Affirmative Action and Higher Education Essays - Education

Affirmative Action and Higher Education Mary Tidwell Herzing University Our textbook defines critical thinking as "a collection of skills we use every day that are necessary for our full intellectual and personal development. Critical thinking requires learning how to think rather than simply what to think." (Boss, 2014, p. 5) I feel that the author, Nancy Cantor did use critical thinking that was described in this week's material. Critical thinking is not just about abstract thought. It is also about self-improvement and your whole development as a person. Working on yourself requires that you be honest with yourself and others about your biases, your expectations, your strengths, and your limitations.(Boss, 2014, p. 14) She has a strong anthropocentrism about students and their education. Anthropocentrism is a belief that humans are the central or most significant entities of the universe. (Boss, 2014, p. 27) I believe she has a good case to support her claims. Nancy made a good point when she said, "Race is used as a plus factor, along with other life experiences and talents." (Nancy Cantor) By her logic, "It is appropriate, and indeed critical, for the best institutions in the world to create the broadest possible mix of life experiences. Race is a fundamental feature of life in America, and has an enormous impact on what a person has to contribute on campus." (Nancy Cantor) which helps students in the real world after college, with possibility that race can play a constructive role in our nation's future. Today's society has so much talent in all cultures that it is unbelievable how this world has changed. Critical thinking involves the application of the rules of logic as well as gathering evidence, evaluating it, and coming up with a plan of action.(Boss, 2014, p. 6) By using a collaborative approach as described in our textbook, culture and historical experiences can help America move forward instead of staying where we are at this point in time. Imagine one day that race is no longer an issue, what do you think the world would be like? It could be a better place for our children and grandchildren to grow up in. Not having to worry about offending anyone, or worrying about who gets into college based on their race. It would be such a relief to know that you could better your education no matter what your race is. Nancy has engaged in confirmative bias throughout her article. Confirmation bias is the dualistic stage of research, seeking out evidence that supports your view and dismissing evidence that contradicts it. (Boss, 2014, p. 8) "It is time America sees affirmative action on college campuses for what it is: a way to enrich the educational and intellectual lives of white students as well as students of color. (Nancy Cantor) Affirmative action could be a good thing as Nancy Cantor states above. By bringing people from all walks of life together in one place, we can learn from each other's experiences and get out of our dualistic stage faster. Reference Boss, J. (2014), Think: Critical thinking and logic skills for everyday life (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. Nancy Cantor, (2003), Chicago Tribute.