Critical Thinking Blocks, Essay Example

I am inquisitive and enjoy reading and having discussions on a wide variety of subject matter including science and religion. This may be why I also enjoy meeting new people and learning about their beliefs and value systems. Once I went to a social gathering at a friend’s place and there I met an Indian Muslim guy, Ali who had been in the U.S. for college education. He was Physics major so we initiated discussion on science and religion because he also deeply cared about his faith and religion and science often seem at odd with each other. I still clearly remember the discussion but there were few things Ali claimed which clearly pointed towards the existence of critical thinking blocks. First of all, Ali claimed that Islamic societies have better family structures because children continue to take care of their parents until old age while it is not uncommon in the west for old people to spend their lives in nursing homes. In addition, he advised me to watch videos of Dr. Zakir Naik, an Indian Islamic Scholar, because he said Dr. Zaik Naik has encyclopedic memory and often gives references from Quran along with the exact location of the reference, while answering questions. Ali also claimed that Quran is the word of God because not a single word has been changed in it since its revelation 1400 years and it confirms the promise Allah has promised in the Quran. Ali also claimed that since most of the people in the word believe in some religion, thus, there must be a god.

Ali’s first claim that Islamic societies have better family systems because most parents continue to live with their children their whole lives, was a clear example of ethnocentrism. This is because Ali believed that the family system in which parents live with their children rather than separate is the best and he used the system prevalent in his own and other Muslim societies as a yardstick with which to measure other societies. Ali didn’t think that different societies have different cultures and circumstances that determine which family system may prevail. Moreover, Ali also assumed that when parents do not live with their children, it is a sign of weak family relationships as is usually the case in traditional societies like India. Thus, in Ali’s opinion, children do not care about parents as much in the west as they do in Islamic societies. Secondly, when Ali mentioned Dr. Zakir Naik and his amazing ability to exactly recall the specific location of a reference in the Quran, it seemed to me that Ali was intimidated more by Dr. Zakir Naik’s authority rather than the quality of his arguments. I also felt that Ali probably equated Dr. Naik’s ability to recall information from Quran with his scholarship credibility. When Ali claimed that Quran is the word of God because it remains unchanged even after more than 1400 years, Ali was once again engaging in ethnocentrism. The fact that something has not changed doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true or authentic but Ali applied the criteria set by his religion to judge the credibility of Quran. Ali mentioned that Bible was also revealed by Allah but it was changed by Christians and Quran has not been changed because Allah promised Quran would be his final word. When Ali said that there must be a god because most people believe in some form of religion, he engaged in conformism. He reasoned that the majority of the people in the world cannot be wrong and there is a reason most of them believe in some form of deity.

As far as Huffington Post article regarding Super Bowl ads (Huffington Post) is concerned, two assumptions were clearly evident. The first assumption made by the author was that most people find Super Bowl ads more interesting than the game itself. This assumption is evident by author’s suggestion that if someone wants to use the restroom, he/she should do so on a first down rather than during commercials. The second assumption made in the article is that the ads appeal to all kind of viewers and not just some particular groups like college students or young people. The author claims that super bowl viewers turned their attention toward the television at each commercial break, ignoring the possibility that there may be some who oppose the commercialization of mega sports events such as Super Bowl.

In making the first assumption that everyone finds ads more interesting than the game, the critical thinking block set up by the author was egocentrism. The author assumed that just because he/she finds the ads more interesting than the game, it must be true for everyone. Thus, the author made the mistake of equating his personal experience with a fact in this case. In making the second assumption, the writer engaged in ethnocentrism. The author might have observed that most people he knows pay more attention during commercial breaks than the game, he reasoned it must be true for other viewers as well. The author failed to realize that Super Bowl is watched by hundreds of millions, both in the U.S. as well as outside the U.S. There is a possibility that some age groups such as American baby boomers may find the ads less interesting than young people and similarly, many viewers in other countries may not understand the humor displayed in the ads due to cultural differences.

As I watched the ads, I could see the references to popular culture such as vampires and I realized that I enjoyed the ads because I had the cultural background to understand the message. I realize that I was able to identify the assumptions and critical thinking blocks because I was actively looking for the existence of biases in the article. If I were not doing this assignment, I might have unconsciously agreed with the author’s opinions that Super Bowl ads are indeed more interesting than the game itself and are given more attention by the average viewer. This is because I personally find ads more interesting and, thus, I would have been engaging in egocentrism were I reading the article without the objective of doing this assignment.

References

Huffington Post. Super Bowl Commercials 2012: Watch Ads Aired During Giants vs. Patriots Game (VIDEO). 5 February 2012. 15 August 2012 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/05/super-bowl-commercials-2012-watch-video-gallery_n_1255478.html?ref=sports>.