keep going. Most textbooks have a section near the beginning of the book directed just to you in which the authors explain their point of view, tell you how they feel about the subject, why they wrote the book as they did, and what they hoped you will learn from it. And reading this section of the book is an important step in the critical thinking you will do about the ideas the author has presented in the text. But critical [music] thinking requires more than understanding of the writer's point of view. Turn that thing down. What's wrong with the TV columnist? It says here a classical music program comes on at 8:00. Oh, no, it's supposed to be longhairs. Well, they're certainly not longhairs. That's unbelievable. The reader who thinks that the term longhair means only a classical musician, [music] as it once did, may not be prepared for critical thinking about what he reads in today's television reviews. Critical thinking requires understanding ourselves as well as the writer, and realizing that words [music] may have different meanings for us than for the person who wrote them. To show in another way the effect that words may have on individuals or groups, let's watch a play from a football game on television. When we say, "Now, look closely to see what happens." Now. Did you see what happened? Maybe we'd better look at it again. You saw what happened. Now, here's what a reporter from the hometown of the winning team said about the play. The game was saved by a brilliant interception by Stan Williams. And now, here's the report of the play you saw as it appeared in the hometown paper of the losing team. We were robbed of a victory by the interception on the part of Stan Williams. Was it a brilliant play or was it a robbery? The point we're making is that opinion can lead to different interpretations. And so can a choice of words. You have your own opinion. Which may agree with the opinion of one sports writer or with the opinion of the other. But all their readers will form opinions based on the different choice of words used to describe the same action. To sharpen your powers of critical thinking, you must be aware of the effect of words, and you must try to separate opinions from facts. How can you do that? Well, when you read a newspaper, keep in mind that opinions usually appear on the sports page or on the editorial page. A newspaper editor bases his opinions on the facts as he sees them. But a critical reader realizes that what he finds on an editorial page is a personal opinion. An editor's opinion can be valuable in helping you form one of your own. For he is usually an intelligent, well-read person who studied the problems he writes about very carefully. As a matter of fact, if you live where more than one newspaper is available, it is likely that the newspaper which comes into your home is chosen because your parents respect the opinions and the point of view of its editor. And it isn't too early for you to take a moment away from the funnies now and then to note what grownups are thinking about. You may not understand all their opinions now, but it's good preparation for the critical thinking you will do in the future. Now, too, is a good time for you to begin looking at the front page and the other straight news portions of the paper. Our laws discourage the printing of news which is not true. So, if you read something in a news story, you can be fairly sure that the reporter gathered the facts and verified them before the story was written and printed. What you read in the news section is likely to be fact, not opinion. Some things you read are neither fact nor opinion, but a twisting of both. "Chilling," it says. Hmm. "Scary." That's just the kind of movie you like. So, you go to see it and find out the hard way that the show is dull, boring, and about as chilling as a hot bath. And that is precisely what the one who was quoted really said about the film, but one of his words was taken out of context. One of his words was used in a way that it was not intended to be used to make an untrue, misleading quote that is neither fact nor opinion. You can spot such tricks. Become a more critical reader by a simple test. Is someone trying to sell you something? A product, an idea, or a ticket? Then watch out. Someone who is trying to sell you something may play tricks with the truth to get you to buy what he has to sell. As you improve your ability to think critically about what you read, you'll notice how reliable authors support their statements. The bald eagle, selected as our national bird in 1782, is a noble-looking bird, well fitted in many ways to be the symbol of a great free nation. Here, in red is the statement you heard. Following it are the supporting statements the author brought together for you. Read the supporting statements for yourself, and then note how each one of them supports some part of the original statement. And by the way, congratulations. By checking to see that the writer did support his statement, you have just proved that you can employ critical thinking as you read. No one can remember everything he reads. But one who practices critical thinking tries to discover the most important facts an author has presented so that he can remember them. Here is a tip which will help you discover which facts are most important. Help you become a critical thinker about what you read. As we travel through Austria, we will find that there are differences in the climate from place to place. The mountains which cover much of the country cause many of these differences. The winds that blow across Austria cause others. Of course, the first part of the tip is that you have to read the material. But we've done that. So, here's the second part of the tip. Read the section containing questions. Often they're found at the end of a chapter, but wherever you find them, read those questions. They are your clue to the most important facts presented. And if you can answer them, you have the facts. Of course, if you can't answer them, that's a signal to reread the section or paragraph. Critical thinking means thinking about the whole truth. And you miss the whole truth of what you read if you miss some of the important facts. The road to critical thinking is marked with its own kind of signs. Go at a slow pace until you understand the author's point of view. Learn whatever you can about his background and any factors affecting his ideas or choice of words. Watch out for the dangerous curves which your own point of view may put in your path. And realize that words have different meanings [music] for different people. Stop occasionally as you read to ask yourself, is this fact or opinion? If it is fact, believe it. If it is opinion, you can agree with it or not as you choose. But do not treat it as fact. Don't be led down a blind alley by accepting a quotation which may be taken out of context to make a misleading statement. But do resume your own safe reading speed when you see that an author is supplying facts you can verify from other sources. And also is furnishing you with additional facts to support the statement he makes. And do obey the traffic signals which guide you to the most important facts the author has presented. The traffic signals found in the questions included in your texts. There is one other sign a critical thinker observes. And that is the sign given to him by any kind of punctuation mark. Unless you observe these signs, you cannot get to the truth. And that is what critical thinking is all about. For example, is there any truth in this statement? Is this really a statement at all? Well, let's see. That that the fat boy wrote is not that that the that boy wrote. Once again, we are back around to points of view. Punctuation marks are the signs an author uses to help you discover his point of view. To help you think straight. And when you think straight, you have the point of view of the critical thinker. >> [music] [music]