Terrance
Explain at least five elements of critical thinking that you found in the reading material.
QualiaSoup (2009) lists nine elements to critical thinking which are: (1) analyzing, (2) conceptualizing, (3) defining, (4) examining, (5) inferring, (6) listening, (7) questioning, (8) reasoning, and (9) synthesizing. I consider analyzing and examining as the first two steps to critical thinking. Analyzing and examining breaks down the research as a whole into separate pieces to determine their purpose. Using these two elements, you can determine if a source is credible, if the content pertains to what you are researching, and if the author is biased. Questioning does not mean rejecting an idea or claim but to withhold personal judgement until a review of all the factual information can be done before making a decision. This allows a critical thinker to remain unbiased and not jump to conclusions based on their assumptions. Inferring is the ability to draw conclusion based on the factual information obtained by assessing the raw data as a whole and discover probable outcomes (QualiaSoup, 2009). One thing to remember is, new information is always being presented and your original inference may not be correct. Finally, the reasoning used to draw your conclusions should be made based on facts and not emotions. Reasoning allows the critical thinker to make sound decisions backed by logic and not emotions or social pressure.
Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find an example in which good critical thinking skills are being demonstrated by the author or speaker. Summarize the content and explain why you think it demonstrates good critical thinking skills.
One article I found on international drug trafficking and law enforcements failure on the war on drugs is by German Lopez on Vox.com. Lopez (2016) analyzes the United States current drug problem and the cost it has on the United States trying to combat it through criminalization. In the article Lopez(2016) explains how the war on drugs, which started in 1971, has done little to stop illicit drug use in the United States. In the last forty years the drug war has cost taxpayers over $1 trillion while straining the criminal justice system and doing little as to drug use, production, and trafficking.
I believe Lopez used critical thinking in his claim because as he presents in information he backs it up through research and statistics provided by reputable sources. He quotes many individuals in the article and provides both sides arguments to keeping or removing the criminal aspect of drug abuse. Additionally, Lopez does not just look at those outcomes as the only two options avoiding a false dichotomy. He offers other solutions such as reducing the level of criminality associated to drug trafficking and reducing drug schedules for certain drugs such as marijuana.
Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find an example in which the author or speaker lacks good critical thinking skills. Summarize the content and explain why you think it demonstrates the absence of good, critical thinking skills.
During my research I found a website called Debate.org (n.d.) that posed the question, should all drugs be legalized? On this site people are allowed to post anything they want to either side of the purposed question and offer examples, statistics, opinions, experiences, etc. about the issue. Based on individuals votes 70% of the people commenting believe all drugs should be legalized. The content on this site lacks critical thinking because many of individuals who commented based their decision on emotions vs. facts. They offered no citations for their claims, show bias based on the vocabulary used, and lacks inference to define potential outcomes. By purposing only keep things the way they are or legalize all drugs the website provides a false dichotomy, seeing the issue in only black and white.
Resources
Debate.org. (n.d.). Should all drugs be legalized? Debate.org. https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-all-drugs-be-legalized
Lopez, G. (2016, May 8). The war on drugs, explained. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2016/5/8/18089368/war-on-drugs-marijuana-cocaine-heroin-meth
QualiaSoup. (2009, December 24). Critical thinking. YouTube. https://youtu.be/6OLPL5p0fMg

Brittany
 
Explain at least five elements of critical thinking that you found in the reading material.
1. Identify the situation, problem, and audience you are addressing.
2. Independently research the issue to create a persuasive argument

3. Recognize and eliminate biases when evaluating information; appreciate various perspectives.

4. Analyze and draw conclusions based on the information provided.
5. Consider the relevancy of the information presented as it applies to your topic.
Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find an example in which good critical thinking skills are being demonstrated by the author or speaker. Summarize the content and explain why you think it demonstrates good critical thinking skills.
In the scholarly article, Uncertainty in artificial intelligence, Parsons summarizes the first conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence. During this conference, people were able to express their views on AI and communicate with the AI community. The goal of this conference was to promote research in technological advancements, while learning from the uncertainty of it. The author does a great job of incorporating critical thinking skills for many reasons. First, Parsons identifies a level of bias [“non-probabilist ( pg 65 para. 3)”] in the opening statements, but includes many relevant points of research that debunk his biases from the concern of the paper. Next, there are multiple levels of identifying the topic, audience, and other factors that could influence the credibility of the paper. There are also many references to evidence-based research, which allows Parsons to make inferences relevant to the paper.
Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find an example in which the author or speaker lacks good critical thinking skills. Summarize the content and explain why you think it demonstrates the absence of good, critical thinking skills.
In the next article found, the author is a journalist that is reporting on the rise of artificial intelligence. This article gives a brief history of AI and how beneficial it is to advancements in computer sciences. The article continues to briefly discuss both sides of the AI debate: good vs. bad. I chose a news article to compare to the previous scholarly article because its a great example of scholarly vs. popular sources. The author has some good information included, but lacks critical thinking skills. The length of the article is much shorter than the previous and incorporates biases and almost promote fear mongering. To summarize, the “bad” side of AI is referred to through “Doomsday” references and can only create the inference of eradication of the human population. The article, to me, is promoting the negative aspects of AI and does not create a credible argument for the “good” side of AI.

References:
Remnick, D. (2019, October 13). Sunday Reading: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/sunday-reading-the-rise-of-artificial-intelligence
Parsons, S. (1994). Uncertainty in artificial intelligence. The Knowledge Engineering Review, 9(1), 65-66. doi:10.1017/S0269888900006597