Question one
According to Schwalbe (1998), truth is partial as it encompasses the representations, images, and accounts of the whole truth which is never fully known because it constantly changes which in turn disorients people’s ability to possess the entire truth. The video further highlights how truth is partial as it evidences the different principles used by states in recording deaths caused by the coronavirus (VICE News, 2020). As such, the ways of recording and counting the number of deaths in various states are simply partial truths that embody the aspect of the entire truth.
Question two
Mindful skepticism is salient in this Covid-19 period as it can allow people to become open to new knowledge. It enables us to constantly ask critical questions regarding the validity of sources of information which thus enhances their exploration to seek alternative views about the virus in research (Zevallos, 2020). Mindful skepticism can also help to correct the premises from which we acquire information to further compel our understanding of how we know what we claim to know regarding coronavirus. Subsequently, it can also help us avoid discounting useful scientific information because of our pre-existing beliefs about the virus.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Question three
The two readings and the video coincide in their provision of information regarding how human’s desire to maintain their pre-existing beliefs leads to wrong judgments and overgeneralized views about certain information. They thus indicate thus data is always evolving which makes it difficult to have a definitive expert with the entire information on a particular societal subject.
Question four
I found the aspect of “mindful skepticism” very interesting. In the contemporary world, social issues such as racism and poverty have generated controversial conversations which have led to significant confirmation bias. As such, most people practice indiscriminate skepticism without mindfully evaluating information through the right premises.
References
Schwalbe, M. (1998). "Finding Out How the Social World Works" from The Sociologically Examined Life: Pieces of the Conversation. Copyright © 1998 by Michael Schwalbe. Reprinted with the permission of 'Ine McGraw-Hill Companies.
VICE News. (2020). Why We're Almost Certainly Undercounting the Coronavirus Dead. Retrieved 8 March 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugvxQNQU3tU
Zevallos, Z. (2020). Using sociology to think critically about Coronavirus COVID-19 studies. Retrieved 8 March 2021, from https://othersociologist.com/2020/07/21/using-sociology-to-think-critically-about-coronavirus-covid-19-studies/
