In the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons, a critical hit is an attack which deals double damage to its target. It seeks to simulate the randomness inherent in combat - even the lowliest of peons has a slim chance of stabbing Satan directly in his old racquetball injury, conquering the beast.
It is a random event that players pine for but with a bit of work they can make critical hits occur much more frequently, tipping the balance of power in their favour.
Critical thought is a similar boon to those wrestling with the metaphorical beasts that haunt the world, and it does not need to be as random as the roll of a dice.
Thinking critically is an important skill for interpreting the world around you. It is easily confused with cynicism. It requires judgment of content beyond the surface value.
Judgment, common sense, scientific evidence, analysis and evaluation all come together to create the goal of critical thought.
Here's an example: You read an article in a magazine or newspaper. Do you consume it and believe wholeheartedly what it says, without question? Many do. The alternative is to judge said article amongst the rest of the publication's content to determine its overall stance. Are there advertisements there? What do they say? A glowing review of a trip to Bali is good for the traveler to read, but must be taken in a vastly different context is accompanied by an ad for cheap airfares to the destination.
A good example is a newspaper running an article pointing out the flaws of Media Watch - Australia's most visible media watchdog. When reading that, it's interesting to find out whether the newspaper has had a blunder aired via Media Watch in the recent past. I've seen this happen before, to hilarious effect.
We all do a certain amount of critical thinking. When we get a letter from the Botslivanian Lottery Commission saying we've won a gajazigglion dollars were understand the context - they don't have money for us, they want ours.
If your friend asks to set you up with a supernaturally beautiful woman, no strings attached, but he might tag along, you already know she has a super hot friend he's angling towards.
If you view a row of movies on the new release shelf, those that you've never heard of before may look great, but the lack of advertising they have received speaks volumes. Yes, even Transmorphers.
These skills, when utilised in the digestion of media, are a welcome boon. You two can be a lowly peon, hitting Satan in his dodgy heart valve with a pistachio nut.
Stefan tells stories, writes about stories and tells stories about stories.
2 comments:
Utilisation of the "Bulsh Detector" as described by Evan Willis (a sociologist)would be handy here. The bulsh (short for bullshit) detector provides a means of questioning the historical and cultural context of statements - it acts as an instant alert system, such as when you hear statements 'marriage is going out of fashion' or 'it's only natural for little girls to wear pink'. (ref Willis).
Full explanation can be found in Willis' book "The Sociological Quest". It's a damn good read if you wish to scratch the veneer that is our daily lives.
Just wanted to add that one. I read that book about six years ago. Chuffed I can actually relate it to a discussion.
Bill
So has wardrobe buying impaired your writing abilities. When can your adoring public expect your next entry?
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