Dear Tipsters, Here are some musings on Jim's questions:
1. When we teach critical thinking skills (David's "how do you know"), are we to teach that there are some topics / beliefs that are sacred and are not to be challenged in the same manner, such as a belief in god? Very few people, I suspect, would claim beliefs, about god or otherwise, without some basis for the belief. Do those bases stand up to the kind of scrutiny that we apply to claims about human behaviour and experience? It is quite appropriate to critically examine one's religious beliefs about God. Indeed, doubt has a long tradition in Christian thinking. Those of a fundamentalist bent may not be so inclined but when the Bible is not taken literally, all is open to interpretation. 2. When students ask questions like "why are we here," "what is the purpose of life," and the like, are we to say that these are questions that are perhaps even meaningless and certainly have no answer, or that there are other "ways of knowing" that do provide meaningful (i.e., valid?) answers to these questions, or do we evade such questions and just offer that "we do not address these questions in psychology"? In class, I say three things about questions like this: 1. It is always appropriate to discuss the psychology of answers to these questions. This is similar to treating religious beliefs (e.g. their source and development) as a topic for scientific investigation. For example, what are the consequences of believing or not believing? 2. There are some questions that may at first not appear to be open to scientific investigation but with further consideration can be studied. For example, Skinner showed how values can be investigated and even judged in light of their impact on outcomes. Another example might be "How should I live my life?" I think this question can be translated into a format that could be studied. 3. Having said that, there are indeed some questions whose answers cannot be arrived at via science. For example, what is the meaning of the good? Philosophy comes in here. Going back to the original post that started discussion of this thread, I think it is important to present psychology to students in a non-threatening manner. For those who have strong religious belief (whether Christian or other), the approach of psychology may be challenging, but this is no different from any other discipline that requires critical thinking (philosophy in particular). Sincerely, Stuart --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=22830 or send a blank email to leave-22830-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
