(This essay on the importance of questions provoked some of my own)
-What prevents us from changing our opinions? What encourages us to reassess our previous positions?
-Does debate truly encourage people to change their minds, or does it actually prevent the formation of new opinions? Is there a difference between argument and persuasion--if so, what is it?
-Can we attempt to understand the opinions of others without examining our own assumptions? How do I walk a mile in another's shoes?
-What is the role of mainstream media in the formation of public opinion? Is media-influenced opinions beneficial or dangerous, or a bit of both/and/or...
-How do we encourage critical citizenship that includes response-ability to the demands of social life and political engagement?
-Is action necessary to prove an opinion has truly changed; is saying one has changed enough? Is experience necessary for the development of a theory?
-Is violence an option in changing opinions?
-What effect does an absence of imagination have on the possibilities for change?
-Does academia serve to foster or prevent the changing of minds?
-Does experience override education (or vice versa) in the formation of beliefs, values, and opinions?
-Is education inherently conforming and confirming, reinforcing traditional conclusions, or, can it be radical in the sense of "dreaming the impossible"?
1 comment:
question #2 - I think that would depend on if it is an honest debate, unlike say a presidential debate. The honest exchanging of ideas and beliefs and the "power of persuasion" has been dulled to 30 second sound bites and catchy slogans. It is, IMHO, a major part of where our failings as a country lie.
#4 - See above. Our media is a shame. I watch the BBC frequently and the sessions of parliament and the Q&A with their leaders are spectacular. Our media forms opinions and then frames the stories to fit their position. Facts and reality seem to have become secondary or worse yet, obsolete.
ABBY
Post a Comment