Hey guys! Hope everyone’s week is going well. Now that everyone should have a better understanding on the concept of “interdisciplinary” studies, for this week’s discussion we are going to incorporate that into different ethical situations and how you would react to certain scenarios.
Assignment:
1. Click on the following link to Virtual Philosopher and complete the module as directed.
http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/courses/vicecrime/vp/vp.html
2. Answer the following questions. Responses should be 1-2 paragraphs.
a. After comparing your answers to the results on Virtual Philosopher on whether you were consistent or inconsistent, do you believe Virtual Philosopher correctly scored your responses?
b. From the module, what insight have you gained about your own critical thinking and reasoning?
c. How does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary? Give examples.
d. How does the outline of your critical thinking disposition match with the application of it in doing the Virtual Philosopher?
3. Respond to at least one other post. Compare consistent and inconsistent decision-making in Virtual Philospher.
We look forward to reading your posts! If you have any questions, we will be more than happy to answer them.
Victoria, Heather, Susanne, Rachel, Rikesh, Nikki, Edison , and Kristin
First of all, I do not agree with the analysis from the Virtual Philosopher. It put us in impossible situations that, honestly, I don’t think we know what we would do until we are in the situation. The hypothetical game isn’t the most honest or reliable.
ReplyDeleteI said I agreed that little white lies were ok. Then, the situation it stated about my “odd friend” result in “inconsistent”, because I told her the truth. Well, yes “in that situation” I was honest, because that is how I am with my friends. And, in my head, I said “well yeah you’re odd” in more of a light-hearted joking way, not a hurtful judgemental way. That being said, in another situation I might find it appropriate to tell a little white lie to spare someone’s feelings. It all depends on the situation.
And the liver transplant situation was ridiculous, but I approached it as though I worked in the hospital. I assume they have to qualify someone as a “good transplant candidate”, meaning a “homeless alcoholic” isn’t a good candidate. Not meaning his life is worth less than another. So, the standards of measurement were not very realistic. Beyond that I thought they were pretty even candidates, but went about eliminating them on silly criteria. I would rather look at medical charts to analyze how “good” each candidate is.
In terms of critical thinking, I think the best approach is to analyze the situation from all perspectives and find a middle ground for the best results. Which is basically a definition for interdisciplinarity… “integrating all perspectives”. I still have the same opinion about my critical thinking. I always try to be of the opinion that there are always grey areas, it’s not all black-and-white. Of course, there may be issues that I am more opinionated about, but I try to integrate other perspectives and opinions and analyze (or “critically think”) about the whole picture.
Thanks,
Bethany Moore
p.s. this was interesting, even though I didn't care for it :)
Thanks for your honesty about the virtual philosopher as i did feel the same way when i took it as a corner stone student. I do agree that every situation must be analyzed from different perspectives to come to a common ground as you stated. Their are times when a decision is made either by emotions or by the information provided. This depends when the situation occurs and one must be ready to make that decision.
DeleteThanks Edison! Glad I wasn't the only one.
DeleteBethany Moore
Hey Bethany!
DeleteI agree completely with what you said. I said basically the same things concerning my friend, and I thought that the liver transplant question left TONS of other factors out of the equation that needed to be evaluated. I feel like the situations presented themselves in a way that actually tried to pull on our emotions rather than being objective. I'm glad that you agreed!
-Travis Burnett
I agree with you about it all depending on the situation. I also said that lies can sometimes be justified; however, it does depend on the situation and also how it was said, like you had said you would say in a joking way which is also what I do to make it not so hurtful. And the transplant one was difficult because for me I chose with my emotions, but like you said that something you have to be at the hospital looking at the charts to see who the best candidate and who should get it.
DeleteThanks Travis! There did seem to be some sort of ethics vs morals dispute. It is as though the virual philospoher was asking about our ethics, but giving us morality based questions. Contradictory? Definitely not helpful, albeit intersting and a good topic of discussion.
DeleteBethany Moore
Erica, yes that is something I am noticing people saying.. that it was supposed "ethical" questions, but seemed to be based on morals. Or tricking us into answering morally, even though it was addressing ethics. This reminds me of politicians a bit. Never really correlating ethics and morals :)
DeleteThanks,
Bethany Moore
a. After comparing your answers to the results on Virtual Philosopher on whether you were consistent or inconsistent, do you believe Virtual Philosopher correctly scored your responses?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I believe the Virtual Philosopher results were correctly scored based on my responses. Not being aware of what’s to come after you answer a question honestly adds to the apprehension of selecting the wrong answer. However, every question answered is a reflection of how you would approach a problem by using critical thinking. These questions are not the type to quickly answer or assume they are easy, no brainer and then select the most obvious. Students who use this process are not in essence using critical thinking. To being with, the first question is a lie within itself, morally lying is wrong no matter how you analyze it but the follow up predicament makes the test taker re-evaluate the selection made. Ethically, some lies are justifiable but it is still a lie. Given the situation with the first scenario I was consistent but in reality I would select telling the truth not what the actor is indicating is right or wrong. Why lie to your friend? Lying will only prolong the behavior, telling the true would help in correcting the behavior to prevent future reoccurrence of the same situation. But nonetheless, I understand in a moment of disappointment why not fabricate a lie to avoid further heartache.
Kerline Leonard
Thanks Kerline! So are you saying they aren't using critical thinking because they are not deciding quickly? I am not sure I understand. I do not think speed is a part of critically thinking. Also, you say "ethically, some lies are justifiable" but that is your opinion. The Virtual Philosopher would not agree with you. So, when you say your results were "corectly scored" you don't mean you agree then, right? Seems contradictory. On a personal note, I did not agree with the Virtual Philosopher, and found its standards of measurement inadequate.
DeleteThanks,
Bethany Moore
I think she means that the virtual philosopher correctly scored her quiz based on her answers. I believe it only tells you if you are consistent or inconsistent, not if the answers were ethically wrong or right.
DeleteKristy, oh ok. Thanks! Although, the liver transplant portion did pose some ethically right and wrong statements about each patient.
Delete-Bethany Moore
I definitely agree. The liver transplant story does not really have a wrong or a right answer because you could probably give reasons why each of them deserve it that sound correct or ethically right.
Deleteb. From the module, what insight have you gained about your own critical thinking and reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI learned three essential things about my critical thinking and reasoning approaches. First, I reason with my emotions versus what information is given, meaning I’m too sympathetic towards others. For instance, the scenario with the obese passenger was somewhat a moral judgment more than an ethical one for me. My emotional feelings were mixed in my final decision when answering this question. Second, I base my critical thinking and reasoning techniques more on morality than what is ethical given a certain situation. An example of this is the first question; morally a lie is wrong no matter how anyone try to rationalize the issue. But ethically, which is not based on religious beliefs or spiritual doctrines, rather principals from a governing perspective. Situations will arise where constructing a non-hurtful lie is justifiable and I can attest to medical situation where I had to lie to a patient in order to protect that patient from further injury. Third, unintentionally I integrated information, situations, and experiences from my areas of concentration to formulate an informed reasoning before my final decision. Overall, my critical thinking and reasoning approaches were derived from formal and informal educational experiences.
Kerline Leonard
I do recall the virtual philosopher when i was a corner stone student. It provided me with scenarios in which some decision were taken either based on emotions or by the information provided. But i do believe that how one makes decision will vary based on the situation. That is true how one makes a decision is based on informal and formal education and experiences one has obtained so far.
DeleteI feel that I have a lot of similarities to you in the way I use my critical thinking skills. I too find myself integrating past experiences I have had in formal and informal education to come up with the best solution. I feel that this is an excellent skill to have and is one of the primary focuses of our e-portfolios. I also feel that sometimes lying is okay. Sometimes a lie is the right thing to do in a situation where someone could cause further harm to themselves or others.
Delete-Randi Owen
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletec. How does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteBeing an Interdisciplinarian provides a greater range of avenues to depend on or integrate when trying to answer, solve, or analyze a difficult situation. A monodisciplinarian would be constricted behind a barricaded wall with no other avenues to venture into to find other ideas or reasoning when solving such difficult problems. To elaborate on monodisciplinarians lack of reliable recourse, a doctor trains and is specialized in one area of focus (i.e, internist, nephrologist, cardiologist, podiatrist, etc…) and will not transcend his or her discipline in order to address a patient’s complaints not within his/her realm of expertise. Further, the physician will refer the patient to another specialist or conference with other colleagues on the matter before referring the patient; meanwhile the patient condition may worsen.
Prime example, an 80 year old Type II diabetic patient is in his/her primary physician’s office for a check-up; patient complains of foot pain and soreness; physician questions patient and obtains subjective information, and then refers patient to see a podiatrist in three weeks; appointment canceled because podiatrist went on vacation, patient reschedule to come in three weeks time, by the time the patient comes in toe is infected and must be amputated.
Now, an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary physician would have foreseen the impeding complication (not to say some internist would not) of a diabetic patient with a foot complaint and addressed the issue personally without any delay. Keep in mind this is a fictional scenario and may or may not truly happen this way! My point is that being an interdisciplinary gives the disciplinarian theoretically and conceptual insights of other disciplines to integrate critical thinking skills and reasoning from when faced with a complex problem.
Kerline Leonard
Thanks Kerline! That poor patient! He comes in with soreness and you amputate his toe! lol. This overdramatization does make a good point, though. But isn't a primary physician an example of interdisciplinarity? They studied, interned, did residencies with all fields and chose Primary Care that in practice addresses all issues of patients, treating what they can and referring to specialists when needed? So wouldn't that be integrating different disciplines?
DeleteSo if the patient went to primary physician, the physician would have seen these warning signs right? Or at least preventitively treated toe to avoid infection?
Hypothetical I know.
Thanks,
Bethany Moore
I particularly enjoyed your example! I think this story clearly illustrates how becoming so efficient in one area and only that area has its advantages and disadvantages. I understand that a person could not possibly become knowledgeable in all areas, but I feel people should at least be encouraged to have some basic knowledge in other areas closely related to their field. Also I feel critical thinking should become more of a priority. Many people rarely engage in critical thinking, but I feel we could solve a lot more problems and come up with new insights if we did.
Delete-Randi Owen
Hello Kerline:
DeleteYes, physicians are often focused on what their specialization is in. I often wonder when I go for an annual check up why my physician doesn't investigate a little more into other areas of my life. Yes, his focus in on any physical conditions or difficulties I am having; but I wonder if taking a few minutes to ask how things are going in my family life, relationships, emotional well-being, etc. It would be an interesting concept if physicians also used some behavioral/social science skills when it comes to inquiring how the whole individual is doing. Many times physical problems stem from emotional difficulties such as stress.
Susanne, I have heard small town doctors are often psychologists as well. That often there is a necessity for both, and referrals are not an option. This allows them to adequately address patients issues. So, not necessary in a place like Central Florida, but it may be beneficial?
Delete-Bethany Moore
Hi Bethany,
Delete9 out of 10 primary care physicians work in the capacity of a gatekeeper, referring patients to a specialist, and often time the complication becomes severe by the time it is treated. This was the overall point I was trying to impregnate the reader with.
My critical thinking relates to me being interdisciplinary because it allows me to combine all my skills to solve a problem or complete a task. I feel that this is exactly how critical thinking works. In critical thinking the goal is to take everything you have learned or experienced and put it together to solve a problem or come up with an answer to an unknown. I think this is why many people engage in interdisciplinary work. People want to be able to think outside of the box and apply thing from many subject areas. This approach may be very beneficial for many key problems currently trying to be solved in a specific field, because they may just need to be looked at or examined from a different view point.
ReplyDelete-Randi Owen
Good response i definitely think that being an interdisciplinary major makes you better at critical thinking skills. Being interdisciplinary gives you the ability to view things from different points of view which helps when trying to solve a problem.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter comparing my answers on whether I was consistent or inconsistent, I do think that Virtual Philosopher correctly scored my responses. I had some variation in what I said I would do and what the situation called for me to do. This doesn't mean that I don't believe in what I said. The variation came from the examples that were given.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I said that telling lies sometimes was justifiable, and in the example on Virtual Philosopher it asked if I would lie to my friend about him/her being weird after their boyfriend/girlfriend left them for someone normal. I said that I wouldn't lie to them because I believe that everyone should be perfectly comfortable in their own skin. Moreover, I am very honest with my friends so if this person was my friend they wouldn't expect me to lie to them anyways. While this did very from my stated belief that some lies were justifiable I didn't think this was one of them. Something I would find a justifiable lie would be lying to my friend about where we were going if I was driving them to their surprise birthday party.
-Travis Burnett
This exercise has taught me that my critical thinking and reasoning are multifactorial processes. When I was going through the examples to test my ethics, I had to weigh in several different factors before I could make a decision one way or the other. This relates to me being interdisciplinary because I came to a decision about a complex problem by looking in different areas. There is no way I could have made up my mind by thinking in a one track manner. That's not how I operate. In like manner, that is why I am an IDS student. I cannot look at life through only one lens. It wouldn't be complete.
ReplyDelete-Travis Burnett
After taking the Virtual Philosopher module, I was scored as being inconsistent. I believe that my responses were correctly scored. I know that I would like to think I approach every situation with an ethically correct judgment or answer but that is unrealistic. I feel that humans have good intentions to make ethically fair judgments but when it comes down to it the situational factors take over. Sometimes it makes more sense or is for the greater human cause to make unfair choices. The hard part that comes with this is who gets to makes the decision and is it right? I know as a human that I struggle with this issue. Is it better to always go with the ethically correct answer like the examples from the module or to use situational factors to base decisions?
ReplyDelete-Ashley Vanzant
I think it's really difficult to make these decisions when you're not in them. The decisions we made on the module are probably the opposite of what we would chose in real life. Adrenaline, survival skills, and other influences could greatly change the outcome at the time. As humans, we can only do our best to do what we think is right and contribute to the "greater good."
DeleteFor the first two situations my answers were consistent but for the last situation about the liver transplant it came to be inconsistent. The transplant situation I did have trouble answering, I don’t think that anyone’s life is more important than any other although in a situation like that it was difficult to pick who should get the liver transplant. Yes the homeless man should get the liver transplant because he was the first on the list and I was debating between the little boy and the homeless man, the reason I chose the little boy was because he was the sickest and he still has a long life to live; he hasn’t even really been able to live life yet because he’s only eight, the youngest of all the candidates.
ReplyDelete-Erica Vazquez
What I learned about my critical thinking skills is that I think more with my emotions than just how it should be with the information that is given to me. Also with critical thinking you have to analyze a situation and think about the many different solutions and what is the best one. This implies to interdisciplinary because you have to integrate the many different ways of thinking to solve a problem or deal with a situation. It is better to solve a problem with more just one way of thinking you have to look at a situation in different aspects which is how interdisciplinary, you will do better at a job when you have both perspectives.
ReplyDelete-Erica Vazquez
I agree with you. When deciding which answer was best I didn't just think of the situation in the persons point of view, I put myself on the other side and made a decision based on how I would feel if I were in the other person's shoes. I also agree that an interdisciplinary approach to situations provides a better answer to situations and problems. It enables you to look at at the situation from multiple different aspects and points of views. It also gives you a lot more information to base a decision off of.
DeleteThese situations were quite difficult to decide on. I was graded as inconsistent in two of the situations. I picked "every human life is worth saving" but in reality, but when it came to the decisions I guess I didn't mean it. The lifeboat situation I decided to save ten people and push the 400lb man over. I rather save ten people than have eleven people die. In the friend situation, I would be honest and tell them "yes, you're odd, but that's ok," because I am brutally honest with my friends as I expect them to be with me. In this category I was consistent because I think all lies end in a negative way eventually. The liver transplant scenario did not give me enough background to make an informative decision.
ReplyDeleteI think some of my decisions in the Virtual Philosopher may have been selected by what I think I am expected to choose not what I actually believe. I think it graded me correctly by the few answers I gave. Having more information such as medical charts would have probably driven my decision in a different direction. If I was actually a hospital administrator I would be given access to all the information I would need about each patient to be a "good" decision.
c. How does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteIn the liver transplant scenario, we were given few details about each person. None of these details were really that helpful, they only aided in a bias opinion. As a hospital administrator, we could look at this from an interdisciplinary perspective. For example, the medical data on each patient would include professional input from a physician, surgeon, lab technician, and nurse. Then there we have to think about the patient and how your decision would effect each one. This could be looked at from a psychological or behavioral science view. Of course, there is always a political side. How would this decision effect your position, hospital, funding? The rich man offered to donate money that could further research and healthcare at your hospital. Having an interdisciplinary background could help make a better decision instead of only having education in one subject.
I believe the Virtual Philosopher correctly came to the conclusion that I was consistent in each of the three categories. All of my answers, to me, seemed to follow my morals and what I believe to be the overall "right" thing to do. By the "right" thing to do I mean not making it O.K. to lie in any situation or not making it O.K. to murder an innocent person. I believe these are the morals I'm supposed to live by. I may not always be following the morals I set forth to myself but that doesn't make it right.
ReplyDeleteIn my own opinion, my critical thinking was ethical. In the situation with the 400 pound man in the life boat, I chose not to push anyone off because the type of person I am, I just couldn't bring myself to do that to anyone because I wouldn't want it done to me. Although, leaving him on the boat I am putting my own life at risk, but I feel like someone else who has different morals would do it. In the situation with the liver I chose to give it to the homeless man because he was the first on the list and in the medical field that is just how it goes. However, I didn't feel like that situation was realistic because I don't believe that if your an alcoholic and needing a liver transplant, that they will put you on the list, so I was kind of caught up on that one.
ReplyDeleteHi, I totally agree with you about the 400 pound man scenario. Not only is it VERY unethical, I could bring myself to do it either. an individual would have to be really heartless and selfish to throw a man overboard just to save themself; but there are cruel individuals.
DeleteI didnt like the transplant situation, It was very hard to decide on who should really get it. I would disagree with you about the homeless man, even though he was the first on the list. being that he is an alcoholic, I feel like even if he does get the liver he is just going to drink it away again.
-Shatori Brockington
a. After comparing your answers to the results on Virtual Philosopher on whether you were consistent or inconsistent, do you believe Virtual Philosopher correctly scored your responses?
ReplyDeleteb. From the module, what insight have you gained about your own critical thinking and reasoning?
I would agree with the analysis from the virtual philosopher. All of my answers were "consistent." Even though I did find the scenrios to be a little bizarre and unrealistic. the scenario about pushing the 400 pound man overboard was very unethical and ridiculous. but I approached it by being reasonable, and hoping to save everyone's life. It was also very difficult to decide on the transplant scenario, but I analyzed it and thought about the situation like a doctor would. I would say that I have learned that my critical thinking is very fair. Im not too skeptical when it comes to critical thinking, but very open minded.
-Shatori Brockington^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ReplyDeleteI forgot to post my name for the one above...^^^
c. How does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary? Give examples
ReplyDeleted. How does the outline of your critical thinking disposition match with the application of it in doing the Virtual Philosopher?
My critical thinking relates to being interdisciplinary by looking at a situation from a number of perspectives and finding the best possible solution for the problem. For example, if I were asked to give an answer to this question "How many people must be there if all but 2 are named Smith, all but 2 are named Jones, and all but 2 are named Wilson?" thinking critically and being interdisciplinary gives me the ability to apply reasoning and logic to unfamiliar ideas, opinions, and situations. My opinion about my critical thinking is that it allows me to see things past my own view of the world and adopt a more aware way of viewing the world. the ability to think critically is essential. I will always try to integrate other perspectives by analyzing, interpreting, or evaluating situations.
-Shatori Brockington