POLS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Middle Ages, French Revolution, Faubourg
12 Sep 2018
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September 12, 2018
POLS 1000 Introduction to Politics – Lecture Week 1
Introduction: Why Must We Think Critically?
Lecture Notes
• What does critically mean?
o The term critical is often associated with negativity.
▪ E.g. movie gets a bad review, we can call it a critical review. These people who
do these reviews are called film critics. They can write a good review and still be
called a critic.
o The term critical does not refer to the conclusion that one arises at.
o Definition: Criticism and being critical refers to a thinking process that aims at
evaluating.
o When thinking critically, you bring in a variety of factors that allow u to reach a
judgment/evaluation
o When thinking critically you must also think historically. History allows us to evaluate.
o History is only one element to critical thinking, we can bring logic, observation, context,
point of coherence/lack there of idea, action.
o Film critics are often compelled to bring history and context in an evaluation of a film.
o This thinking process we call critical thinking it is a skill, not something you are born
with or naturally better at.
▪ Like any other skill, it can be developed through practice.
▪ These exercises will shape your critical skills.
o Evaluations:
▪ Did you learn anything in this class? – examinations
▪ Sharpening your critical skills.
• Why should we think critically? Why not take things at face value?
o Critical thinking skills are quite important, for they are useful elsewhere other than in a
classroom.
o Critical thinking skills are an intellectual method that allows you to protect yourself.
▪ With these skills, you will be able to engage in intellectual self-defense.
o These Fundamental in order to fight against phenomenon that is plating contemporary
society, this phenomenon is called stupidity.
o Allows you to engage in abstract thought.
o Even if you use these skills, you might not arrive with the right answers/decisions.
▪ E.g. Obama Whitehouse
• Notion of Stupidity/Importance of Abstraction of Thought
o Politics and literature has a commonality; share a bond which is the desire for
immortality.
▪ They both permit a person to go beyond their human nature.
▪ They leave traces of their existence
▪ Lasting and painful consequence of death; to be forgotten.
• Milan Kundera
o Born 1929, in the Jerusalem, Czech Republic
o IDEA 1: Distinction between ignorance and stupidity
▪ Literary non-fiction books; Unbearable lightness of beings, Laughable loves
▪ Art of the Novel (essays); The Novel in Europe
▪ Immediate context of this text: Milan was awarded Jerusalem prize for his body
of work.
▪ Had to give speech when accepting his award, his speech was called The Novel
in Europe.
