Day 12: Personhood, Animals as Persons and Metaphysics CTQ

1.  Complete text work from yesterday. Personhood Theories

2.  Today is an in-class work period to complete your first Metaphysics Critical Thinking Question (it's due next Tuesday).
Evaluation

A few thoughts about CTQs:

What your work should address:

Clarity: Could you elaborate further on that point? Could you express that point in another way? Could you give an illustration? Could you give me an example? (From our point of view, if a statement of yours is unclear we cannot determine whether it is accurate or relevant. In fact we cannot tell anything about it because we don't yet know what it is saying).

Accuracy: Is that really true? How could we check that? How could we find out if that is true?

Precision: Could you give me more details? Could you be more specific?

Relevance: How is that connected to the question? How does that bear on the issue?

Depth: How well does your answer address the complexities in the question? How are you taking into account the problems in the question? Is that dealing with the most significant factors?

Breadth: Do you need to consider another point of view? Do you need to question your own assumptions? Is there another way to look at this question? What would this look like from a conservative standpoint? What would this look like from a more liberal standpoint?  What would it look like from the point of view of someone who’s opinion on the matter is the polar opposite of yours?

Logic and Reasoning: Does this really make sense? Does it follow logically from what you are saying? If yes, can you explain how it follows logically?  (When we think, we bring a variety of thoughts together into some order. When the combinations of thoughts are mutually supporting and make sense in combination, the thinking is considered to be "logical".

Comprehension and Understanding: Is your work in your own words?  Are you also relying on your own ideas? Do you demonstrate that you know what you are talking about? Can you discuss what you are talking about with some degree of authority? Have you covered all the bases?



The issue of dolphins and other cetaceans being given the status of "persons" and thus being granted human rights that we (people) all enjoy is highlighted in the BBC article.  The issue is, of course, also raised in the textbook and we have discussed it in class often - also, have another look at the Bonobo Monkey video of a couple of days ago.