Hello Class:
It is more convenient to assume that reality is similar to our preconceived ideas than to freshly observe what we have before our eyes. Robert Fritz
Click the title and read the short essay written by Stanley Scudder, "Take this Fish and Look at It." It's also found on page 17 in your text.
What does this the Fritz quote mean? How does Stanley Scudder discover the truth in this quote? Why does the professor encourage the student to continue to examine the fish? What was so unacceptable about his first examination? How does this connect to critical thinking?
This post should be answered by Tuesday. Don't forget to respond to one of your peers.
75 comments:
Please note: The book has Samuel listed as Scudder's first name.
Humans categorize and file sensory input as soon as it is encountered, stashing it away, often clouding the observations with personal biases or “preconceived ideas.” Often “reality” is clouded with these “preconceived ideas.” Most of the time, we are unaware or pay scant attention to the process.
It is less challenging to base our observations on assumptions, rather than delve deeper, lest we begin to challenge or eliminate these “preconceived ideas” of “reality.”
Samuel Scudder discovered the truth in the quote after repeated examinations of the haemulon fish. Each subsequent observation uncovered new details that were missed before. Also, Scudder realized that it was important to begin each observation after enjoying some much needed rest.
The professor encourages the student to keep prowling for details because that is the only way to induce Scudder to adopt his framework to accommodate all the data.
What was unacceptable about the first exam was that Scudder was content to gather a select portion of the data that would comfortably fit into his pre-existing framework rather than conduct research necessary to construct a more accurate framework.
Critical thinking, in order to for it to work properly, must begin with thorough data gathering.
To me, Robert Fritz's quote says that is easier for individuals to think they know something or someone based on prejudices or judging based off of opinions created from past experiences instead of allowing yourself to be present to what's actually there.
Samuel Scudder discovers the truth in this quote by realizing that he was not open to seeing beyond the body parts and after many perplexed ideas he realized what he was missing.
Scudder's professor encourages him to continue to examine the fish so that he can develop observation skills and techniques so that he can become a reliable scientist. This connects to critical thinking in that Scudder remained open to possibilities. He did not settle with the answers he originally tapped into. Instead he remained open to the challenge of what the professor was looking for.
I believe Robert Fritz means that it's so easy to prejudge what you see without actually seeing. I feel that he means anyone can see with there eyes if they look but it takes time to see what really is deep inside. Humans can observe anything and have a personal connection with something previous which often blinds them from the bigger picture.
Samuel Scudder discovers the truth about the quote after many failed attempts to find the answer his professor was looking for. He realizes the truth after many observations and finding new information each time about the haemulon fish.
The professor encourges his students to keep observing so that Scudder can master the technique of observing and develope a strong sense of seeing truth. This connects to critical thinking because it makes you look at the underlining message. It showes that you cant expect to see eveything with your eyes but with all other aspects of thinking. Critical thinking can only work by collecting data and utilizing it. He uses critical thinking well by not giving up and not settling for his first answer and keeps challeging hiself.
Robert Fritz quote to me means that simply assume reality is the same as what we are told before is always wrong. People will easily fall into stereotypes because of stop observing things deeply. Samuel Scudder finds this truth by observing haemulon fish repeatedly. His professor encourages Scudder keep watching the fish in details--not only its outside but also its inner characteristics. The unacceptable of first examination is that professor wants to much data from Scudder who is just enrolled. But professor gives Scudder a good direction about being a real natural scientist--discovering details by observing. As well as critical thinking, observing objects in different ways can open our mind while we are learning how to be a critical writer.
To my understanding, Robert Fritz's quotes states that people have the tendancy of rushing to assumption and judgement without thinking critically of what is on their eyes.
Sometimes people judge by what they think and not what they can see or they judge a book by it's cover without opening inside and know what it's content.
By stanley Scudder observing the fish repeatedly,he was able to discover alot of things he could not have known by just looking at it slantly.
The professor continued to encourage students to examine the fish more so that they could be able to discover more truth in it and know the reality.To glance at the fish once was not acceptable because the first judgement will not give a concrete answer.Research was necessary.By observing more and getting more details.
In critical thinking,we should not try to rush into conclusion by the first look or the first thought that come into our minds but we should try to look things in deeper perspective.
I believe Robert Fritz touched on alot through his quote just by using the word "convenient". This word to me also denotes easy, closed mind, and lazy. I think its human nature (that can be changed of course) to want to be comfortable with whatever task we are given. Things aren't always as they appear, but to move away from what is known and observe with a fresh unbiased eye would mean to investigate, to move beyond your comfort zone and think outside of the box. That is hard, unfamiliar and most of the time just not what people want to do.
Scudder discovered the truth of this quote by given up his inpatients and disgust for something he originally had no intrest in. And committed to the process. He had to open his mind to something other than insects and take advice and a look from a different perspective & source, one more advanced and knowledgeable about the subject.
Scudder told the professor that he "wished to be well grounded in all departments of zoology", I don't know if he was prepared to do that since insects were his primary passion. The professor offered him a different start, one that would keep his eye open and mind critical. The quote from the professor sums up for me the reason he pushed for more from Scudder. "Facts are stupid things, until brought into connection with some general law", the obvious is just that obvious to everyone. If it rains today, we'll all be able to see it. But what does the rain smell like, what happened the day before, what state in the world in, why is it raining more this year than last? These are questions that take you beyond the obvious and makes today more than just any old rainy day. By looking deeper the fish became more than just his speciman, he was able to look at with passion and a desire to know more about it.
Scudder didn't see the point in daunting task. Because his mind was already made up, he looked upon the fish for 10 minutes and was done, what more could be seen in a dry dead fish. His mind was not open to what the fish had to offer. So with the only tool being offered (his eyes) he looked as long as he felt he needed to and went to lunch. His thinking was not critical at all, it remained for the first day on what he thought and how this was a wast of time. But after some thought, rest and a new point of view he displayed what critical thinking can do. After being recognized for his new observation, he was encouraged to find more. Not only did he find other details from the haemulon (grunt fish) but he also developed a new respect for them as well. He didn't change his initial passion of insects but he was able to add something new to his now new and invaluable way of thinking.
Chanda W.
The quote from Fritz means people are very hard to discover an object newly without affecting by some ideas we knew before. That means we are always affected by "our preconceived ideas" when we are doing an observation, so that we would miss some conspicuous points during the observation. Samuel Scudder found the truth in this quote from doing his examination of the fish in several times. Since he could find out some new information that he didn't notice before at every time he observed the fish, he repeated to do the examination until he observed the fish thoroughly. Because of this, he noticed that people would miss some important or conspicuous details easily when they are observing an object.
The professor encourage the student to continue to examine the fish because knows that the way for the student to observe the fish deeply and thoroughly is repeating the examination of the fish. Because Scudder just discovered the surface of the fish in his first examination which contained some "preconceived ideas", his first examination was unacceptable.
Same as critical thinking, we are always affected by our preconceived ideas when we are thinking an issue in different perspectives. Like Scudder did his observation of the fish, we have to think an issue many times and deeply to gain more new information when we are doing the critical thinking. I believed that there is a probability in critical thinking: the more you think, and the more new information you get.
Hello Racquel,
I agree with your opinion in the connection to critical thinking because we have to think different aspects to gain the information when we are in critical thinking. Also, I agree with your way to discuss how Scudder discovered the truth in the quote from Fritz. Scudder needed to repeat his examination several times to get new details so that he could observe the fish deeply.
Fritz comment can apply to human nature. We all find comfort in the known and fear the unknown. We would rather have years of the same routine then bring the slightest difference into it. In that same way, by assuming that reality is the way we see it, we wipe out that tedious, but necessary job of bettering ourselves.
When the student attempts to examine the fish, his mood is disgruntled, not willing. That is the first reason the professor wants the student to examine the fish even after the first examination. In the student's first examination, he gives the professor all the parts of the fish, it's habits and traits, but he doesn't get the underlying qualities of the fish that are visibly there, but can't be seen by the student because he hasn't opened his mind to the possibilities. Once the student continues his examination, he finds those possibilities that he wasn't even intending to look for.
You could say that we are like that student, Ms. Wanzo is the professor, and all the coursework/homework is the fish. We need to come at that fish with more than one examination, we need to know all about it; what is there to see and what is hidden to the eye.
I believe that the quote by Robert Fritz is saying that we as humans take the easy way out in determining what we think the truth is by judging what we see with what we already know or think we know-"our preconceived ideas". We spend little time to observe what is really in front of us because of the pre-existing ideas that we have already built into our minds.
Samuel Scudder was to observe the haemulon fish and describe what he saw. The first time around, he listed the obvious facts about the fish because those facts were the concepts he had already known about the fish. When we are asked to look at an object and describe it, the first thing we do is say what we already know about that particular object without thinking and observing the object carefully. After observing the fish several more times, Scudder realized that there were much more to his list of details that he had missed on his first observation. He was able to see more details of the haemulon fish the other times because he was more open minded about it and realized that he had to think outside the box and look further beyond what he thinks he knows about the fish, which is why his professor made him examine the fish several times.
With critical thinking, we have to learn to put aside our "preconceived ideas" and look at what is in front of us as if we have never seen it before so that we can gain new insights to the world and reality. By leaving behind our personal feelings and being open minded, we are opening the doors to expand our thinking ablilities and the neverending possibilities of becoming a critical thinker.
Racquel to Jing Cai:
Thank you very much for your response. I find myself experiencing frustration, in a similar fashion to Scudder, when working on an daunting research paper. I have to discipline myself by getting up and taking a break, it is only afterwards that I am ready to approach the task again.
Peace,
Racquel
Racquel to Anna Davies:
I agree with your interpretion of Fritz's quote and how it pertains to Scudder's challenges.
I find myself guilty, occasionally, of similar minor offenses when I am particularly tired. Developing critical thinking skills takes an act of courage and tenacity.
I think Robert Fritz states that it is always easy for us making wrong decisons or ideas without really discoverying the truth. Observation is really important for us because when we observe an object we have to think what we can get from our observation and not just based on our“preconceived ideas”.
Samuel Scudder discovered the truth by not just looking at the fish surface but also need to observe it carefully. After many failure, he discovered its unconvered reality.
The professor encourage the student to continue to examine the fish because he thinks that truth or reality can exit anywhere because if one truth the student discover, the other truth is waiting for him to be discoved.
it is unacceptable about his first examination because just looking at the surface of fish can not give him enough information and have to do more reserch and getting more data and analyzing them.
based on above analysis, I think it can really connect to critical thinking because we have to figure out more details for our writing.Adding more effective detail require us to think our topic deeply and create new thoughts.
I do agree with her thoughts. We can not just judge one person or object by what we have been told. Therfore, we can discover the uncovered truth in many different ways not just based on our imagination.In our critical thinking, we need to open mind to think more details.
To me the quote is kind of like when we say, "What he/she said." It is sort of like taking the easy way out. To some extent it is like all of our posts, we are all answering the same post. I have to copy and paste the questions into word pad and think about it on my own. I am afraid my post will sound like someone else or be influenced if I read them first. I am rambling... Its like if I just met you and I immediately judge you. You part your hair a certain way and you never talk. That's it. That is my observation of you. But we all know there is more than that. And learning that requires critical thinking.
Stanley has to keep looking at the fish because he is not seeing all there is to see. His first examination was just a glance. In order to think more critically, we can't just glance. We have to observe, delve, and dig in to get results. Also it is important to do your work and go away from it. Coming back refreshed with a new perspective can help you to see things that were not there previously. When I am thinking critically a glance will not do. I have to urge myself on, taking in all the details and then begin anew. Deeper observations are not just for science.
I really like the way you compared the fish to our homework/coursework. I agree with your comparison.
So often I just want to get the job done and move onto the next funner part. But now I see the importance of paying attention to the minute details.
I think your idea that not examining well can be the same as pre-judging someone is very valid. Humans are judging beings. We judge everything and everyone; but when it is necessary to judge important events like what our government is doing and the homework Ms. Wanzo gives us, we are at a loss of words.
I agree with your opinion that for critical thinking we have to think more and deeply. We cannot base on our preconceived ideas to assume that reality is the same. Open our mind is necessarily in critical thinking.
Fritz's quote means that we are likely to base our conclusions on prior knowledge, whether similar or exact, rather than observe first hand for ourselves because it is easier for us to just use what we or others already know and form conclusions from that rather than making whole new observations. This helps us by saving us time and by relieving us of having to go through thorough investigation and observing with precision.
Stanley Scudder discovers that this quote is true and that we do this without even being aware of it. Being forced to observe a fish that he had never seen before, Scudder has to make many observations on the fish. Even after he thought that he had throughly observed all there was to observe, his professor was unhappy with his first examination because he felt he had not examined the fish enough, nor had he given enough time to examine the fish. By repeatedly examining the fish, Scudder was able to uncover something new each time. By the end, Scudder is able to draw every detail of the fish from memory, which was possible only because he had observed the fish so thoroughly. We can see from this that thorough investigation and observation are the best ways to help us to perfect what we know or want to know.
This has a lot to do with critical thinking because critical thinking requires a lot of work, time, and detail. It took days for Scudder to fully examine every detail of the fish, and critical thinking requires the same thing. We have to give our work a lot of time and thought rather than just rushing our work and having it imcomplete. Critical thinking also requires our own opinions; usually, when we assume that something is true instead of observing and examining it for ourself, we are using assumptions that were made from other people. We cannot do critical thinking if we are merely stating what someone else thinks because critical thinking is about what we think. We must also observe thoroughly so that we have the facts and details to help strengthen what we want to say. We must also go in from other angles and methods. Scudder only had limited information from just looking at the fish; it wasn't until he decided to feel the fish and to draw it out that he started to make new discoveries. The same can be said for critical thinking; we have to go from different angles and use different techniques.
Hey Pink, I agree with what you said about looking at everyone else posts here. We can just read the essay once, then read everyone else's comments and just base our comment off of what they thought instead of actually reading the essay more and trying to pay extra attention to the essay. For myself, I had to read the essay, quote, and the questions several times and edit my comment until I came up with something that I felt good about.
I also liked how you mention how we have to "observe" something rather than just taking a "glance" at something, as Ms. Wanzo said in class, because we can just take a glance at something, but without "observing" it, we will only see the outside layer, and not know anything about what is inside.
Your thorough interpretation caught my eye and had me really think about "facts" and going beyond the obvious. I tend towards facts based on previous knowledge or experiences. For example, I had an experience last semester with a classmate that normally was a class clown or constantly joking around. He was feeling winded one day and I thought he was kidding based on my previous experience with him. If I would have just stayed present to what was actually there I would of made that connection, but someone else made me realize that it doesn't matter if you think someone is acting -- you have to look at the situation from their shoes. hmm? critical thinking?
Hello Chanda,
I thought that your interpretation on Robert Fritz's quote was quite interesting and you provided good and thoughtful ideas pertaining to the quote. I agree with you that we as humans always prefer the easy way out and we would rather do things that we are familiar with rather than to try something new. Like you said, that characteristic is just part of "human nature" and surely it can be changed throughout the course of time.The point that you made about moving beyond our comfort zone and thinking outside of the box made me realize that what we see isn't always what it turns out to be so we have to really dig deep down and think out of the ordinary to uncover the hidden message.
To me, Fritz’s quote means that most people prefer to believe their preconceived ideas instead of new observation. In other words, people like to accept and trust what is already in their mind; and, therefore, ignore some fresh facts that in front of their eyes.
Stanley Scudder, at first, only noticed some brief features of the fish. Only in “ten minutes,” he thought that he had observed all features. However, after the professor asked him to look at his fish again and again, he observed more and more things that he ignored before. The professor encouraged him to do so, because he wanted his students to notice the significance of observation. Scudder underwent a poor observation. Only in very short time, he thought he got everything. Thus, the examination was unacceptable.
Again, critical thinking requires us to consider various perspectives. Therefore, observation is very essential. If we trust our “preconceived ideas,” we might ignore some important information and, thus, experienced poor observation.
Hello Racquel,
This is a well written response. You summarize the text nicely. I notice at the end that you state that in order for critical thinking to work, one must "begin with thorough data." Can you explain what you mean by this? What is thorough data? If all Scudder had was a fish, wasn't that all of the data he need?
Ms. Wanzo
The quote by Robert Fritz means that we should not just easily describe view in a quick glance, but to think and be more in depth with the things we view. Stanley discovered the truth by this quote because when he first began observe the haemulon, he simply gave a brief description of it, but after his professor told him to find the most obvious feature of the fish. Stanley soon discovered that the fish had symetrical sides with paired organs, the conspicious feature. The professor told him to keep going with his observation because there were many other things to continue writing about. This can relate to critical thinking because the requirement is not to just be brief, but be more detailed and create well thought out ideas.
Alisha To Ricky Tran:
I agree with you about fixing your comment until you found the perfect words. I to had to read the story more than once to really unstand it. i fixed and deleted my comment many times. Pink was also right about reading others comments Mrs. Wanzo gave great insight.
Hello Anna,
You have a very well written response. You draw good connections between the Fritz quote and Scudder's text. Has there ever been a time, when you recognized that you were not being as objective in your observations or thoughts? If so, did you recognize it in time or afterwards?
Hello Alisha,
For the
Hello Alisha,
For the most part, your response is fine. But I am confused by your first paragraph. Can you explain what you mean here?
"I believe Robert Fritz means that it's so easy to prejudge what you see without actually seeing. I feel that he means anyone can see with there eyes if they look but it takes time to see what really is deep inside. Humans can observe anything and have a personal connection with something previous which often blinds them from the bigger picture."
Hello Chanda,
Your response is well written. It is very thorough and you really got into the text. Can you explain again why this quote ,"Facts are stupid things, until brought into connection with some general law," is so powerful to you? I'm not sure I understood your meaning in your response.
Thanks,
Ms. Wanzo
I agree with your interpretation of Fritz quote, it does seem as though people do seem to go for what their first answer, but they can not forget about what else can be noticed. Also, for critical thinking we must give a depth observation, and not just give a simple answer.
I think the quote by Robert Fritz means that we quickly judge something by what we see simply because it's more convenient and we don't want to waste too much time to observe something. We believe what we already know from experiences in the past and quickly apply it to what we're observing, instead of taking a closer look and examining every little detail that may be new to us.
Scudder discovers the truth by examining the fish over and over again. The professor encouraged Scudder to continue to observe the fish because he wanted Scudder to discover every possible detail he can about the fish. The first examination wasn't acceptable by the professor because he wasn't satisfied with the amount of information given to him. In the end, he realized there were many qualities of the fish that he had not noticed the first time he observed it. This connects to critical thinking because it encourages you to attempt to seek every possible answer or detail. You can't just assume things are true without examining every side. We have to gather all the information we can until we are satisfied.
Hi Ms. Wanzo....
For me I heard that, the facts are "the obvious" and the laws are the things that make the obvious less boring. If you ask me to tell you about myself and I start to name the physical parts (that you obviously see) or even that I like wearing my favorite outfit that I have on that day, or that I'm a student....I mean it's obvious right? The laws are what make people take notice. It's like that guy who comes along, he's cool, has a car, nice job....the obvious. But oh my he's a gentleman, he can express his feelings and his manhood is still in tact,good father,communication on point...I can take him to the club (if thats what we like) and to my mama's house....."the laws". Hope this makes sense.
Chanda
Hello Ricky. I do agree with your points. Thinking is individual action. It is true that we “cannot do… thinking if we are merely stating what someone else thinks.” However, I believe, someone else’s thinking is also important in Critical thinking. We have to listen to others’ opinions in order to think critically by ourselves. What do you think? :D
Hey Fan Wu, yeah, you're right, you do have to listen to other people when you're doing critical thinking. I guess what I was trying to say was that you cannot rely on them so much that you lose your own voice. I think that it is important to consider everyone else's opinions as long as we make sure our voice is heard because when writing an argumentative essay, if we just consider what other people think without acknoledging what we say, the essay isn't really our own essay anymore; it's more like we are writing the essay for soomeone else.
The quote from Robert Fritz means it is naturally for people to think exteriority based on past impressions or experiences without pondering deeply over things that they do not actually see or observe.
According to Samuel Scudder’s quote, he discovered the truth after several failures of trying to give the desirable answers to his professor Agassiz about what he observed from the haemulon fish. After each failure of trial, his professor led him to see in more details. Through his continuous observation, he gradually found out some new properties that he overlooked before.
The professor gave the haemulon fish to Scudder as a lesson to practice his patient and the ability to observe an object, not only from its exterior, but also the inner part of the object.
The unacceptable of his first examination is that he just looked at the appearance of the haemulon fish without observing carefully the internal part of the fish.
The way to think critically is actually similar with the meaning of the quote. We could explore our own new ideas instead of following the historical perspectives. Through continuous thinking, we could gradually gain more and more ideas that we did not notice before. Besides, we could not just think of the superficiality even though it’s a simple idea or topic.
I agree with your points. The majority would jump to a hasty conclusion when they had their initial assumptions. People would judge something or someone without opening their eyes. They are more likely to see only the appearance of an object. As critical thinkers, we should not draw the conclusion immediately. On the contrary, we could get more new ideas with consecutive thoughts.
In my opinion, Robert Fritz is trying to say that we assume that we know certain things and doesn't really open our eyes to "see".
Samuel Scudder discovered the truth by opening his eyes. He realized that he didn't really "see" lot of things until he started drawing the fish.
Professor Agassiz encouraged his students to examine the fishes so that they can learn to observe and see without any presumptions.
In critical thinking, having bias or assumption is not acceptable. We have to be open to every possible answers and theories. If we can't see and observe, it'll cloud our mind and possibly alter "our reality".
Based on my understanding from Robert Fritz’s quote, people get used to making their judgment and assumption before deeply observation even though the fact of the truth stands in front of themselves. It is easier to be led by virtual image or subjective knowledge at the first moment when we come into contact with a freshly new idea. Because of these kinds of “preconceived ideas”, people unconsciously feel very comfortable about their first subjective point view to the new idea, which gives a barrier to the following observation by times and times.
Similar situation happened as mentioned in Scudder’s “Take this Fish and Look at it.” Scudder’s process of looking at the fish was a gradual one. He didn’t immediately see what Professor Agassiz was talking about and had to sit and study the fish until he saw past the initial appearance. At first when Scudder looked at the fish he only saw the outside features and thought that was it to see. Then when he couldn’t find the professor anywhere he started to look at it more. Scudder looked at it from the other side, front, back, and up and down and still couldn’t see anything else. Then finally Scudder came up with a bright idea and started to draw the fish. As Scudder was drawing the fish he began to find new features in the creature. At that point the professor came back and said “That is right,”, “a pencil is one of the best of eyes….”
Similarity can be found in critical thinking. Critical thinking requires that the input in our mind is not to just to examine what is familiar to us but to go beyond what we already may know. That is why Professor Agassiz was trying to tell his student to see more than what he has in front of his eyes. I think deeply observation would help me in my writing because it would not only help to stay focus in what I’m writing but also to notices mistakes I may make by my subjective understanding. In the process of observation, maybe this can also help me find new techniques and new view point about the issue. I also think this may help in other subjects that require deep thinking and hard work, which is always needed in almost every college class and our daily life.
Fritz is saying that rather than actually observing and analyzing what is reality, we find ourselves merely "settling" on a glance. Stanley Scudder finds this to be true when his first look at the fish was considered "not enough". But when his teacher encouraged him to take a second, third, and fourth look at the specimen, Scudder found he had missed a lot of details. This can be tied in with critical thinking because it takes more than just a "look" to really understand what you're seeing. More of, in critical thinking, it takes a lot of thinking and research to really form a full opinion on the subject.
-Julie Kvalen
Solongo to Werdah Kaiser:
I really liked the way you compared the fish with our homework. To be honest, students don't voluntarily ask for or be willing when it comes to assignments and homework. ( Hope I'm not the only one )
To Johnny H.
I completely agree with your interpretation of Fritz' quote. And it really is true. Most people are really just quick to judge!
-Julie Kvalen
Hello Fan Wu,
I'm really agree with your ponit of view of the quote from Fritz. I also think that means people always believe what they knew before instead finding out some new observation. That's why it's very difficult to think something critically.
Hello solongo,
I totally agree with your point “it’ll cloud our mind and possibly alter ‘our reality’.” As you said, we should keep our eyes open to “every possible answers and theories”. In addition, I think keeping open both of our mind and eyes is necessary as there is much more to something than meets our simple eyes. Otherwise, we will probably be clouded by personal biases, then give up on our prior effort. I think this is similar to the quote "you can't judge a book by its cover", because analysis for its characteristics and essentiality is nothing to do with its physical appearance.
I believe that the quote by Robert Fritz is saying that individuals often prejudged an object before allowing themselves to think deeper about it. It shows that we do not allow ourselves to really understand the meaning of different objects. Yet, we allow ourselves to pass by the object and have no understanding of it.
When the professor had Stanley Scudder glance at the Haemulon fish it was easy to say that the picture was a fish, but Scudder misunderstood the whole concept of his professor's lesson. Scudder had tried repeatedly looking at the Haemulon fish several times until he carefully observe the picture. Stanley eventually notice that their was a deeper meaning to the Haemulon fish. The deeper he think about the the picture, the more he realized that the picture was differently than what he had saw the first time. Therefore, to become a critical thinker we must think deeper.
Hello Shawdow,
I agree with your interpretation about how we have to apply our deep thoughts to our writings and our daily life. If we were to think deeper about the idea we will have a much better understanding than if we were to take a glance.
I believe that Fritz quote means that it is easy to go along with something then it is to have our own assumptions and views. It's important to take our time and observe because if not we might miss a certain detail that could be important. We do this by rushing and glancing quickly just to get by. Stanley discovers this when he looked at the fish quickly just to finish .Instaead the professor had to bring this to Stanley attention. He wanted him to be able to think futher than just the norm and to look deeper and see a detail someone may not have seen that was there. He found out that by taking his time to observe he found and learned more facts that were intresting about the fish
We cannot get ahead in life by not taking the time to fully observe and think things through. Observing connects with crtitically thinking because we have to be open minded to others ideas and thoughts and to be creative in our ideas and thought.
From my understanding, what Robert Fritzs 's quote mean to me is people
are trying to find the easy way or the way that someone did before to examine one thing or and a person .In this process , people are easily to skip something new from the object. They just remenber the quondam characteristic that people had before. Samuel Scudder discovered the truth by observating
it over and over and gather the imformations.The professor encourages the students to keep examine the fishes becaus he believes it would help the student to gain more information from every examination. student would know the truth in the examination.
To making a conclusion in first examination is unacceptable. He would get the conclusion thtough the examination. but not the first one. This is connect to critical thinking because we need to keep thinking from every new detail we found in the examination.
TO Angelique Forbes
I agree with your point from Robert Fritz's quote.people are easy to skip or miss an small detail by rushing and glancing. And this small detail could be the impotance of something.I think we should take time to explore ,to observe and to think criticaly.
In my opinion, Fritz’s quote means that people more easily make judgments in their mind base on their first observations and first thought come into their mind. They are easier to believe others’ ideas and idly to observe and think in different ways with more deeply.
In “Look at Your Fish”, Stanley Scudder is given the topic by his professor that make an observation of haemulon fish. After his professor rejected his examinations, he finally found out the truth that the first observation is not enough to make a good conclusion because he found more details and new things by repeating examinations.
The reason for the professor encourages the student to continue to examine the fish is try to let the student understand the meaning of the quote I explain above. The professor encourages the student to open his mind to observe with more deeply, not only base on his first simply examination.
The unacceptable of Stanley Scudder’s first examination was he did not observe the fish deep enough to see the truth, he made an examination by his preconceived ideas. And observation skills are very important in critical thinking. We should observe in different ways and more deeply with more details to develop new knowledge.
I do agree with your ideas. The first observation or thought usually is not enough to let us make a right judgment. Especially in critical thinking, we have to think in different ways with more deeply, not only base on the first observation and thought. We should try to make our mind be more openly.
The quote from Mr. Robert Fritz intends to emphasize how reality may be differently reflected between preconception and freshly observation. The diction "convenient" from the quote implies the fact that most individuals prefer trusting their pre-existing prejudices, rather than thinking deeply and critically based on their actual observations. The analysis resulting from stereotyping, indeed, is faster and requires less thinking than re-evaluating what we observe. Nevertheless, the consequence of doing so may cause some details to be ignored, because individual's prejudices or traditional consciousness from the past experience might not always be perfectly applicable to the circumstances they are currently facing.
Samuel Scudder's experience in repeatedly observing the fish precisely refers to Fritz's statement. The ten minutes of Scudder’s first observation only emerged several features of the fish. However, while the longer and longer time was being consumed in examining, he consequently discovered more and more characteristics of the fish that he originally missed.
The encouragement that the professor offers aims to promote the student to spend enough time to constantly examine the subject into detailed description. Furthermore, the professor also expects the student to realize how prejudiced analysis – which most students prefer – may eventually distort the result, while thorough observation will not.
The unacceptable parts of Scudder's first observation are the lack of detailed observation and the usage of preconception. He examined the fish with its features in only ten minutes, which is too short to receive a specific description. Additionally, his observation contained some preconceived details that are also considered unacceptable.
One of the preconditions for individuals to think critically is to first accept and then respect all perspectives of views; thus, thorough observation becomes required. In other words, if prejudiced consciousness takes place in people's mind, then they will not be fully open-minded; as the result, they will ignore details that might be significant while they are thinking.
Hello, Yilin. I agree with you that individuals habitually prefer judging or describing subjects by using their preconceived thinking, or a word that we call more frequently - "common sense." The consequence of thinking through a preconceived manner will make the truth become uncovered. Therefore, in order to become a critical thinker, I believe we should "observe objects in different ways" as what you said; additionally, I think it is also significant for us to share what we think, while respecting other people's opinions as well.
Fritz's quote exemplifies the fact that people just like to take the easy way out. We being observers, are adapted into seeing what is right before our eyes because of how time-saving it is. We trust what we see right in front of us is correct
Stanley Scudder discovers the truth by having to observe the fish multiple times. In Scudder's first attempt of observation, he was only able to state the obvious which shows the little effort he was putting in. His instructor realizing this fact made Scudder reexamine the fish to continue his observations. With each new examination Scudder put in more effort into his examination and soon discover a new feature of the fish each time. His persistence shows that when we reexamine our work there is always something new to learn or something we missed. With the effort he was able to put in he was able learn all the ins and outs of the fish.
The connection between Scudder and critical thinking is that we can not understand everything in our first attempt. We have to put in the time and work to get the results that we desire. Critical thinking would not be critical thinking if we only spend 10 minutes like Scudder did. We have to reread our work over and over so we can closely analyze what the author is trying to say. Soon enough our analysis would be more complete than what it would be if we only spend 10 minutes.
Racquel to Ms. Wanzo:
I would contend that the fish, in of itself, was not the data. The data would consist of all the details gathered, organized and presented in an effort to describe the fish in as many different ways as possible. Often it is the desire to gather more of this data before attempting to begin making use of reasoning skills that distinguishes a responsible viewpoint from a mere opinion.
Hello Thomas!
After reading what you wrote i would just like to say that i completely agree with you. Some people do in fact do not like to put in the work so they use their prior knowledge to make assumptions starting stereotypes and things of that nature. By doing so we can miss an important detail that can completely throw us off from the true meaning. I also like and agree when you wrote about how we must accept respect all perspectives of views. Speaking from personal experiences, there are times when i do not know what kind of argument i should be writing about. By being open minded to all ideas i listened to everyone's perspective and i find that their opinions build my argument.
Robert Fritz's quote means it's easier to do with things that we already know than to explore further or different perspectives. Reality includes the preconceived ideas that we learned from our life experiences, our schools and our parents since we grow up. It doesn't take much time for us to deal with "reality" because they almost are the common sense to us. But it takes longer time for us to observing things deeply. And this process is normally "inconvenient".
According to the article "Take this Fish and Look at It.", what Professor Agassiz was trying to input in his student is not to just to examined what is familiar to him but to go beyond what he already may know. And Scudder’s process of looking at the fish was a gradual one. The first time he just spended ten minutes on observing the fish. Then when he couldn’t find the professor anywhere he started to look at it more. Then finally Scudder came up with a bright idea and started to draw the fish. Professor Agassiz was pleased to see that but the answer still unsatisfied him. He sent Scudder home and let him think it deeper. Finally, Scudder came to the conclusion that the fish was two symmetrical sides and was paired with organs after he spended whole night on thinking.
I think that Porfessor Agassiz's methods of teaching can be beneficial for someone who is willing to spend the time and be patient while working on a specific subject. I would be able to apply Scudder's experience to many things in my life, learning to take the time to fully understand something and realize what it is. To be a critical thinker, it also requiers the similar skills and a lot patient to expand the ideas.
The quote is meant to show that there are multiple perspectives of looking at one thing, needing to be open minded about a situation. We leave behind the prejudices and our initial interpretation of a particular topic. Fritz wanted Scudder to explore the other aspect of the fish, he only saw the external of the fish and didn't realize the internal components that make the fish moved. Scudder was able to see the fish differently, "point[ing] out the resemblances and differences" of each fish. The professor continue encouraging the student to examine the fish because it helped the student in understanding what the fish was about. Scudder became accustomed to the fish, it give him an in depth view of what the fish was like. This relates to critical thinking in that one must be able to see multiple angles of an argument, no single view can be correct. We have to gather as much information through observation/research in order to create a factual reason.
Hey San Ming. I agree with you that we have to put in the time and work in order to see results. Just like what Scudder did, he thought about the fish during his off-time and began to see what Fritz was trying to get him to see. Many of us aren't committed with what we do, for example, exercising. We want to see instant results and tend to quit. But once we realize that it takes time and self motivation, just like what Scudder did.
To Jiaqi YE
I agree with you taking the time to observe something is sometimes inconvient to us. In long run we are hurting ourselves and don't know it.
In most of cases, the process of thinking is slow. Besides, to understand the world we need to do two things together--thinking and learning. If we only do the same as Samuel did at first--spend time in learning but do not think at all, we can no see the true. If we keep thinking but don’t learn at all, we may fail into confusion. The essay is an example of the right way to observe. We must look closely and patiently. After that we must spend time to think over and over again. Otherwise, we can only see a figure on the surface.
Hi Chanda,
I agree with your point that convenient "also denotes easy, closed mind, and lazy". People are too comfortable to use others' ideas as their own. They consider their own idea same as the others' which they think may be right then just take the whole idea without thinking anything else. We should be respected to the reality, but if you think it's not always true like that, then you need to think deeper according to your experiences.
Hello Ms. Wanzo,
Thanks for your feedback on my response. In response to your question, yes I have had experiences when I was not being as objective in observations or thoughts. For example, when I met you on the first day of class you asked me "if I was surprised that were the teacher?" Perhaps I had a startled expression on my face when you walked in, and then I caught myself in a state of confusion because my initial reaction or thought was that you looked like a student. However, I snapped out of the preconceived idea right away and remained present to who was actually in front of me. Thanks for helping me do that.
I mistakely posted the second half of my answer. Sorry about that.
Fritz's quote means it needs hard work to observe fresh information and reconsider the preconceived ideas in our mind and we may be too lazy to do this hard work.
failing to find the main characteristic of a haemulon at the first time and finding it after a longtime thinking was the way Stanley discover the truth in Fritz's quote.The professor encouraged the student to continue to examine the fish because the professor believed that his student could gain a right attitude toward science by examing the fish. Stanley's first examination was unacceptable because he could only find some figures of the fish on the surface.
Critical thinking is similar to examing the fish. In most of cases, the process of thinking is slow. Besides, to understand the world we need to do two things together--thinking and learning. If we only do the same as Samuel did at first--spend time in learning but do not think at all, we can no see the true. If we keep thinking but don’t learn at all, we may fail into confusion. The essay is an example of the right way to observe. We must look closely and patiently. After that we must spend time to think over and over again. Otherwise, we can only see a figure on the surface.
I think what Fritz is trying to state is that things are not just as simple as the way it is. There is always more to find out after observing it. The more time we spend, the more it is to find out about that thing; whether it is an object or human.
Stanley is not patient at first to observe the fish; however, after taking time to examine the fish. He found out that there are a lot of interesting facts about the fish. The professor especially encourage the student to continue to examine the fish is because he wanted his students to not just see things so simple because in this way of looking at things we will miss out many factors. Just like Stanley his first examination was not acceptable because he was impatient about the fish and he did not take the time to examine the fish. Only after he took the time to feel the fish and draw it out. He learned all the amazing things about that fish.
This is related to critical thinking because we should not just think about certain issues really quickly or make decision so fast. We should always break things down and take it step by step, just so we would always have a better solution.
To Fan Wu:
You word "critical thinking requires us to consider various perspectives" is a good conclusion. Seeing one of some sides of a fact will lead us to a wrong outcome.To consider various perspectives is a good way to avoid such mistake and It is the only way to get the true.
Hi Alisha,
After reading your responds, I do see your point of view. It is true that we always prejudge something without seeing it. And we always assume things are very simple but it could actually be really complicated. Sometimes people might just be lazy to take the time to find out more because "that issue" does not related to them at all; therefore, they have no interest in it.
I believe what this quote means, is that its easier for people to go with their preconceived ideas or go with what they know. Rather than put all the preconceived ideas away and really study the thing for what it is. It is much easier to just go off of what you know and what you have experienced in your life than putting all that away and actually looking at the thing thats in front of you and seeing it for what it is not what you think it probably is.
Stanley Scudder discovers the truth to this quote after the professor keeps on asking him to look at the fish. He was just going off of his preconcieved notions instead of really looking for the fish. After a while he figured out he needed to look deeper into it. The professor keeps encouraging him to look at the fish because he was just going off his personal opinion. His first examination of the fish was unnaceptable because he didnt really delve deep into it he stayed on the outside and gave some really basic descriptions. I think this is important for Critical Thinking because you have to put aside your personal biases and really do a non biased research on both sides of the argument and then come up with your position.
Hi Ricky. I think I get your point now. We should listen to others, but do not have to agree with them. We can consider others' ideas, but don't let them take over our minds.
Hey Pan, I agree with you when you said that the more time we spend, the more we find out about something. Patience is very important when observing because you have to be willing to put in extra effort and time to find out all the details you can. I also agree that we shouldn't make quick decisions. It's better to slow down and take our time to observe carefully because we might miss something important. Once we finish gathering all the information we can, then we would have a more complete assumption or solution.
Yes,the first observation is not enough to make a concrete conclusion.People sometimes tend to be ignorant or lazy and they tend to judge by their own assumptions.
We are encouraged to keep our minds open and we should avoid glancing but observe in details.
In critical thinking it is crucial not to rush into conclusion.
I think what Fritz meant by his quote what things are not always what it The quote was designed to challenge the mind to entertain more than the eyes observe.
Stanley Scudder discover the truth in this quote by abandoning his own agenda and allowing his mind to grasp around the concept of the fish and analyzing them first then unlocking other interests in the fish that weren't once caught threw simple observation. by critically thinking about what would be needed to appease the professor forced him to develop an interest in the fish beyond the surface. with the professor adding more days of observation it allowed scudder to go home with the fish on his mind which allowed him to compare and contrast with his minds eye. when returning to the fish he confirmed or discovered more about the fish.
How that ties to critical thinking is the ability to see something and allow your mind to analyze the object as well. to abandon your own agenda and challenge what you think you know. with your minds eye you are able to critically see the object in its entirety and that allows other observations and questions to answer.
Chanda:
your extended summation of what Fritz meant with his quote and how it was applied to scudder was very refreshing and logical. we often view things at face value and often abandon the minds eye. but through careful observation we allow ourselves to consider other components and that allows it to be viewed with a more critical minds eye. and often times the first view is drastically distorted or abandoned and the minds eye logic is now the landmark for observation. thank you for what u said i can definitely agree on that one.
Ms. Brandy
Thank you for your comment....extended summation....your the best,lol. I thoroughly enjoyed your ideals on the subject. Very enlightening, a fresh point of view to say the least. I lood forward to you rewarding us with more of your delightful writings in the future.
Ms. Watson
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