Logic, Reason and Critical Thinking, Class 10: Period 4, Thursday, November 12

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"This week," Miss Bennet said, "we are going to discuss another tool that will aid us in problem-solving: one that starts at the very beginning and can immediately set us upon the right track. This technique is deceptively simple: we define the problem. We restate it methodically, examine the hidden assumptions and unspoken concerns, and address the exact dimensions of the current difficulty. When properly defined, the problem will lead us toward possible solutions.

She lifted a piece of chalk and headed towards the blackboard. "Let us take a simple hypothetical. Let us say that a certain teacher wished to have office hours on Tuesday, but discovered that the town was filled with vicious, sentient plants." Miss Bennet did, in fact, think she was amusing. "In describing the problem, said teacher might express her frustration in the following manner:"

I cannot go to my office; there are killer vegetables on the loose.

Miss Bennet underlined the sentence before turning back to her students. "This is a rather natural response to the situation, but it is not a well-defined problem, for our purposes. Let us make it into one, then. Where shall we start? Cannot is a rather strong term; in many cases, 'cannot' would be more accurately replaced with 'would rather not.' Similarly, the word 'killer' is quite loaded, and we would do well to replace it with a more accurate and less emotional word. Very well; there are menacing plants about, and the instructor would rather not go to her office. The connection between the two statements is left unspoken. It seems a natural deduction that the teacher is fearful of the dangers presented by those plants, which is a rather more specific problem. Reshaped, the problem now appears to be:"

Dangerous vegetables may harm me if I go to my office today.

"In this form, the dilemma quite readily lends itself to suggestions. For one, perhaps the instructor should not go to her office today. These vegetables may present only a temporary difficulty; perhaps there is nothing in the teacher's office which cannot wait until tomorrow. Another alternative is for the lady in question to arm herself before leaving the house, if she is confident in her abilities. If she is not, she may do well to ask a gentleman to escort her, or to fetch whatever is so urgent from her office that it mustn't wait a day.

Satisfied, Miss Bennet set the chalk down and brushed the dust from her hands. "When we fully understand a problem, we will have an easier time discovering its solution."

Comments

Sign In! [LOG-10]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Ready to kick some ass and squish some tomatoes.

Re: Sign In! [LOG-10]

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund Pevensie

Re: Sign In! [LOG-10]

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

Rose Hathaway

Re: Sign In! [LOG-10]

[furnaceface]

Jonothon Starsmore

During the Lecture [LOG-10]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Take notes, whisper briefly, doodle pictures of killer vegetables chasing your professor, the usual.

Re: During the Lecture [LOG-10]

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

Swordplay class had helped a lot but Claire was still mostly staring off listlessly. Logic wasn't exactly her friend right now.

Discussion #1: The Problem, Reshaped

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

What happened when we re-worded the problem? The two sentences are similar; why does one more readily lend itself to problem-solving? What other solutions might we suggest, for the vegetable-averse heroine of our tale?

Re: Discussion #1: The Problem, Reshaped

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Or maybe we could go with 'man up and wear your stomping shoes'?" Rose suggested with a grin.

Re: Discussion #1: The Problem, Reshaped

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Definitely a possibility," Miss Bennet laughed. "Though I suggest we frame the bravery in terms not restricted to the male. And I imagine boots to be particularly useful, in that scenario."

Re: Discussion #1: The Problem, Reshaped

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Bravery's not just male," Rose replied. "It's just that 'woman up' sounds so stupid."

Re: Discussion #1: The Problem, Reshaped

[eyebrowgoesup]

"Why does the lady of the problem require the assistance of a gentleman, should her own skills not be up to the task at hand?" Spock asked. "Would not another woman more suited to dealing with hostile vegetation suit just as well?"

Discussion #2: Other Problems

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Miss Bennet took the liberty of writing a few other potential problems on the board:

I cannot go to the party on Friday.

I will never finish this paper in time.

I want to                       but my parents said no.

Rephrase one of them (feel free to make up relevant information where it is missing) or state your own problem, and allow your classmates to help you in phrasing it more helpfully.

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"This paper's not going to be finished on time cause I'm too busy doing other stuff?" Rose tried, figuring she'd go for the one that applied.

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"That's a useful start," she laughed. "So are you choosing to place other priorities before the paper? That's an acceptable trade, so long as you acknowledge it as such."

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[furnaceface]

//My parents have forbidden me from going to th'party on Friday, unless I finish my paper on time.//

Yes, Jono occasionally thought he was clever.

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[not_tylerdurden]

"I know how to solve that problem," Calvin grinned. "You just need to build a time machine, go to the future where you've already done the paper, bring it back to show your parents, go to the party, then do your paper afterwards."

He wasn't joking.

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[furnaceface]

The sad thing was, Jono had heard stranger solutions for far simpler problems in the past.

//And yer've got experience with that sort of thing, do yer?//

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Or you just sneak out," Rose said. "So much less work."

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Nicely done," Miss Bennet smiled. "One would say that you should then work to finish your paper before Friday, or else see how flexible your parents are willing to become."

Re: Discussion #2: Other Problems

[furnaceface]

//I suppose that'd make sense, wouldn't it?// Jono gave a nod of his head, crossing his arms over his chest. //Consid'ring I'm away at boarding school,// and that his parents were a bit of a moot point in the first place, //I can't see them holding too much sway over what I do and don't do. Though I prefer t'get my work done on time regardless.//

Kiss-up.

Speak to the TAs [LOG-10]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Who are delightful and thus, not a problem.

Re: Speak to the TAs [LOG-10]

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

Claire was a little less delightful than usual today. But she was still present.

Re: Speak to the TAs [LOG-10]

[eyebrowgoesup]

This was possibly the first time Spock had been described as 'delightful,' but he was, nonetheless, present and not at all presenting a problem.

Speak to Miss Bennet [LOG-10]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

See if you can guess why she missed office hours this week!

OOC [LOG-10]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

I'm crashing now. I'll answer pings when I return to the land of the awake.