The document discusses elements of critical thinking such as identification, research, identifying biases, inference, determining relevance, and curiosity. It provides an example of an article that demonstrates good critical thinking skills and analyzes why. It also examines an article that lacks critical thinking and explains the deficiencies. Classmates are asked to review posts, respond to two peers, and provide feedback on examples of good and poor critical thinking presented by their peers.

1. Elements of critical thinking
Class GEN 499 General Education Capstone Book Bhargava, V. K. (2006). Introduction to
global issues. In V. K. Bhargava (Ed.), Global issues for global citizens: An introduction to key
development challenges (pp. 1-22). Retrieved from http://proquest.libguides.co/ebrary
Review your classmates’ posts, and respond to at least two of your peers. When responding
to your classmates, please provide feedback on their examples of good and poor critical
thinking skills. Discuss additional ways one can think more critically. Each participation
post should be a minimum of 100 words. Jessenia 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Identification- find the
problem and what causes them to happen. Research- facts that help persuade the argument
to be true or false. Identifying biases- Judging an article to make sure it shows both sides of
the argument. Inference- drawing conclusions based on the research that has been done. I
am determining relevance- grabbing the most important parts of the source. Curiosity- the
ability to ask open-ended questions to find the data. Search the Internet, media, or the
Ashford University Library, and find an example in which good critical thinking skills are
being demonstrated by the author or speaker. Summarize the content and explain why you
think it demonstrates good critical thinking skills. Although this is an article, I used before
to show a popular source; I find it still to use critical thinking. For example that article poses
the idea “If you ask an obedient, intelligent car to take you to the airport as fast as possible,
it might get you there chased by helicopters and covered in vomit, doing not what you
wanted but literally what you asked for” (Tegmark). The thing that we have to realize that
just because it is not some robot that has a mastermind to take down all of humanity, it still
can hurt us unintentionally because the computer can not use logical thinking to choose the
fastest route but still drive carefully. This article is more biased towards anti-AI since I
previously mentioned in week three how they gave lists of scary things that can happen and
how to remain safe. Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find
an example in which the author or speaker lacks good critical thinking skills. Summarize the
content and explain why you think it demonstrates the absence of good, critical thinking
skills This webpage is rather short but discusses how human some AI could be, “Artificial
intelligence must have access to objects, categories, properties and relations between all of
them to implement knowledge engineering.” Everything that is being said is surface level
and not diving deep into the benefits or issues that can arise if a machine does gain human
emotion and reactions to day to day life. Tegmark, M. (n.d.). Benefits & Risks of Artificial
Intelligence. Retrieved from https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-
artificial-intelligence/?cnreloaded=1 (Links to an external site.) What is Artificial

2. Intelligence (AI)? – Definition from Techopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/190/artificial-intelligence-ai Helena Five
elements of critical thinking that I found interesting are identification, research, identifying
biases, determining relevance, and curiosity. The identification of the situation or problem
is the root of all critical thinking (Estrad, 2018). Understanding the crux of what is being
read allows for arguments or opinions to be formed. Research allows for assertions to be
proven, and helps to distinguish opinions from facts. Identifying biases helps to ensure that
one does not succumb to misinformation or become misguided by falsehoods. Determining
relevance forces an individual to analyze the applicability of the information being
presented. For example, arguing that the sky is blue amidst a discussion about the smell of
lavender, is completely irrelevant and distracting. Finally, the element of curiosity in critical
thinking helps to keep writers and readers alike engaged in the information being
presented. An article that demonstrates good critical thinking skills is Shirin Sinnar’s
“Separate and Unequal: The Law of ‘Domestic’ and ‘International’ Terrorism” from the
Michigan Law Review. The article describes the double standard as it applies to terrorism at
home and abroad. Sinnar describes recent domestic terrorism incidents, and explains that
those occurrences have received significantly less coverage and condemnation as those
abroad. Sinnar references the Charleston, South Carolina rally in which a bystander was
murdered. He quotes Donald Trump’s response that there were, “very fine people on both
sides”. Meanwhile, he viciously attacked terrorists in other parts of the world. Sinnar’s
references are scholarly and relevant. Sinnar’s argument is insightful as he describes the
problem, presents relevant and scholarly sources, is free of biases, is relevant to both my
term paper topic and the current political climate, and demonstrates a curiosity with
respect to the topic. An article that lacks good critical thinking skills is Christian Taylor’s
“Al-Qaida is stronger today than it was on 9/11” from the website The Conversation. First,
there is a preface to Taylor’s article that lists his academic credentials, immediately
followed by his affiliation to “non-state armed groups”. First and foremost, the article does
not contain a single source. The facts and figures being referenced do not link to any actual
sources. The article reads as very opinionated and judgmental. Taylor attempts to argue
that the United States has done more to swell the ranks of Al-Qaida, rather than quell the
group. He suggests that the group is now in a position to overthrow the United States. There
is no actual problem that is identified, but merely, just a series of rants on various topics.
The lack of references demonstrates that no actual research was conducted, and biases are
abound throughout the article. While the article is technically relevant, as the war on terror
continues, the position is rather outdated and does not encourage curiosity. Erstad, W.
(2018, January 22). 6 critical thinking skills you need to master now. Retrieved from
http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/main/critical-thinking-skills-youneed-to-
master-now/ Sinnar, S. (2019). Separate and Unequal: The Law of “Domestic” and
“International” Terrorism. Michigan Law Review, 117(7), 1333. Retrieved from
http://search.ebschohost.com.proxylibrary.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&A
N=136694583&site=edslive&scope=site Taylor, C. (2019). Al-Qaida is stronger today than it
was on 9/11. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/al-qaida-is-stronger-today-than-
it-was-on-9-11-117718