Critical Thinking: Considering Different Perspectives

Critical Thinking: Considering different perspectives

Consider the following quote from Professor Amartya Sen:

"One of the things Mr Modi did do is to give people a sense of faith that things can happen.  It may not have been exactly the things that I would have liked but I think this is an achievement. This wouldn't make my differences with Mr Modi on issues like secularism go away but, on the other hand, if we don't recognise it, we're missing out on something very important." (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/the-biggest-issue-with-this-government-is-social-cohesion/3/)

One could arrive at Professor de Souza's aggrieved interpretation that Professor Sen failed to utilise a golden opportunity he had to stand up against the current Indian government's policies that undermine the heterogeneous and secular nature of the Indian society, thus leading to increased alienation among the minorities.  So he is not wrong in lamenting:

There are times in the life of a society when moral philosophers are called upon to speak, not in brief, not by ignoring crucial issues, but forthrightly by identifying the issues that define our times. They help the critical voices within society to speak because they carry so much moral and philosophical authority.

Here, Prof. de Souza wants an assertive and authoritative critique from an eminent thinker like Prof. Sen to lead critical discourse in the country in relation to the current political malaise that the country faces. He feels let-down that attention instead went to Prof. Sen's endorsement that the Modi government has something positive to offer. However, I would argue, that Prof. de Souza in stating:

When a moral philosopher of high standing awards a certificate of achievement to a government, opposing voices lose courage."

has either ignored or missed the point that Prof. Sen is making. It's a philosophical observation that Prof. Sen makes about human nature. He sees the giving of `a sense of faith that things can happen' to the people as an achievement. In making that statement, Prof. Sen is also alluding to the previous governments' inaction (and this, as he later goes on to elaborate, includes the failure to publicise one's achievements) that led to these governments losing the mandate to lead the country. In a democracy this is important because once you are able to get people to believe that you can make things happen, you get people, and their votes, on your side. Whether it is for good or bad, the reality is for the masses faith is an important aspect, and to achieve anything, politically or socially, it is imperative to instil that faith in people - and that is something which politicians and social workers need to recognise if they aim to gain in any way.

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If you notice, there is a combination of present and past tenses used in the above article. Attend our course on grammar to find out more about tenses and how to use them appropriately.

Thinking Critically for a Balanced Intellectual Reasoning

Thinking Critically for a Balanced Intellectual Reasoning

My short sojourn in India has been interesting in many ways, not least in the very intellectual articles I have come across in the English daily newspaper, The Hindu. I have had the privilege of being thrown into the controversies of the moment, both global as well as Indian. Hence, for the next two or three weeks, I am going to dwell on these interesting intellectual stimulants I found during my daily newspaper readings.

The first article is going to centre on the possibility of misinterpreting statements, either through a quick read without a deeper reflection of the ideas contained therein or because one's interpretation becomes clouded by one's own inner perceptions, that may be the outcomes of festering grieves, sense of social ills and injustices and/or intellectual biases. The next two will be related to the varied interpretations of freedom of expression; yes, contrary to what some may believe, there can be different interpretations and there need not be a one size fits all scenario.

In an opinion piece in The Hindu on January 3, 2015, Professor Peter Ronald de Souza from the Centre for The Study of Developing Societies commented on selected statements made by Professor Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, in an interview conducted by Express Adda and posted, as reported in the article, on the web on December 22, 2014. The statements that Professor de Souza took exception to, and which he says he is quoting, are as follows:

"One of the things Mr Modi did do is to give people a sense of faith that things can happen.  It may not have been exactly the things that I would have liked but I think this is an achievement. This wouldn't make my differences with Mr Modi on issues like secularism go away but, on the other hand, if we don't recognise it, we're missing out on something very important." (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/the-biggest-issue-with-this-government-is-social-cohesion/3/)

Professor de Souza then goes on to lament that

"There was no mention of the controversies, on "Ghar Vapsi" (reconversion movement of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism) that have drawn headlines over the last few weeks, or of the ordinance on "land acquisition" and its implications for tribal communities, or on communal violence as an electoral strategy such as in Trilokpuri, or on declaring December 25 as `Good Governance' day."

He goes on to mention that

"One feels let down by this brevity since a public intellectual, of global standing such as Prof. Sen, must use the occasion to speak truth to power. The dissenting tradition in India needs such leadership... When an eminent public intellectual speaks, the legitimacy of the government stands either diminished or enhanced. When he criticises policies, he initiates a new public discussion which lesser commentators, such as us, can draw upon and develop. When a moral philosopher of high standing awards a certificate of achievement to a government, opposing voices lose courage."

He concludes thus:

There are times in the life of a society when moral philosophers are called upon to speak, not in brief, not by ignoring crucial issues, but forthrightly by identifying the issues that define our times. They help the critical voices within society to speak because they carry so much moral and philosophical authority.

(http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/speaking-truth-to-power/article6750265.ece)

Is Professor de Souza correct in assuming that in not mentioning the abovementioned issues, but in complimenting the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on one aspect, Professor Sen has gone soft on his opposition to Mr Modi's social policies, that he has failed to lead, to become a guiding force for a society's intellectual and moral compass? Are there, however, other possible interpretations?

Read through both articles in The Indian Express and The Hindu. Look out for my blog on Wednesday, 28/1/2015, where I will present another possible way of interpreting Prof. Sen's observation and I will go on to argue that, perhaps, Prof. Sen has not reneged on his position that the Indian Prime Minister and his party are seriously harming social cohesion in India.

Another important aspect is that there are two versions of the quote ascribed to Professor Sen in The Indian Express. Consider the implications of having two different versions. The quote in the article above is actually from a later, December 26th, updated version. The second, which was posted on December 22nd, is given below:

“I am critical of Mr Modi but I have to say he has given a sense of faith to people that things can happen. It may not be in exactly the same way that I would have liked to have happened… I think it is quite an achievement. It is a compliment, but our differences on secularism and other things don’t go away,” Sen said.

(See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/modi-has-brought-hope-that-things-can-happen/#sthash.FHvRlRAy.dpuf)

Why are there two different quotes from the same person taken from the same Q&A session? What are the implications of this? How does this hamper the facilitation of critical thinking in the readers? Visit this blog site on 29/1/2015 for my take on the challenges faced in such a case and simple rules that MUST be followed in reporting so as to be accurate, trust-worthy and useful.

When Money Wears the Crown

When Money Wears the

Crown

Imagine an idyllic holiday by the beach with crashing waves breaking into foamy suds that crawl up in measured paces on the packed sand.  A joy to behold, indeed!  Then, along comes Money, the corrupter of souls, the temptress of conscience and the bane of the common folks.  Recently, I found myself in such a setting, in a village called Puthenthope in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. 

All was good until the construction works on the land adjoining my temporary residence started.  A logical consequence of that would be the noise and dust pollution, but an additional gift I received was a lesson on what happens when money wears the crown.  When the mighty Mammon rears its head, there is a blatant disregard for laws, because there is a perception that nobody and nothing can touch those in the big league; the workers' welfare becomes inconsequential as they are made to work long hours and housed in one long makeshift tent with a metallic roof, gauze-like green `walls' on three sides and a sheet for flooring; and residents in nearby houses are merely viewed, at best, as irritants that deserve little or no consideration.

As mentioned earlier, it is normal for one to expect some noise and dust pollution from the ongoing construction works.  I am a Singaporean, and so, know full well what that would mean since the ever-changing landscape of Singapore stands testimony to the constant and never-ceasing building, rebuilding and renovation works.  However, in Singapore, the contractors abide by the laws and the authorities make sure these laws are followed to the letter.  To my dismay, I found that here in this beguiling part of India, things are not so cut and dry.

Matters got to a head on Christmas Day which, I am told, is a holiday in India.  My parents and I had gone for the customary midnight mass in the local church in this mainly Catholic community and retired to bed only after 2 in the wee hours of the morning.  My father, having to follow a strict regime regulated by the Ayurvedic treatment protocols that were prescribed to him, took to bed soon after his breakfast at 7.  Unfortunately, sleep eluded him as the grunt and whirring of the cement-mixer, positioned parallel to his bedroom, chose to go into action just at that time.  He appealed to the foreman, to no avail, and then, as a last resort, with patience reaching its breaking point, he contacted the police.  The police came alright, albeit after a few hours, and promptly made their first visit to the foreman in the adjoining land before sauntering over to brief my father.  Yes, it was a briefing because they merely stated that the cement-mixer will be moved to a position farther away in a couple of days.  Hmmm, one wonders if this is a natural outcome in a world where money wears the crown!

As an aside, I must include that for a few days prior to Christmas Day, I had been reading of two main controversies in The Hindu, related to:

(1)   the so-called `reconversion' of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism; and

(2)   government officials and schools being instructed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Indian Government, to hold activities to commemorate Good Governance Day on Christmas Day.

Technically, December 25 is a holiday but, well, this must be what one might call, a BJP Christmas Day!  Unfortunately, this concept seemed to have filtered to those overseeing the construction of a holiday home for a bigwig from Infosys, one of the top IT companies in India.  It is an interesting lesson, as late in my life I am being schooled on the advantages of having big bucks; it is a pretty rosy world for the moneyed folks because you have the capacity to make existing laws bow to you and if you so choose, you can live the life of the proverbial frog in the pond. 

All this is happening in a State (Kerala) that used to pride itself as a champion of workers' rights and socialist ideals that placed the common man first.  As George Orwell has so aptly described in Animal Farm, human nature will rear its ugly, selfish head once the fervour to bring about humanitarian reforms for the common good dies down.  Indeed, in a world where Money wears the crown, the poor migrant workers from rural parts of North India can be made to slog mercilessly for long hours much beyond the permitted hours, the local Catholic security guard can be prodded to work instead of celebrating Christmas with his family and the neighbouring residents can be ignored as they are rendered powerless to exercise their rights.

The above is an example of an opinion piece based on a real-life event.  There are references here that require relevant prior knowledge, understanding of idioms and/or proverbs and use of literary devices to get across the author's points.  If you are interested in learning how to read for understanding or in writing expository and persuasive pieces, try the courses offered by The Pear Tree Centre for Education

Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part Four)

haszie's christmas gift

Part Four

By Delfin

After dinner, she crept up to her room, and waited.  She was waiting for the perfect moment when the house would grow silent; no pesky siblings to entertain, no boring chores to complete, no searching questions about school work from Papa - gosh, the list could go on and on and on!  You had to be saint to live in this house!

Her ears strained to hear the slightest sound.  No, the house was asleep; you could hear even a pin fall in this silence.  She could feel the growing excitement as her heart thumped hard against her chest.  She retrieved the comet-jewel from the bedside drawer where she had left it the day before.  She trained her table lamp onto the comet-jewel.  Was there something wrong with her eyesight?  There were more of the brown, mouldy dots.  Her heart sank and she stared at it, almost in shock.

The jewel had lost its shine.  This cannot happen.  She tried to recollect.  Did she drop it somewhere again?  Was one of her scarves on which she had left it in the drawer dirty?  She hadn't cleaned her room in ages though her Mama had been pestering her to do so for sometime now.  That must be it!  Her drawer had polluted her precious comet-jewel!  She wished she had listened to her Mama and kept her room clean and tidy.

Anyway, that must be it.  Just some dust that had enveloped her comet-jewel.  She will start her cleaning now; she will start with the comet-jewel.  She grabbed a clean handkerchief that was lying on her laundry basket filled with washed, unfolded clothes.  She began to rub the jewel, first, slowly, with gentle circular movements.  Then, as the moulds remained, her actions became more vigorous.  In a heart-stopping moment, she realised that the spots weren't going away, clinging stubbornly to the jewel as though they were fused onto it.  Her eyes welled up and her vision blurred.

Surely, The Father couldn't have cheated her!  There must have been a mistake of some kind! Surely... no... there must have been a mistake.  She reached for the box which she had flung into the waste-paper basket after removing the comet-jewel from it the day before.

She examined the box carefully.  No clue on the exterior of the plain mauve box.  She lifted the top and looked inside the box.  What was that?  On the bottom, there was a note printed on a cream-coloured petal.  In her excitement, she had eyes only for the comet-jewel; the plain box was a non-entity.  With shaky hands, she carefully dislodged the petal from its haven and placed it on the reader.  The translation read,

And that is the end of the short story, `Haszie's Christmas Gift.

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Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part Three)

haszie's christmas gift

Part Three

By Delfin

"Hasz, guess what?!  We're having a Roachie," Reminghee shouted out to her, before mouthing, "God save us" and shaking her head side-to-side rather vigorously. Reminghee was seated at a table in the far right-hand corner, about three tables away from Haszie who was playfully tossing a blue-black fruit in the air and catching it. It was a fruit packed with nutrients that her mum swore by to stay healthy but it had a bitter-sour taste that Haszie did not relish. Haszie thought it made a better toy.

"What?! A Roachie! Oh, gosh, when, when is she or he coming?"  The toy was forgotten; no, this news was better sport!

"Next year, transferring to our school from the one she goes to in her ghetto planet. And oh, yes, it's a she, though I don't see why we should bother - for all we care, she's an it!" Reminghee almost spat out the last word.

"Why can't they just stay in their ghetto planet?  Why would they want to come and ruin our beautiful planet as well? I have heard about these guys; they are pretty odd. It was just last year that Maallang's father went to work there. Maallang said they are incredibly ugly. They have spindly legs, or at least, long, thin limbs they call legs."

"Really? I have never seen a Roachie before. I have always wondered how they look like," little Miss Do-Gooder Jemimiah squeaked.

Haszie rolled her eyes and smiled knowingly at Reminghee. "So, Jemimiah, would you like to see one?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah, I think a different kind of person would, you know, would add colour to our school. I am sure it would be interesting to get to know them. We could, you know, we could, maybe, learn from them, maybe?" Jemimiah's voice was tinged with uncertainty as she glanced first at Haszie and then, at Reminghee.

"My dear, why wait! I will show you what they are like." Haszie's voice took on a professorial tone as she got up from her seat. "Let me first show you how those precious darlings walk." She stood on tiptoe with her hard claws touching the golden-brown grassy patch on the canteen floor. Wobbling around, she managed a few steps before falling with an exaggerated tumble.

Most of her classmates fell forward, laughing hard. Jemimiah became silent, looking on uncomfortably.

Haszie had a wonderful day, indeed. She was the star, the one who caught everyone's attention. Ah, if only every day was like that - the coveted comet-jewel in her possession and her classmates' admiration at her cleverness. She was clever, wasn't she? She giggled silently to herself as she walked home. Then, her thoughts returned to comet-jewel and her paces quickened. She needed to get home to give the comet-jewel the shine it deserved before attaching it to the necklace. The Christmas Ball was in a couple of days; she didn't have a moment to lose if she wanted to make sure she was not just the star of her school but, most of all, of the Ball as well.

Part Four will be posted on 20/12/2014

Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part Two)

haszie's christmas gift

Part Two

By Delfin

"Hey, so how are we?!" Cereen sprinted up close to Haszie and flung her right hand around Haszie's bony shoulders.  "I am having an appointment with The Father tomorrow.  I wonder what I will get," she beamed dreamily at both Haszie and Plasee.  "Wait, wait a minute!" Plasee interrupted excitedly.  "Didn't you go today, Hasz?  We met Johia after the bell went and she said you had gone to meet The Father as soon as school ended.  Come on! Tell us, tell us, quick!  What did you get?"

"Er...um...I...I didn't, couldn't go.  Felt sick, um, maybe, maybe tomorrow....  Sorry, have to go.  I'm late, my mother will be looking for me, sorry," Haszie muttered hastily and turned her back on them.  As she hurriedly splashed her way through the puddles in the orange undergrowth, her mind was in a twirl; a thousand angry thoughts ran berserk, causing her to huff and puff as she plodded along.

Really?!  Gosh, did they really think she was going to tell the world she had received the best present, ever, before the Christmas Ball?!  Did they honestly expect her to be the one to spoil her own surprise?  What did they take her for, a dunce?!  Really!

She took a deep breath when she reached her spiked-roofed home, with several antennae reaching to the heavens.  She let out a sigh; no, she wasn't going to let a couple of giggly girls get to her.  She was going to be the star at the Ball and she could picture the grand entrance she will make, to the envy of everyone.  All eyes will be on her as she sweeps into the elaborately decorated hall.  She would be dressed in the gown stitched from the soft muslin that Pa had brought back from Earth.  The comet-jewel would be glittering on her plain black necklace.  Aye, that would be a dream come true, indeed!  She smiled, her lips curving upwards with a hint of a simmering glee that she tried her best to suppress.

She was a little early for dinner so she slipped past the dining room and went below into the crater to her room.  She jumped onto her wicker bed, and reached into her pocket.  She fingered the box for a few seconds before she drew it out.  She stared at the box, cradled in the palm of her hand.  Just then, she heard a hard rap.  Startled, she looked at the door.  Hurriedly, she pushed the boxed gift under her pillow and slid off the bed.  She turned the pearl handle on the leather door and peeped out.  There, holding a pot of mud, stood her youngest brother, Charmant.

"Oh, what do you want now?!" Haszie could hardly hide her impatience as she continued, "I am busy. Go!"

"Please, it will only take a minute, just a minute, not a second more, I promise.  In school, my teacher gave all of us beige mud for us to make presents for anyone that we choose.  And I thought Mama would love to have flowers like the ones you sculpted for school, you know, those shiny wild flowers, with minute petals that look like diamonds?  But I forgot how you make permanent glitter after you freeze the spring water.  Please, Hasz, puhlease?  Mama would surely love to have those for Christmas.  Will you show me how? Will you, will you, please?" Charmant pleaded.

"Charmy, you are so stupid!  I've got better things to do. Now, go away!" and Haszie slammed the door.  Charmant lowered his head to hide the tears that threatened to overflow and dragged his feet back to his room.

Haszie returned to her bed.  Sculptured flowers, indeed!  She had important matters to take care of.  What would a little boy know about the value of a comet-jewel.  She took the black necklace from the side-table drawer and the fast glue which was on the table.  She, then, retrieved the jewel from under her pillow.  She placed it on the necklace, shifting it from one position to another till she found a suitable resting place for it in the middle of the necklace.  It was then that she noticed something amiss.  She thought the jewel had lost some of its shine.  She lifted it and peered at it closely.  What were those brown, mouldy dots on the surface?  Did she drop it in the orchard?  She couldn't remember, but she must have.  There was no other reason.  She took the end of her sleeve and began to wipe it gently.  Just then, she heard her older brother, Zibar call out, "Dinner!"

Part Three will be posted on 13/12/2014

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A Christmas Story - Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part One)

For four weeks, every Saturday, a Christmas story, Haszie's Christmas Gift, will posted in parts on this site.  Part One is posted today, and subsequently, Parts Two, Three and Four will be posted on 6/12, 13/12 and 20/12 respectively.

 Hope you will find the Christmas Story an enjoyable read!

haszie's christmas gift

Part One

By Delfin

She skipped up and then, down the bright yellow mound; it was a stout hump in the ground that she loved to explore with her happy feet whenever she felt that the world was with her.  Once she was off the mound, she twirled herself round and round till she fell gleefully against her favourite tree, laughing between short breaths.  It was an interesting tree, a beautiful tree with red polka dots on its trunk and pink coloured inedible globs of tempting yield bobbing up and down in the mild breeze.  Ah yes, even the orchard seemed to be in a jolly mood as crystal leaves jingled its merry song to the bright amber sky.  She was happy.

Settling down and resting her hard back against the soft, rubbery bark, she reached into the depths of her pocket and drew out a green, boxed package.  She gripped it, stared excitedly at it and cried out to no one in particular, " I've got it!"

Her nervous fingers fumbled, just a bit, as she carefully pulled the ends of the crinkled wrapper apart.  She lifted the top of the box and peeped in, squinting expectantly against the glare of the setting sun.  There it was!  The pint-sized comet was a jewel indeed.  Its sky-blue surface was encrusted with minute diamonds on which the reflected light danced and twinkled.  Her thin, long fingers closed in on the jewel and soon, it found rest on her scaly palms.  Long and hard she looked at it, her lidless eyes rounding with a mixture of joy and disbelief.  "This is it, alright!" she whispered, almost reverently, to herself.

The comet-jewel was the envy of everyone at the Christmas Ball.  She first set eyes on it three years ago when Jemimiah attached it to a creamy ribbon, embossed with images of praying angels.  The angels were cute, but she didn't have eyes for those, no, she only saw the comet-jewel dangling from the ribbon which was tastefully wound around Jemimiah's shiny pate and secured with a velvety white bow.

There and then, she wanted it but she didn't think she would succeed, however hard she tried.  Gosh, what were you to do if you had a pesky sibling and irritating friends who would drive you nuts sometimes?  How was she ever to get that precious treasure if she was only allowed to commit sins that can be counted on her three little fingers?!

But she did succeed, and she smiled in satisfaction.  It took her three long years, years that seemed like an eternity, but she worked hard.  And it wasn't easy, but she bit her tongue and visualised the comet-jewel whenever she felt like committing a wrong.  Take the time her brother, Zibar, got on her nerves.  She yelled her lungs out till she felt she was going blue in the face; fortunately, that was as far as she went.  The image of the comet-jewel lying in a vision of a cottony-white cloud appeared just in time and she restrained herself from giving Zibar a taste of her clenched fist!  Finally, she had sins, relatively minor ones, mind you, that didn't add up to a significant number.  It was worth it, indeed, it was well worth the effort; as she gazed at the comet-jewel, she was in seventh heaven.

"Youuu-hooooo! Hasz!" Plasee's shrill voice cut through the air.  Haszie's head jerked up and she saw Plasee and Cereen making their way toward her.  Oh, no, not those darn girls!

Part Two - will be posted on 6/12/2014

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