The Final Rule
The final rule in this series of posts, brief tips on how to help our older children read critically, is to encourage them to read with their eyes open.
In other words, all books are bound to contain some errors. I’m not talking about factual errors although that can sometimes be the case. I’m mainly thinking about errors in argumentation, in the logic of the writer’s position. All writers start with assumptions that inform their area of expertise. These assumptions influence their reasoning and the eventual conclusions they draw. Over time, these assumptions may change and so do their minds. We’re all human. JD Vance is an example of how his view of President-elect Trump changed over time. (By the way, don’t take what I just wrote as political opinion. It’s simply an illustration).
We all have the tendency to side with writers or publishing houses we like and be biased from the beginning against those we don’t. We come to the written page assuming nothing good or thoughtful can come out of… (you can fill in the blank) or assuming everything I am about to read is gospel because of who the author or publisher is.
What our children should be taught is that when reading, let the argument stand or fall on its own merit. We should teach them to identify the flaws and affirm the correctness of a writer’s position regardless of who that writer is.
No writer or publishing house with integrity intentionally sets out to mislead people. But, the fact is, there are differences of opinion out there and these difference find their way into print. Again, we need to teach our children to read with their eyes open. Applying the first four rules can help:
- Be gracious to those who hold contrary views from you
- Consider the writer’s context
- Read to learn, not to refute
- Avoid being a know it all.
Thanks for reading!
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
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