Week #13- Question #1: Media

The way that different media sources use current events to get their point across or persuade is something that usually will reinforce my existing worldview. We usually look at media in a negative light but I think there are many types of organizations that use it to bring awareness and shed some light on certain things happening around the world. But for me, I rarely feel good about a media source. I think that the media puts unrealistic expectations on us. Every source usually portrays experiences in a distorted way. Because I view most of it negative, it is constantly challenging me and expanding my little world. Media that attacks something, such as political media, makes me do my research and challenges me to find out more information and validate why I believe what I believe. I think that as technology advances we are just going to be faced with different, more advanced media outlets, which just means we need to be more aware.

Week #12- Question #3: Interesting Topic

One of the topics that stood out to me this week was, “Consumer Awareness of Marketing Strategies.” It is crazy to me that we get so wrapped up in the brand names of different products. We like to associate the names with a positive emotional response, which is exactly what the companies want. They want to make you feel positive about their product in order to make you think about it, buy it, and use it. The best marketing strategies they use are ones that get you in the store, keep you in the store, and encourage you to buy products that you wouldn’t have otherwise purchased. The idea of impulse shopping happens to a lot of consumers. When store strategically place products it feels like they are trying to trick you. But, even though we know what the stores are doing, we still fall for the tricks and buy the products we don’t need because of their sneaky planning. It feels like we are being wronged, but we know what is happening and continue to fall for it.

Week #12- Chapter 10 #1-Marketing

The campaign for propositions and the president is the best example of marketing I experienced this week. These campaigns are exhausting every source of marketing areas. I was mailed items, handed pamphlets at school, and every other commercial is campaign related. To be blunt, it is annoying. If I want to know what the presidential candidates and propositions are about, then I’ll read my voters’ guide. On the flip side, they are doing their job. The campaigns try to get their message out to all different types of people, and they do. They do a good job of evaluating their SWOL model and strategic planning. The campaigns try to focus on only their own strengths, and the opponent’s weaknesses, in order to look like the better option and receive votes. The campaigns try to conquer any threats that go against them; therefore, they try to make the voters feel like there is an endless opportunity if they vote for their campaign. I think all of the campaigns have been sneaky and, in order to decipher what you believe, you have to be able to get past the marketing techniques and do your research.

Week #9-Question #2: UFO Arguments

Condon states his conclusion that nothing has come from the research of studying the evidence for UFO’s in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge. Because of this, he says that scientists and onlookers should be putting their energy into different areas of science that have contributed to scientific knowledge and show growth. 

Hynek’s conclusion about UFO’s is that unexplained UFO phenomena are too often dismissed by authorities, therefore have not been studied in a systematic scientific manner. His idea is that if you can establish scientifically that UFO’s are being encountered in different ways, different cultures, and in different countries, and that they have correlated patterns, then the probability that the UFO’s happened by chance as a result of random misperception would be vanishingly small; Therefore, proving that UFO’s are scientifically significant. 

Paynter states that claims about the existence of UFO’s and alien abductions should be conducted “according to the highest standards of scientific inquiry.” Without any physical evidence, Paynter says that we should remain skeptical about these claims. 

My Thoughts for the Best Argument: Personally, I agree with Condon. I think that if UFO’s have not contributed to science in the last 20 years then why would we continue to waste time on them until substantial evidence leads us to believe differently. His argument stands out the most to me and I agree with him about not encouraging children to want to scientifically search out answers for UFO’s and instead challenge those interests into other areas of science. He makes very valid points that appeal to my ideas of UFO’s.

Week #9-Question #3: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The topic that was the most interesting to me in Chapter 4 was the ides of a “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.” The book states that, “a self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when our exaggerated or distorted expectations reinforce actions that actually bring about the expected event” (117). This suggests that what we think, due to distortion, can come true, due to our expectations, and can do so at the cost of others. The book explains that humans are prone to several inborn cognitive and perceptual errors, which are part of the way our brain interprets the world so we may fail to notice the influence they have over our thinking. I find it interesting that the self-fulfilling prophecy seems to give our mind the power to think ideas over people and have the ideas become reality. I don’t really think that this fallacy has as much control over our mind as the book suggests. However,, the book does state that developing our critical thinking skills will help us be more aware of this fallacy and the error we commit; therefore, we can adjust for them when appropriate.

Week #9- Question #1: Knowledge and Wisdom

Knowledge is defined as the information which we believe to be true and for which we have justification or evidence. When Aristotle said that wisdom is the greatest virtue, knowledge was a part of wisdom. Wisdom, to me, is being able to discern information that is factual, as well as insight, and having a good judgment. This means being able to use your knowledge when trying to carry out wise decisions. I think that while we are attending college we are acquiring both. Most of our schooling and what we will take away when we graduate is mainly learning how to think. If we can learn how to think, and think well, then we have succeeded in our mission at SJSU. We are learning how to expand our knowledge, therefore growing wiser in how we will use our knowledge to make smarter, qualified decisions. I personally think that the information age has made us more knowledgeable and not necessarily wiser. It really has enabled us to not think as much and let technology think for us, which can be dangerous. We are relying too much on the knowledge that we gain from technology and less on how to use that knowledge in order to be wise about different aspect in our lives.