I also began reading Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide. Although this reading is not directly about autism or travel, it is useful for thinking about how I conduct and evaluate my research.
Introduction — Why Do We Ask “Why?”
The introduction begins by discussing how frequently we are told what we should think or do. Buy this food. Support this political party. Believe this argument. Choose this product. Our natural response is often: Why? By asking why, we are looking for justification for the action or belief being recommended.
The book uses advertising as an example. A cereal company could advertise its product by explaining that it contains less fat and sugar. In this situation, it is providing reasons for why somebody should buy the cereal.
Alternatively, the advert could simply show the cereal alongside footage of healthy people exercising, running and climbing. Creating an association between the cereal and health, but it has not necessarily provided a logical reason for believing the product itself will make somebody healthier.
This introduces an important distinction between persuasion and argument.
What Is an Argument?
The word argument is commonly associated with disagreement or conflict, but an argument can simply mean presenting reasons to support a conclusion.
Arguments happen constantly within everyday conversations:
As a student, academic arguments are particularly important. Lecturers, researchers and other students are constantly presenting interpretations and perspectives. Developing the ability to analyse whether somebody has provided a strong argument allows me to question information rather than automatically accepting it.
Chapter Two — Rhetoric
Chapter Two introduces rhetoric. Rhetoric can be understood as an attempt to persuade somebody to believe, desire or do something through the power of language rather than through strong supporting reasons. Rhetorical techniques can therefore sometimes become manipulative or coercive.
However, rhetoric is not automatically negative. Powerful rhetorical communication has also been used to communicate important social ideas, with Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech given as an example.
How Does This Relate to My Project?
This reading is particularly useful for my research process. As I continue looking at existing research, accessibility initiatives, technology and claims made by organisations, I need to distinguish between: