Extra Credit Assignment PDF

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For professor Trujillo this is an example of extra credit that he accepts ...

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Write-up of Philosophy Extra credit “Close-Mindedness as an Intellectual Virtue” - Summary: the main theme of this talk was summarized well by the title. Heather Battaly was essentially bringing up the argument “is ignorance bliss” or can ignorance, in certain conditions, be considered a strength? Much of the talk was comprised of defining terms in order to form a basis for discussion in Q & A. - I found Heather to be a very engaging speaker and her argument to be very valid. Aside from her credentials, she often mentioned how she was defining terms for her argument specifically and described unrealistic cases. At the beginning of this talk, she mentioned how a Vanderbilt professor raised concerns to her about her research topic and she looked further into his concerns instead of shutting them out (making her open-minded). Her examples and definitions became relatable when she used real-world examples like talking about her dog or defining the circumstances of a close-minded person. - The most interesting aspect of this talk, for me, was when Heather rose points considering the adverse effects of close-mindedness on the world around us. In our modern society full of “fake news” and many news outlets to choose from, being closeminded to outside opinions can often be too easy. Heather discussed that this trait leads to negative externalities like the “credibility deficit” and “epistemic pollution,” both of which can occur unconsciously. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the Q & A section but I would have been interested to see who challenged Heather’s arguments, because she repeatedly mentioned that others hold a different perspective from her own. - I learned how intricate philosophy can be and also the importance of defining terms and situations upfront. It was important for the validity of Heather’s argument that everyone was on the same page before she began discussion of the topic....