CONSLUSIVE STATEMENT: Analysis:
“We can do better. Our children deserve a consistent intellectual foundation. Facts are things that are true. Opinions are things we believe. Some of our beliefs are true. Others are not. Some of our beliefs are backed by evidence. Others are not. Value claims are like any other claims: either true or false, evidenced or not. The hard work lies not in recognizing that at least some moral claims are true but in carefully thinking through our evidence for which of the many competing moral claims is correct. That’s a hard thing to do. But we can’t sidestep the responsibilities that come with being human just because it’s hard.”
Writing Prompt: THIS IS A TEST: In a topic-driven, well-developed
paragraph, SUMMARIZE McBrayer’s argument by explaining what the quote (above) means in the context of the essay as a whole.
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In this article called "Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts", is basically about how people have different point of views when it comes onto morals. In the selected quote, the message is saying that young people need a good foundation and to make this happen they need to teach them nothing other than the facts. They should also believe in there opinions because everyone has a different view on life. Another thing is that having your own beliefs is also not a bad thing. The reason for this is because people have evidence to back up there information. It is clear that hard work isn't just handed to you, but at the same time you have to be careful of the sources you are receiving information from at that moment. For example, you could be having a educational conversation with someone about the history of the United States, but because you heard from the another person and you didn't do the research, there is a possibility that you might end up sounding like your not making any sense. That's exactly what we are trying to avoid at this moment of our lives. We all understand that it a hard thing to accomplish but it can be done. Anything is possible once you put your mind to it.
ReplyDeleteIn this essay, McBrayer explains that the widely accepted definitions of fact and opinion are wrong. The quote explains that some of our facts are also opinions. There are certain responsibilities that come with being a human and we cant leave them out because they are not what we want.
ReplyDeleteMcBrayer's quote is saying that not all of what we consider to be fact is indeed fact. Some of those "facts" are also opinion. Some things we don't want to do but we have to because we are human.
ReplyDeleteMcBrayer's quote is saying that not all of what we believe to be fact is indeed facts. Often times we consider our beliefs to be facts although they arnt right all the time. The hard work does not come in making a statement, the hard work lies in determining whether that statement is indeed a true fact. As a human we have certain responsibilities and can't neglect them just because we don't want to do it.
ReplyDeleteJustin McBrayer argues that kids are taught that moral facts or even morals in general are just opinions and not facts. He explains that when he was attending his sons second grade open house and sees two signs that troubles him. One said, “Fact: Something that is true about subject and can be tested or proven.” The other said, “Opinion What someone thinks, feels, or believes.” Obviously anyone could see that those sayings could bring anything into question as fitting both of those categories but public schools are saying that only certain things go into each one. McBrayer challenges his son by asking him, “I believe that George Washington was the first president. Is that a fact or an opinion?” Of curse his son would answer it’s a fact but he turns around and says, “But I believe it, and you said that what someone believes is an opinion.” Well of course his son knows that George Washington was in fact the first president but since someone believed it doesn't that make his McBrayer’s statement an opinion? Therefore its both a fact and an opinion but according to the public schools that is not possible. This will fill into moral questions and ideas because as McBrayer says, “any claim with good, right, wrong, etc. is not a fact.” That creates what McBrayers calls an “inconsistency” in the schools curriculum. His son will bring home a list of responsibilities and rights of students as do most young students do because the schools want to teach the kids “moral standards” and for the most they do but they also teach kids to reject “moral facts” and “moral truth” setting them up for failure farther down the road. The education system and even just regular parents can do better as teaching the kids that moral facts and truths can exist and need to be exercised because once kids go into the real world they are faced with real decision that can effect the world.
ReplyDeleteThe selected quote from "Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts" encompasses Justin McBrayer’s argument about fact and opinion. Children need and deserve a “consistent intellectual foundation”. Facts are things that are true and accurate, while opinions are things that we believe. Claims on our values are just like other claims, true or false. McBrayer himself says “The hard work lies in not recognizing that at least some moral claims are true but in carefully thinking through our evidence for which many competing moral claims is correct.” This is hard work and is not simply handed to us. We have a responsibility as a human to make these moral decisions, even when it is not what we want.
ReplyDeleteMcbrayer is saying that our generation can do better with teaching the next generation about how to be better human beings. We should be teaching the next generation that when something is true, it’s true and there is no changing that. While when something is false, it’s false and it stays that way unless changed otherwise. We can’t start slacking off let our future generation enter into a world where nothing is true nor false, we would be telling them to stop trying to get better and just do nothing. We should start stating what is true and what is false, and start working harder at trying to make this world that we are living a better place for the future generation.
ReplyDeleteMcBrayer is talking about that not everything is going to be a fact and that some things are opinions. The hard work lies in determining whether that statement is indeed a true fact. people cannot deny responsibilities just because we do not want to do them
ReplyDeleteMcBrayer is saying in “Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts” that we need to teach our children better. The reason they don’t think there are moral facts is our school systems fault. They teach them from a young age that claims are either facts or opinions not both. They also teach them that value claims are not facts either. If we could teach them better at a younger level there wouldn’t be near as many problems in college. That is the reason why “We can do better.”
ReplyDeleteJustin P. McBrayer argues in his article “Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts” about “facts” and “opinions” that they are not fixed in definitions and can be together as “moral facts”. According to McBrayer, pupils learn that all “claims” are either “facts” or “opinions”. This leads to big mistakes, because “if there are no moral facts, then there are no moral truths”. “Moral facts” are “facts” which people are believing. Putting the conclusion into the context, he repeats the definitions of “facts” and opinions” by following with “value claims”. These are “like any other claims: either true or false, evidenced or not”. At the end he states, it’s not tough to see, that there are “some moral claims” which are “true”, it is more likely tough to decide whether the claims are correct or not. This is difficult, but being a “human” leads us to this duty.
ReplyDeleteIn Mcbrayers article his thesis is why do freshman come into college with a mind set already made up of no moral values or beliefs are fact. He goes on to write about how in his sons class he finds the definition of fact and opinion. And how fact means proven truth and opinion means a persons beliefs what they feel and think. He starts to reason this in his head. How could a moral belief be fact in the definition, because it is a belief even though it is true it is a belief.which means it is defined as an opinion. He concludes his research after coming to the conclusion this is why our children have no moral facts because in the worlds definition it is an opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn Justin McBrayer's article 'Why Our Children Don't Think There are Moral Facts' his thesis sums his whole idea of his article. McBrayer is trying to say that modern day moral facts are being used as competition for which one has more evidence. Which one is true and which is not. I believe that the author is revolving this statement around religion and how religion has their own type of study and evidence such as Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, ect. Professor Kirk from Southern Wesleyan University states to his class that 78% of the country is Christianity because of reliable evidence in the Bible and also events throughout history. The main point of McBrayer's thesis is that some moral facts could be true, but most do not contain enough evidence to with stand itself.
ReplyDeleteJustine McBrayers quote means simply that everything believed to be true can be false. Like most of us were told when we were younger and even to this day, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. In a sense this compares to McBrayers quote. He's not saying that you should doubt everything you believe in but he's saying that even if you have a strong belief in something it can still come out to not be true. No matter how much faith you put into it, if you can't back it up with factual evidence then 9 times out of 10 its a false statement.
ReplyDelete