Sun Afternoon J2 Class: What are 'insightful' views?
Wasn't able to answer this qn from one of u juz now....
Generally speaking, 'insightful' views are those which goes against the general views of the majority which tend to be myopic, simplistic or even erroneous, either cos they missed out on the bigger picture or they only see the short term or whatever blah blah blah....In a nutshell, u r essentially saying that 1+1 doesn't necessarily equal to 2....it is not so simple and straightforward as there are factors involved....Such 'insightful' views are usually introduced through a rebuttal or evaluation of a commonly held view of the majority, but it need not always be through such an avenue. The use of unusual examples or using ordinary eg in a new light...shedding new light on something ordinary or generally accepted as the norm ...these can all constitute 'insightfulness'.....
Some examples here will suffice to bring home the point.. Note how an argument A is being dismissed as a more complex layer B is being dug out from below and exposed:
1) Women may be more educated now (has skills and competence), but this does not automatically mean they will be employed in top positions due to the persistent prejudiced mindset of the males...
2) it is not so much the products of scientific inventions, but the USE of these inventions that involves ethics. (Qn: Science cannot be separated from ethics)
3) technology cannot (should not?) be blamed for the evil unleashed in this world, as it is just a neutral, amoral tool....the real culprit is man, the user of the tool for his selfish ends....use analogy of the knife in a murder to explain. Do we blame the knife or the murderer who wields the knife?
4)capital punishment has little deterrent effect, as not everyone is afraid of death. Infact, death can be an impetus to the crime, making the committing of the crime more desirable, e.g. terrorists, who achieved martyrdom through death.
5) Granted, the competence of a good govt should also be seen in its protection of the environment (Criterion Y) and the quality of life it gives to the people (criterion Z), but we should also not forget that economic growth (criterion X) provides the necessary resources for the govt to protectthe envmt and improve the people's quality of life...
6) Economic growth is indeed very important, but what is more important is how evenly distributed are the benefits from such growth......if the benefits from the growth is concentrated only in the hands of a few, then the overall benefit on society is negligible.
7) This XXX may be true in the WEST, but is not so in the EAST or my society.....[this kind of evaluation/rebuttal inevitable will yield something insightful, provided of course what you go on to say make sense]
Do note that the 'insightfulness' of some of these points will wear off as more and more people start to use them..... Once more people start to subscribe to them, they will no longer be insightful, and insightfulness requires them to be underneath and not exposed on the surface for all to grasp so easily....
Insightful views adds depth to your essay and reflects a mature mind that does not blindly follow the herd instinct....IT creates layers of complexities to your arguments, lending subtleties and nuances...remember this last word? we came across it juz now....
Consider also what is NOT insightful views...eg. people in Africa are poor....; atomic bombs dropped in Japan showed that technology is evil.....
Not insightful need not mean they're wrong, juz dat the examiner's eyes wont light up....so you end up with a perfunctory grade for content.
How to be insightful?
ANS: READ, READ and READ!!!!
Generally speaking, 'insightful' views are those which goes against the general views of the majority which tend to be myopic, simplistic or even erroneous, either cos they missed out on the bigger picture or they only see the short term or whatever blah blah blah....In a nutshell, u r essentially saying that 1+1 doesn't necessarily equal to 2....it is not so simple and straightforward as there are factors involved....Such 'insightful' views are usually introduced through a rebuttal or evaluation of a commonly held view of the majority, but it need not always be through such an avenue. The use of unusual examples or using ordinary eg in a new light...shedding new light on something ordinary or generally accepted as the norm ...these can all constitute 'insightfulness'.....
Some examples here will suffice to bring home the point.. Note how an argument A is being dismissed as a more complex layer B is being dug out from below and exposed:
1) Women may be more educated now (has skills and competence), but this does not automatically mean they will be employed in top positions due to the persistent prejudiced mindset of the males...
2) it is not so much the products of scientific inventions, but the USE of these inventions that involves ethics. (Qn: Science cannot be separated from ethics)
3) technology cannot (should not?) be blamed for the evil unleashed in this world, as it is just a neutral, amoral tool....the real culprit is man, the user of the tool for his selfish ends....use analogy of the knife in a murder to explain. Do we blame the knife or the murderer who wields the knife?
4)capital punishment has little deterrent effect, as not everyone is afraid of death. Infact, death can be an impetus to the crime, making the committing of the crime more desirable, e.g. terrorists, who achieved martyrdom through death.
5) Granted, the competence of a good govt should also be seen in its protection of the environment (Criterion Y) and the quality of life it gives to the people (criterion Z), but we should also not forget that economic growth (criterion X) provides the necessary resources for the govt to protectthe envmt and improve the people's quality of life...
6) Economic growth is indeed very important, but what is more important is how evenly distributed are the benefits from such growth......if the benefits from the growth is concentrated only in the hands of a few, then the overall benefit on society is negligible.
7) This XXX may be true in the WEST, but is not so in the EAST or my society.....[this kind of evaluation/rebuttal inevitable will yield something insightful, provided of course what you go on to say make sense]
Do note that the 'insightfulness' of some of these points will wear off as more and more people start to use them..... Once more people start to subscribe to them, they will no longer be insightful, and insightfulness requires them to be underneath and not exposed on the surface for all to grasp so easily....
Insightful views adds depth to your essay and reflects a mature mind that does not blindly follow the herd instinct....IT creates layers of complexities to your arguments, lending subtleties and nuances...remember this last word? we came across it juz now....
Consider also what is NOT insightful views...eg. people in Africa are poor....; atomic bombs dropped in Japan showed that technology is evil.....
Not insightful need not mean they're wrong, juz dat the examiner's eyes wont light up....so you end up with a perfunctory grade for content.
How to be insightful?
ANS: READ, READ and READ!!!!
posted by Dark Shadow | 10:10 PM
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