Check our facts -- yes, it takes time, and one must rely on a basic understanding of sourcing (askyahoo.com vs. Questia research, for instance); understand your source material (bias, their own issues); what words are being used and why; how reasonable and effective is the interpretation? So, what does all that "homework do?"
Well, according to McInerny, it "prepares" the mind for logic. Once the mind is ready, it is now time to put the principles into the logical matrix: relevancy, argumentation, rhetoric, comparisons, and reasoning. By utilizing this matrix, one avoids the trap of illogical thinking, and the premise that one needs someone "external" to provide answers to events, interpretations, and even the answer, to current and past events. It is our own, individual responsibility, to understand our world, and while the process may not be as quick as a "sound bite," it is certainly more satisfying.
Finally, by analyzing the patterns of illogical thinking, we can avoid being led down the "rosy" path and make the types of decisions so vital in a modern democracy. One very entertaining, yet poignant example, is the preponderance of using "so-called" experts to help us understand our world, what medicines to take, what candidates to support, even what food to eat. What do movie stars, with the exception of the dialog their screenwriters provide, know about arthritis prevention, diabetes, pain relief, international relations, or the newest bill before Congress. Imagine, if you will, that rather than Sally Field espousing the benefits of osteoporosis drug "Boniva," a professor of osteology from a major university talked about the long-term benefits of the drug in clinical trials. Would more people rush out and "ask their doctor" about Boniva?
That being said, while it is important that the bar be raised in school, the workplace, and indeed the populace regarding understanding how to form and analyze an argument, it is unrealistic to posit that everyone should analyze everything...
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