feminism and the private spher essays

feminism and the private spher essays By recognising that politics is a science not only of the public realm but also of the private, feminism shows itself to be an ideology that challenges conventional thought. As the question rightly states, it is feminists imparticular that oppose the division but this view has influenced many others to think in such a way about the public and private. In short, feminists believe that the plight of women can only be eased if the private sphere is opened up to political debate. Feminists have stated on numerous occasions that the main way in which they are oppressed is within the private sphere. It is thought that men are able to stunt the progress of women through psycologically degrading them in the home. By doing this, in the private realm, women do not have the confidence (or permission) to perform a role in the public realm. Feminists argue that wife-beating and rape within the home are common ways of degrading women. The current division we have between the public and private means that the state is powerless to address the issue, seeing as it is an issue outside the public sphere. Political intervention is essential for this issue, hence the division needs to disappear. It should be noted also that this hypothesis applies to any weak groups within society, such as the disabled, Feminists also oppose the division between public and private because of mens domination in the public sphere. All state institutions in the UK are inhabited overwhealmingly by men; the House of Commons has less than a sixth of its members that are female. Art and literature are still male-orientated disciplines. The point is that when there is a time (like now) where women are equal in name to men, it has very little meaning to women as they are equal only in a male designed world. The Greek playwright Euripides once suggested that women would only be equal when they have ...

Definition and Examples of Critical Thinking

Definition and Examples of Critical Thinking Critical thinking is the process of independently analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information as a guide to behavior and beliefs. The American Philosophical Association has defined critical thinking as the process of purposeful, self-regulatory judgment. The process gives reasoned consideration to evidence, contexts, conceptualizations, methods, and criteria (1990). Critical thinking is sometimes broadly defined as thinking about thinking. Critical thinking skills include the ability to interpret, verify, and reason, all of which involve applying the principles of logic. The process of using critical thinking to guide writing is called critical writing. Observations Critical Thinking is essential as a tool of inquiry. As such, Critical Thinking is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one’s personal and civic life. While not synonymous with good thinking, Critical Thinking is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. The ideal critical thinker is habitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open-minded, flexible, fair-minded in evaluation, honest in facing personal biases, prudent in making judgments, willing to reconsider, clear about issues, orderly in complex matters, diligent in seeking relevant information, reasonable in the selection of criteria, focused in inquiry, and persistent in seeking results which are as precise as the subject and the circumstances of inquiry permit.(American Philosophical Association, Consensus Statement Regarding Critical Thinking, 1990)Thought and LanguageIn order to understand reasoning [...], it is necessary to pay careful attention to the relationship between thought and language. The relationship seems to be straightforward: thought is expressed in and through language. But this claim, while true, is an oversimplification. People often fail to say what they mean. Everyone has had the experience of having their \ misunderstood by others. And we all use words not merely to express our thoughts but also to shape them. Developing our critical thinking skills, therefore, requires an understanding of the ways in which words can (and often fail to) express our thoughts.(William Hughes and Jonathan Lavery, Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Basic Skills, 4th ed. Broadview, 2004) Dispositions That Foster or Impede Critical thinkingDispositions that foster critical thinking include [a] facility in perceiving irony, ambiguity, and multiplicity of meanings or points of view; the development of open-mindedness, autonomous thought, and reciprocity (Piagets term for the ability to empathize with other individuals, social groups, nationalities, ideologies, etc.). Dispositions that act as impediments to critical thinking include defense mechanisms (such as absolutism or primary certitude, denial, projection), culturally conditioned assumptions, authoritarianism, egocentrism, and ethnocentrism, rationalization, compartmentalization, stereotyping and prejudice.(Donald Lazere, Invention, Critical Thinking, and the Analysis of Political Rhetoric. Perspectives on Rhetorical Invention, ed. by Janet M. Atwill and Janice M. Lauer. University of Tennessee Press, 2002)Critical Thinking and Composing- [T]he most intensive and demanding tool for eliciting sustained critical thou ght  is a well-designed writing assignment on a subject matter problem. The underlying premise is that writing is closely linked with thinking and that in presenting students with significant problems to write about- and in creating an environment that demands their best writing- we can promote their general cognitive and intellectual growth. When we make students struggle with their writing, we are making them struggle with thought itself. Emphasizing writing and critical thinking, therefore, generally increases the academic rigor of a course. Often the struggle of writing, linked as it is to the struggle of thinking and to the growth of a persons intellectual powers, awakens students to the real nature of learning.(John C. Bean,  Engaging Ideas: The Professors Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical  Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, 2nd ed. Wiley, 2011)- Finding a fresh approach to a writing assignment means that you must see the subject without the blinders of preconception. When people expect to see a thing in a certain way, it usually appears that way, whether or not that is its true image. Similarly, thinking based on prefabricated ideas produces writing that says nothing new, that offers nothing important to the reader. As a writer, you have a responsibility to go beyond the expected views and present your subject so that the reader sees it with fresh eyes. . . .[C]ritical thinking is a fairly systematic method of defining a problem and synthesizing knowledge about it, thereby creating the perspective you need to develop new ideas. . . .Classical rhetoricians used a series of three questions to help focus an argument. Today these questions can still help writers understand the topic about which they are writing. An sit? (Is the problem a fact?); Quid sit (What is the definition of the problem?); and Quale sit? (What kind of problem is it?). By asking these questions, writers see their subject from many new angles before they begin to narrow the focus to one particular aspect.(Kristin R. Woolever, About Writing: A Rhetoric for Advanced Writers. Wadsworth, 1991) Logical Fallacies Ad Hominem Ad Misericordiam Amphiboly Appeal to Authority Appeal to Force Appeal to Humor Appeal to Ignorance Appeal to the People Bandwagon Begging the Question Circular Argument Complex Question Contradictory Premises Dicto Simpliciter, Equivocation False Analogy False Dilemma Gamblers Fallacy Hasty Generalization Name-Calling Non Sequitur Paralepsis Poisoning the Well Post Hoc Red Herring Slippery Slope Stacking the Deck Straw Man Tu Quoque