Skirting the Issue

Antithesis of the Critical Thinker: One who Skirts the Issue

Skirting, or going around, the issue so that one ends up discussing the issue from the peripheral is a common problem. A good way to illustrate this problem is to use a recent experience I had as an example.  

I had given feedback to the Traffic Police in Singapore on, among other concerns, a poorly-written traffic report.  I reproduce part of my correspondence below:

Another matter is the police report itself. As an educator and linguist, I find it surprising that an official report can contain so many grammatical and spelling errors, (a) lack of detailed sequence of events leading up to the accident and (show traces of) a cut and paste job, with phrases and clauses seeming to come from elsewhere.... And as a Singaporean and English educator in schools and tertiary institutions, I feel personally embarrassed that we can produce such poorly written official reports.

The reply from a Traffic Police officer to the above was as follows:

Thank you for being candid with your comments to the police report you have come across. There is indeed much space for improvement and also high public expectations in the ability of the organisation to produce professional documentation. I believe the Public Service do aspire to continue achieving greater standards in this very area through my personal witness of a variety of language and grammar courses made available to everyone as part of our choices within our training development. I believe we can only improve moving forward and this is also an integral part within this journey of professional service delivery.

What was the issue?  The issue was in relation to a particular official report that contained many errors in language usage.

What was reply?  Basically the officer was saying, "Hey, thanks for bringing that up and yes, we can improve. But guess what, your expectations are rather high.  We are already doing what we can through offering courses which are, by the way, `choices'. Moreover, whatever we do, we can only improve."

The officer did not deal with the actual issue of the poorly written police report.  What he did was to skirt the issue by:

• Acknowledging that, in general, that there is room for improvement, not that there is a need for improvement;
• Stating that there are high public expectations, and thereby, implying that these expectations are excessive and that, perhaps, it is unfair to expect their officers to live up to such `high expectations';
• Offering the information that courses to improve in the English language are already available, and these courses are options;
• Patting the Public Service on its back for `aspir(ing) to continue to achieve greater standards', meaning the standards are already great; and lastly,
• Reiterating they are `moving forward' and therefore, they can only `improve'.

The aim of this blog post is not to find fault with any particular officer or a public or government department.  Rather, it is to highlight what is turning out to be a common problem that pervades almost all walks of life.  We are fond of beating around the bush, and along the way, patting ourselves on our backs so as not to acknowledge the existence of a problem which we think might make us look less capable.

But the critical thinker will immediately zero in on the problem and tackle it head-on so as to find a solution.  Returning to the example given above, what the officer could have done was to acknowledge that the report was poorly-written and apologise.  Then, he could have gone on to add that his department will explore possible ways of solving the problem or he might even include some solutions.

In mid-week, we will look at an extract from a fictional work that will illustrate another instance of skirting the issue.  There will be questions to guide you to identify the issue and ways in which the issue is ignored through attention being drawn to other, albeit, related points.

Thinking Critically: Rationales derived from varied Premises

The liberal understands that the conclusion one draws from derives its rationale from the premises that one works from, and as individuals we would work from varied premises which may originate from opposing logical arguments.

Read the post in The Pear Tree Centre for Education's blog to discover how conclusions can be drawn from premises which are statements that are accepted as `facts'/ `truths' by the person arriving at those conclusions.

Literature: Broadening Our Outlooks

Etched by the past, the present

Yet an individual in its deep musings

My thoughts are little whispers of my soul.

I was deliberating on what to write when I chanced upon the poem, reproduced above, that I had penned as a preface to a collection of poems I had created decades ago.  It set me thinking on how little we appreciate the individual in each of us, or the debt we owe to the countless influences that have crossed our paths through people, books, social and historical events, and traditions and/or religious beliefs that were passed down from generation to generation.

In a world that celebrates inward-looking and self-centred perspectives, another's differing point of view is seldom appreciated.  Even freedom of expression is advocated from the perspective of "I have the right to say what I want even if it hurts you."  There is a lack of an understanding of the true meaning of what it means to be `liberal'.  Being liberal is not the antithesis of being a conservative.  A conservative can be a liberal, one who as I wrote in a paper some years ago, `see(s) no reason to take the Christ out of (his/her) Christianity to see the Buddha in the Buddhist or the Mohammad in the Muslim'.  A liberal is one who can put himself or herself in the shoes of another and can empathise with the person.  So, while he or she doesn't give up his or her beliefs, neither does he or she insult another's differing points of view.  The liberal understands that the conclusion one draws derives its rational from the premises that one works from, and as individuals we could work from varied premises which originates from opposing logical arguments.

Whenever I teach literature, I tell my students that one of the best lessons that they can gain is when they learn to `put themselves in another's shoes'.  When that happens:

• v  minorities won't be persecuted because of their ethnicity or religion;
• v  females can feel safe when they are away from home, at whatever time of the day;
• v  economically disadvantaged peoples won't be exploited; and
• v  cultural and/or religious sensibilities won't be slighted.

Indeed, plunge into the world of essays and fiction to learn to appreciate the human condition and enhance one's critical and creative thinking skills.  Let me end with my exhortation to the numerous books that have been my wonderful companions through the years.

Lead me into fabled lands

where fiction's crafted in fertile minds

Or quench my thirst with tales

Of fate and humour in the lives of mortals.

For a critical understanding, with examples, of the following:

The liberal understands that the conclusion one draws derives its rational from the premises that one works from, and as individuals we could work from varied premises which originates from opposing logical arguments.

look out for an update here on when the explanations will be posted on Our Blog, found in website of The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

The Importance of Context (Part 2)

Previously, on this blog, two extracts were given; one was a brief one-liner whereas the second was an extended passage in which the entire paragraph containing the one-liner was reproduced. Explanations as why the one-liner would be a poor substitute for the paragraph can now be found in a blog post on The Pear Tree Centre for Education. During this mid-week, take a look at the post and at the end of the week, return to our blogspot here at Learn English Online for another essay to pique your critical thinking.

The importance of context

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

(The Ballad of East and West by Rudyard Kipling)

Most of us would remember the first line of Kipling's ballad and I can remember the line being used to describe the cultural gulf between the peoples in the West and those in the East. Each group is on the other side, forever weighing each other, forever looking on with suspicion and disdain at the other's ideas and values. However, if one were read on, one would note Kipling also made an exception to the idea contained in the first verse. Anyone quoting Kipling's first line does him an injustice for, according to Kipling, there are moments when the `twain' shall meet, when the gulf dissipates into nothingness and exists no longer.

Taken out of context, we can do a writer injustice. His thoughts become fodder for alternative ideas that have no links with the author. Therefore, context in any kind of reading is important. And that is why, at The Pear Tree Centre for Education, we teach English Language skills in context. Whether it is to enhance basic comprehension skills, critical thinking skills or to teach a writer's craft through the use of literature, we feel it is imperative to use a work that is as complete as possible; therefore, even if an extract is used, the idea encapsulated in it has to be complete and not half-expressed. Let me demonstrate what I mean with a couple of examples which are extracted from Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein.

Extract 1:
I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of the opinion.

Extract 2:
I was partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of of  this opinion. For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness. These motives urged me to comply with his demand. We crossed the ice, therefore, and ascended the opposite rock. The air was cold, and the rain again began to descend: we entered the hut, the fiend with an air of exultation, I with a heavy heart and depressed spirits. But I consented to listen; and, seating myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began his tale.

In the first extract, the information is insufficient and one could easily come to the conclusion that Frankenstein's sole purpose at that point was to find out if the creature he had created had indeed murdered his brother. However, more motives are offered in the second extract.  What may these motives be? Why would the second extract make for a richer reading and hence, a more comprehensive understanding of what's happening in the story? Possible answers and interpretations will be offered in The Pear Tree's blog on Thursday, 12/3/2015. 

Appreciating Multiple Pespectives

Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice had said so eloquently:

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die?

(Act Three, Scene 1)

Human beings are communal beings; they look for common grounds to anchor their affections and sense of belonging. They often miss the commonalities because the differences are magnified. The variations separate rather than instil awe that we are capable of so many varied ideas and thoughts. The individuality, in persons and communities, should stand a testimony of our vast intellectual capacity, but that aspect is often forgotten or ignored in our urge to band together according to similarities.

In a world aching under the heavy yoke of jaundiced posturing against those that are different, it is imperative to cultivate critical thinking that will allow for multiple perspectives so that there can be a departure from the self-righteous intellectual insults in the name of `freedom of speech' or fundamentalist hate-mongering and destructive behaviour. We need a middle ground, one that does not mean we have to let go of our beliefs in the name of being `politically correct' but one that accepts that, even if we don't agree, others have their reasons to hold on to their beliefs. It calls for respect for others and acceptance that there will always be multiple perspectives.

Below you will find three images. In the light of what was written above, consider what they represent. Send us well-analysed interpretation(s) of the images below, and if your submission is among the top 5, you could earn for yourself a 40% discount for any of the courses, online, blended or face-to-face, offered by The Pear Tree Centre for Education. Your interpretations may be sent to: admin1@thepeartree.info and please indicate the course that you are interested in.