short essays

Prewriting/Invention

Generating ideas, researching, and considering audience and purpose.

Drafting

Putting ideas into a preliminary written form, focusing on content.

Revising

Evaluating and refining content, checking organization, making substantial changes.

Editing

Correcting grammar, punctuation, refining language and style.

Proofreading

Final check for surface-level errors.

Writing to Learn:

   - Reflection: Writing helps internalize and reflect on what's learned.

   - Synthesis: It aids in synthesizing new knowledge with existing understanding.

Reflection

Writing helps internalize and reflect on what's learned.

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It aids in synthesizing new knowledge with existing understanding.

Process of Inquiry:

Exploration: Writing explores questions, leading to new insights.

   - Organization: It structures ideas, crucial for logical inquiry progression.

Exploration

Writing explores questions, leading to new insights.

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It structures ideas, crucial for logical inquiry progression.

Production of Scientific Knowledge:

Clarity: Writing demands clear articulation, essential for scientific communication.

   - Documentation: It records experimental procedures, results, and conclusions.

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Writing demands clear articulation, essential for scientific communication.

Documentation

It records experimental procedures, results, and conclusions.

Supporting and Deepening Thinking:

   - Articulation: Writing makes implicit knowledge explicit, enhancing understanding.

   - Revision: It allows revision and refinement, fostering critical analysis.

 

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Writing makes implicit knowledge explicit, enhancing understanding.

Revision

It allows revision and refinement, fostering critical analysis.

Clarity Over Complexity (Zinsser)

Instead of relying on convoluted language, prioritize simplicity and directness in expression. This approach ensures that the message is easily understood, fostering effective communication.

Audience Awareness (Critical Thinking - Chapter 17)

The concept of style, as discussed in critical thinking literature, underscores the importance of adapting one's writing to the audience. Consider the background, knowledge, and expectations of the readers to tailor your writing accordingly.

Authenticity (Mills and Zinsser)

Overcoming the academic pose involves embracing authenticity in expression. Genuine writing connects with readers on a human level, avoiding artificiality or forced formality.

Revision and Rewriting (Zinsser and Critical Thinking)

Zinsser's emphasis on rewriting and revision as integral to crafting good writing aligns with the critical thinking approach. Engage in multiple drafts, critically analyze your writing, and ensure that each word serves a purpose in enhancing clarity.

Expository writing

A method of communication with specific objectives, primarily focused on making information clear and comprehensible to readers. Its goals include providing knowledge on a subject, organizing information logically, and enabling the analysis and interpretation of complex ideas.

Angle

The particular perspective or approach a writer elects to adopt when delving into a given topic. It imbues the piece with focus, engagement, coherence, thematic unity, and a roadmap for reader expectations.

Point of view

An individual's subjective stance or interpretation shaped by personal experiences, beliefs, and values. It is distinct from prejudice and bias, as it encompasses a broader term that inherently exists in human cognition.

Paraphrasing

Expressing someone else's idea in your own words.

Summarizing

Condensing the main points of a larger text.

Plagiarism

Presenting someone else's work as your own without proper attribution.

Opinions

Personal judgments shaped by individual preferences.

Beliefs

Convictions often rooted in faith or personal experiences.

Facts

Objective and verifiable statements that form the foundation of scientific understanding.

Objectivity

Approaching a subject with a commitment to assessing information without the influence of personal biases, relying on facts and evidence.

Neutrality

Involves a stance of not aligning with any particular side or bias in a given context.

Objectivity

A cornerstone value in scientific inquiry that promotes credibility and reliability of research findings.

Methodological objectivity

Emphasizes the use of rigorous and systematic methods in research processes to minimize personal biases.

Standpoint theory

Recognizes that different standpoints may influence the interpretation of data, contributing to a more inclusive understanding of objectivity.

Vagueness

Lack of precision or clarity in language, where terms or expressions lack clearly defined boundaries.

Ambiguity

Arises when a word, phrase, or sentence has more than one interpretation or meaning.

Lexical ambiguity

Occurs when a single word has multiple meanings.

Syntactic ambiguity

Arises from sentence structure or grammar, leading to multiple possible interpretations.

Semantic ambiguity

Results from multiple possible interpretations of a phrase.

Knowledge

Understanding gained through experience, study, or education, often supported by evidence.

Facts

Objective and verifiable statements that can be proven true or false based on evidence and observation.

Scientific judgments

Grounded in empirical evidence and rigorous methodologies, they differ significantly from subjective expressions.

Scientific opinions

Hold value due to their reliance on evidence, rigorous processes, objectivity, and impartiality, influencing policy and public discourse.

Judgment

A talent that can be practiced and refined through personal engagement and experience, contributing to critical thinking and effective writing skills.

Argument

A structured and reasoned expression of ideas, consisting of a claim supported by evidence and reasoning.

Evidential

Scientific arguments are grounded in observable and measurable evidence derived from systematic observation, experimentation, and data analysis.

Logical

Scientific arguments follow a rational and justifiable order, drawing valid conclusions from the presented evidence.

S-test

An evaluation process used to assess the strength or validity of an argument based on the satisfaction of premises and their support for the conclusion.

Argument-as-process

The dynamic and interactive nature of reasoning, involving ongoing exchange of ideas, perspectives, and evidence within a communicative context.

Problem statement

Articulates the issue or challenge that an argumentative essay aims to address.

Thesis statement

The central claim or proposition that encapsulates the main argumentative stance of an essay.

Validity

The logical soundness of an argument, where the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

Probability

The likelihood or chance that a statement or hypothesis is true, often based on statistical or empirical evidence.

Truth

A complex and nuanced concept in scientific argumentation, involving convergence of empirical evidence, logical coherence, and consensus within the scientific community.

Assumptions

Implicit beliefs or premises that underlie arguments and influence the interpretation of evidence.

Neutrality

The state of being unbiased or impartial in an argument, although complete neutrality is challenging and often impractical.

Scientific Argument

Argumentation within the context of scientific inquiry, where assumptions play a crucial role in shaping the reasoning process.

Preconceived Assumptions

Assumptions that are held prior to engaging in an argument, which can influence the interpretation of evidence and the overall reasoning process.

Managing Assumptions

The process of acknowledging and critically evaluating assumptions in order to minimize their potential bias and ensure a more objective and rigorous argument.

Assumptions

Foundational elements that guide the logical structure of an argument.

Transparency

Making explicit any assumptions in scientific discourse to facilitate open scrutiny by peers.

Specific assumptions

Clarifying the conditions under which an argument holds to enable precise evaluation.

Biases

Influences of assumptions on the interpretation of data and potential distortion of scientific conclusions.

Common sense

Practical, everyday reasoning shaped by cultural norms and personal beliefs, subjective and context-dependent.

Common knowledge

Widely accepted information within a community or field, based on shared facts, principles, or theories.

Richard Feynman

Emphasizes the values of scientific thinking, practical utility, and intellectual honesty in scientific inquiry.

Intellectual honesty

Relentless commitment to truth and dedication to self-correction in the face of new evidence.

Sellars' statement

Highlights the rationality of empirical knowledge and science as self-correcting enterprises.

Scientific truth

Provisional conclusions subject to refinement in the face of new evidence.

Scientific methodology

Systematic approach, empirical foundation, and commitment to objectivity that distinguishes science from other ways of knowing.

Evidence-based reasoning

Grounding scientific knowledge in observations, experiments, and data analysis.

Scientific method

Involves hypothesis formulation, experimentation, and peer review for systematic and reliable knowledge acquisition.

Scientific opinions

Provisional and subject to change based on empirical evidence and collective scrutiny.

Reliability

The reliability, objectivity, and dynamic nature of scientific knowledge that distinguishes it from mere opinion.