Can a failure of critical thinking be found at both extremes of the political spectrum

Phil 11O1 Essay:
DO ANY ONE: 4-5 pages
(Try to relate your discussion to material that we’ve covered in the course.)
1. In Aliens Cause Global Warming, Michael Crichton makes a number of controversial claims.
Evaluate his arguments. Is he thinking critically? (His article is posted on Blackboard.)
2. Can a failure of critical thinking be found at both extremes of the political spectrum (in both ‘far
left’ and ‘far right’ thought)? If not, why not? If so, give examples?
3. Critical thinking is fundamentally a method – it tells us how to think, how to argue, what sorts of
fallacies to avoid, and how to test competing explanations. Does it follow that if everyone follows
the methods of critical thinking, they will end up believing the same things? Here’s another way to
ask the question: is it possible to imagine two professors of critical thinking, (both of whom are
competent) who believe radically different things about, say, 9/11 conspiracy theories, the
existence of ghosts, and the effectiveness of vaccines? Does critical thinking entail that we must
believe particular things about various issues? If so, then under what circumstances? If not, then
what’s the point of critical thinking?
4. Sagan’s Maxim says that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Does this mean
that confirmation bias isn’t always a mistake?
5. It is very often a mistake to engage in ad hominem attacks. But sometimes, it’s acceptable to
criticize a person. When is it acceptable, when is it not, and why?
6. Is it reckless for Wolfe to have brought a Ouija board to class? Why or why not?
7. Evaluate the tenability of one of the following views: (These issues are pretty broad, so you
might want to narrow it down to a sub-topic. For example, if you’re writing about ghosts, you
could write about one ghost story – a particular “haunted” house,” for instance.)
– homeopathy works
– global warming isn’t being caused by people
– aliens have abducted people
– ghosts exist
– people have auras
– astronaut Edgar Mitchell’s controversial claims should be believed
– 9/11 was an inside job
– an interesting claim or argument that you can write something interesting about (just clear the
topic with me first).