So I was wondering if the research papers influenced anyone's opinions on their subjects.
For me, I changed my opinion on the theory of global warming. When I chose my research project, I planned to write with my old opinion supporting the theory. After researching more, however, I came to the conclusion that at this point, global warming is not caused by human influence. That doesn't mean that it couldn't be at some point in the future.
I can tell that in the future, I will again change my mind. As John Maynard Keynes said in response to criticism about changing his mind, "When the facts change, I change my mind-What do you do sir?"
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The same thing happened to me. I didn't know a lot about the war in Iraq, so my opinion was very basic and limited. As I began researching and writing, I learned more about the conflict and the causes, which helped to shape my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI noticed something funny about what Daniel and Nick both wrote. They both said something along the lines of the fact that their research clearly shaped and changed their beliefs. That right there is exactly what my topic was about, shaping consciousness. It's unbelievable how common it is to our world, and how people have taken advantage of conscious decision-making and the fact that it is so easily influenced. Just about everyone has a goal to pursuade one person or another, whether that person is an author, attempting to reach the entire world, a political leader who is trying to gain the acceptance and support of his people, or a father trying to convince his son that smoking and drinking are bad. As we learned this year when learning about rhetoric, there is a responsibility that is held by not only the persuader, but also by the person being persuaded.
ReplyDeleteMy research paper on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was the most eye-opening assignment I've ever done. What I previously conceived
ReplyDeleteto be just another religious territorial dispute between two warring nations in the far off Middleast has been revealed to be something much more sinister and deceptive. The seemingly foreign affair is actually affecting the lives of Americans in ways I couldn't have imagined.