Critical Thinking : The Myth of the "Right Answer".

The Myth of the "Right Answer".

Is there such thing as a right answer? An answer is dependent on the question. The type of question asked will obtain the appropriate answer. Definite answers often depend on the type of question. There are two kinds of questions that we deal with daily; scientific and social. 

Scientific questions ask about the physical world where things can be measured, sensed, calculated or predicted in some way. These questions give us answers which we can accept readily due to their  predictability and dependability in obtaining answers. Hence, questions about the dimensions of the physical world can be answered dependably and predictably. Scientific questions such as the temperature of a boiling liquid, the mineral content of an ore, the relative distance of a planet in another solar system from the earth and the pattern of brain waves, can all be obtained dependably and predictably. As stated earlier, scientific questions are based on things that can be sensed, measured, studied, observed or calculated.

This is not true of the social world. The social world is the world of human interactions. It is where the tangled Web of human behaviour manifests itself. Questions about human behaviour are not predictable and dependable. This is because human behaviour is not predictable. Thoughts are non physical unlike physical things like wood, gas, minerals and stars. Human behaviour has myriad causes and all we can do is make intelligent predictions, conjectures and guesses as tho why and when certain kinds of behaviour occurs or manifests itself. Additionally, we often want to explanations or descriptions of human behaviour, that we have a preference to know about such as the rate of inflation, the exchange rate, the rate of divorce, the frequency of forest fires, the frequency of juvenile delinquency, or the causes of divorce. As a result, we bring our preferences to discussions of those issues and resist arguments that are inconsistent with them.

Human behaviour is characterised by its controversial and complex nature. As a consequence, the best answers that we can find for human behaviour are usually probabilistic in nature. If we undertake a study on the abilities of meditation to control temper in people, or research into consumer behaviour, we can never be absolutely sure if the results are totally correct or precise or indeed reliable, and the results is true about everyone. We can never be realistically sure of the facts. We will still need a course of action to prevent ourselves from becoming a "hollow man" or a "nowhere woman". 

It is only when we open our minds to the views of others , after being aware that we could be wrong and that there are other views, and that the views we are committed to  are grounded on probability, that we will be open to the reasoning of others. We will at that time be open to persuasion by others. We must be fully cognisant and accept that we could be wrong.

It does not matter intrinsically what types of questions that will be asked, we must be aware of the kind of issues that will demand the closest scrutiny. These are issues where there is always disagreement about. Issues such as the environment, political decisions, animal rights, education polices, etc. are usually what people love to discuss. Issues such as those relating to business, engineering, law, politics etc, are parochial issues often popular to parties interested in them such as business executives, lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. Th.ere is constant strong disagreement in such issues. There are always several positions supported by good reasons relating to the issues.

Therefore, it is only through discussion using critical thinking and critical questioning that can there be open discussion about various important issues. There are always many points of view and ideas. No answer is ever going to be the right one. Social issues cannot easily obtain dependable and predictable answers. Decisions must always be made in the face of uncertainty. There will be times when we will not have the time or the ability to discover many of the important facts about a decision we make.

Where are the aliens? : The Fermi Paradox.

Ever since people gazed at and surveyed the stars and studied the cosmos, one question always kept beckoning; Is there life on other worlds? We ask if there are aliens or extraterrestrials somewhere in the galaxy or on other galaxies. When the former Swiss hotelier and later turned self-styled alien astronaut theorist, Erich Von Daniken, wrote his ground breaking cult book 'Chariot of the Gods', it was the progenitor of an entire industry revolving around aliens with unfounded claims of extraterrestrial visitations to our planet in the past and continued visitation at the present and the impact aliens had on human civilisation.

While the intelligent wise skeptical critical mind should rightly be skeptical about aliens having had visited Earth in the past and their continued visitations till this day, their existence cannot be entirely ruled out of hand. It is possible for life to exist on other worlds but we have not had any contact yet. In addition, space travel is not easy and it will take a long time, beyond human life spans and perhaps for aliens, to travel the incredibly vast distances between planets. Perhaps a way to settle this conundrum is instead of waiting passively for contact, we should search for intelligent alien life. 

  

Since, contact with extraterrestrials has not been scientifically established, the question that is asked here is; why are there not any aliens? This was a question that an Italian-American  physicist called Enrico Fermi, who were nuclear scientists, Fermi asked in 1950. While Fermi was having lunch with colleagues, the lunchtime discussion turned to aliens. Apparently, Fermi asked "So, Where is everybody?" What Fermi asked was if there are billions of planets in the universe that are habitable and can sustain life, and there are millions of intelligent extraterrestrial beings in other world, then how is that no one has visited the planet Earth. This is in essence the Fermi Paradox.

Enrico Fermi (1901-1954)

Fermi deduced that any civilisation that possessed a modest knowledge of rocket technology and an immodest quantity of imperial incentive could rapidly colonise the entire galaxy. Fermi suggested that an alien civilisation would quickly realise the incredible distances involved in interstellar travel and came to the conclusion that it would not be feasible for them to embark on interstellar travel. Instead, Fermi proposed, they would use self-replicating , autonomously controlled robots to colonise the galaxy. The idea of self-replicating robots had been earlier been conceived by the Austro-Hungarian mathematician , John Von Neuman in the 1950s. The idea proposed by him was a self-replicating robot that could, firstly, perform tasks like that in the real world, secondly, it could self-replicate. This idea was conceived years before this kind of robotics has now appeared. John Von Neuman propounded that this advanced space faring robot was the most cost-effective and fastest way to explore and learn about the galaxy and beyond. The  vehicle proposed was the Bracewell-von Neuman probes. The probe itself is a sophisticated robotic machine with a modest payload. It was envisioned to have an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software with the built-in idea of self replication and in that way build multiple copies of itself. What would need to be done is to launch hundreds if not thousands of them into space. Then let them off in swarms in different directions. They could be programmed to coordinate efforts and guide themselves as a swarm. Whenever they come across asteroids, moons or planets that have the necessary raw materials to replicate themselves. They could be programmed to explore and communicate their findings back to Earth, perhaps by a relay of satellites they can make and program.as they travel through space. 

Possible Bracewell-von Neumann probe.

Possible Bracewell - von Neumann probe. 

Possible Bracewell-von Neumann probe.

This might be a plausible way forward in our endeavour to contact alien life. An advanced self-replicating robot could be sent out to explore neighbouring solar systems and the galaxy to find alien life. Alien life in this context must be established by us as intelligent enough to communicate intelligibly in some fashion, such as radio or other signals or at least similar to humans even if like how we did centuries ago. It is a long-shot. The endeavour could take even centuries and the autonomous robots must be able to keep contact with Earth. Of course, as technology advances new software and methodologies of all kinds could be remotely uploaded to the robotic explorers so that they are always modernising and in pace with terrestrial technological advances.

Should contact be made with an exterrestrial intelligence that can understand that the probe(s) are from a reasonably advanced alien civilisation, they will take the initiative to respond to us. If they are less advanced than us, let say at a technological level we were in 300 years ago, then at least they will know about us. If they are at or near our technological level or even more advanced than us, then they would respond. It is hard to visualise something like this as the responses could vary if aliens exist, there could be no response, the aliens could only be animal like creatures devoid of advanced cognitive capabilities etc. It will be left to be seen at a future date should all this happen when we launch these robotic space explorers. We could of course be optimistic, but we should be patient and realistic as well.

Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXi3K8LusZQ&t=29s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx9i-KRMCCc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVV4zRuE1mw

https://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/fermi-paradox

http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/cosmo/lectures/lec28.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yaa5ExQTk6Y

Please leave comments.

Study Skills 1: Paraphrasing.

What is a Paraphrase?

A paraphrase is the conversion of an idea or concept that you have read or heard into your own words. A paraphrase is the restatement of an idea into your own words. You turn an idea that you have heard or read into approximately the same number of your own words. It is based on what you have understood form what you have read or heard. It is essentially a restatement of an idea into your own words. The sentence you have read or heard is turned into about the same number of words. Another way of putting it is, you state an idea in your own words with your own understanding of what you have learnt. Different words are used, but with the same meaning. For example:

Original sentence: "Taking a few minutes away from our too-busy lives each day can provide the mental refreshment we need to recharge and move forward." --Anony Mous

Paraphrase: According to Anony Mous, we should interrupt our overly busy daily schedule each day by spending a few minutes off, to supply the mental restoration we require to refill our energy and continue our productivity. --Anony Mous

Here we have 24 words paraphrased into 31 words, which is a similar number. The central idea of a paraphrase is that it preserves all the meaning and details (whereas a summary omits details and preserves only the main ideas). 

Original sentence: Smoking in public also causes cancer from passive smoking and cigarette butts cause litter from the detritus of smoking.

Paraphrase: Cancer is also caused from passive smoking in public places. Also, cigarette butts from smoking in public places causes detritus from cigarette butts.

Here we have 18 words paraphrased into 23 words, which is a similar number. The central idea of a paraphrase is that it preserves all the meaning and details (whereas a summary omits details and preserves only the main ideas). 

Note: You will usually get a few more words in your paraphrase then from the original text. Do not be alarmed. The extra words are needed usually because of the use of the passive voice in paraphrasing.

What is  Paraphrase used for?

1. A Paraphrase Is an Aid to Learning. 

Paraphrasing is a valuable and effective learning strategy for the following reasons: 

A. Active Engagement with the material: When we paraphrase a statement into our own words and either writing them down or typing them up, our minds and bodies are engaged with the content. Writing down or typing up content involves kinesthetic interaction with the learning content as well as mental or cognitive involvement. Paraphrasing involves thinking about what we have read or heard, understanding it and then assigning it in writing or type. When we paraphrase we do not merely passively absorb learning content, rather we are actively engaging with content.

B. Improved Memory: Memory retention of learning content is increased because we are actively engaged with the content. Even when we write down or type up ideas, this increases our memory of the content. However, paraphrasing is an even more powerful tool in aiding memory retention because we are thinking about the content and understanding it we  before consigning it in writing or typing it. Paraphrasing makes for connection between what is read or heard and what is learnt. Without understanding , we will soon forget what we have learnt because our brains did not see a connection to anything else.

C. It makes the idea your own.

When we are paraphrasing we are using our own vocabulary, our own writing style and our own thinking, we are then adding the idea into our mental inventory or library of ideas and thoughts. When a question is raised, we will answer in our own words or in our own style instead of reciting the phrasing directly from a book or other material where we drew the content from. 

2. Paraphrasing allows for the arrangement of ideas.

A. Put the ideas in a different order: Ideas can be rearranged in the order that you want it to be in, or in a different order. If the author wrote in a way that is not the way you understood it, then you ca rearrange what was written in the way you understand it. If what is written is in an order different from the way you find useful for your study, then the words can be rearranged in a way in the paraphrase to emphasize you point.

B. Simplify the language: This is perhaps the greatest benefit of paraphrasing. Sometimes, some writers use excessive elaboration on sentence structure, complex vocabulary, abstract vocabulary and too much jargon. You can paraphrase with simpler language and sentence structure and use plain English to emphasize the same point without compromising on the facts.

C. Clarify Ideas: Some writers do not make themselves clear or lucid. Even great thinkers and experts in many academic fields sometimes do not know how to make themselves understood. Paraphrasing makes such writing easier to understand and accessible to you or another reader.

How to Paraphrase:

The formula for paraphrasing is:

• Read the sentence or passage over and over until it has been really understood.
• Write out the meaning, either in outline form or conversational style
• Locate the main ideas and arrange the order you want to present them
• Write the paraphrase from your rearranged outline
• Check to see that you have preserved the meaning and included all the ideas
• Edit as needed
• Add a citation to give the source credit. (You can't make an idea your own simply by changing it into your own words. You still need to cite the source of the idea.)

Examples of Paraphrases

Original Sentence: "It turns out to be very difficult, for instance, to unlearn or ignore bad information--even when we know it is wrong or should be ignored."  --Joseph T. Hallinan, Why We Make Mistakes .

Paraphrase: Even when we are told that some information is wrong and should be disregarded, we still find it hard to forget it or avoid it. --adapted from Joseph T. Hallinan, Why We Make Mistakes.

Original Sentence: "Leaders empower employees through consistent information sharing and increased decision-making responsibility and autonomy." --Paul Marciano, Carrots and Sticks Don't Work.

Paraphrase:  When leaders regularly share information, give decision-making authority, and allow autonomy, they empower their employees. --adapted from Paul Marciano, Carrots and Sticks Don't Work.
  

Original Sentence: "Learning occurs best when new information is incorporated gradually into to the memory store rather that when it is jammed in all at once. --John Medina, Brain Rules

Paraphrase: The best way to learn something it is to study it a little at a time instead of trying to memorize it all at the same time. --adapted from John Medina, Brain Rules.

Metacognition: Becoming a Critic Of Your Thinking, Thinking about thinking.

In order to think critically well, our thinking itself needs to be thought out. We must think about our thinking. Critical thinking is the disciplined art of ensuring that the best thinking is used to the extent that one is capable of in any set of circumstances. Critical thinking is a practical art. There can be nothing more practical than  thinking critically. Metacognition is the process of thinking about our thinking. It is the reflection of the processes of how we think. As such thinking about our thinking is just as important as our thinking. 

In any situation in life, whatever circumstances we are in or are facing, no matter where we are, we would be better of and in an advantageous stage if we are skilled in thinking critically.

The general part of critical thinking is trying to understand the situation, circumstances and conditions of a problem.

We can ask the following question when we are confronted with a problem: What is really going on in this or that situation? Do they care about me? Are they trying to take advantage of me? What are the consequences of failing to that?

The daily work of thinking critically is responding successfully to the above questions. In order to answer questions successfully we must maximise the quality of thinking. Well, we can do this by making the learning of thinking a priority. We must learn to become effective critics of our own thinking. 

In order to maximise the effectiveness of our thinking we must ask ourselves the following series of unusual questions:

A. What have you learnt about how you think?

B. What do you know about how your mind processes information?

C. What do you really know about how to analyse, evaluate, or reconstruct your thinking?

D. Where does your thinking come from?

E. How much of your thinking is of high quality?

F. How much of your thinking is of poor quality?

G. How much of your thinking is vague, muddled, inconsistent, inaccurate, illogical, or superficial?

H. Are you in a real sense in control of your thinking? 

I. Do you know how to test your thinking?

J. Do you have any conscious standards of for determining when you when you are thinking well and when you are not?

K. Have you ever discovered a significant problem in your thinking and changed it by a conscious act of will?

L. If anyone asked you to teach them what you have learned, thus far in your life, about thinking, would you really have any idea what that was 

what that was or how your learned it?

It would be very likely that your answer would be that you do not really know much about your thinking or about thinking in general. 

It is very important to realise that serious study of thinking, serious thinking about thinking, is rare. It is not a subject found in most colleges and universities. It is seldom found in the thinking of our culture or even in the west. How we can see however, when we think deeply and focus on our thinking we can see how is playing a role in your life you immediately come to realise just how thinking has affected how you feel, everything you want, what you are and what you want to be are affected by your thinking. When you have become persuaded that this is the case, you will see how little attention people pay to thinking.

In order for us to become skilled at thinking we must perform intellectual work. After doing intellectual work we can move on to a higher level of thinking. That is we move to thinking about thinking. That is we critique our thinking. We move to a higher level of quality of thinking. This is not achievable overnight. We do not become good thinker in a short span of time.

In order to arrive at that higher quality of thinking, we practise certain ways of thinking. These ways ill at first seem uncomfortable, difficult and challenging at times. We must examine how our minds think.

The following key ideas when applied can result in a mind that practises skilled thinking. These are some of the ways we can enhance the quality of thinking;

1. Clarify our thinking.

2. Stick to the point.

3. Question questions.

4. Be reasonable.

1. Clarify our thinking: The way we think must always be clarified. We must look out for any vague, fuzzy, unclear, formless or nebulous thinking. We must understand the real meaning of what people say. We should look at what they say on both the surface and underneath it.

In order to clarify our thinking, we should do the following:

- explain our understanding of the issue to someone else to help clarify it in your own mind

- practise summarising in our own words what others say

- then ask them if they understood us correctly

- do not agree or disagree with what anyone says until we clearly understand them

There is a pitfall that we have where we think that our own thinking is clear to us, even when it is not. But vague, ambiguous, muddled, deceptive, or misleading thinking are significant problems in human life. If we are to develop as thinkers, we must learn the art of clarifying thinking, of pinning it down, spelling it out, and giving it a specific meaning.

What we should is this. When people explain to use, we should summarise in our own words what we think they said. Then ask them if what we understood was correct. If we cannot do this to their satisfaction, then we have not understood what they have said. If they cannot summarise what we have said to our satisfaction, then they have not understood what we have said.

Strategies for Clarifying Thinking:

A. State one point at a time.

B. Elaborate on what you mean  

C. Give examples that connect your thoughts to life experiences 

D. Use analogies and metaphors to help people to connect your ideas to a variety of things that already understand  

Here are some Formats we Can Use:

• I think.....(State your main point)
• In other words....(Elaborate your main points)
• For example.....(Give an example of your main point)
• To give you an analogy ......(Give an illustration of your main point)

In order to clarify other people's thinking, Consider asking the following:

• Can you restate your point in other words, I cannot understand you?
• Can you give an example?
• Let me tell you what I understand what you to be saying. Did I understand you correctly?

2. Stick to the Point: Thinking must be relevant. When thinking is relevant it is firmly focused on the main task at hand. It selects what is germane, pertinent, and related. We must be alert for everything related to the issue a well as anything irrelevant or not connected to the issue. Anything that is not connected to the issue is set aside. There should not be anything that is immaterial, inappropriate, extraneous, and beside the point. In the event that the mind wanders away from relevancy, it must be brought back to the issue. This truly makes a difference in thinking.

Thinking must be disciplined. Undisciplined thinking sees the mind wandering away from any connection to the issue.

Hence, we must be on the lookout for fragmented, thinking that darts from logical connection to the issue. Focus is the key to sticking to the point.

Ask These Questions to Make Sure Thinking is Focused on What is Relevant;

• Am I focused on the main problem or task?
• How is this connected? How is that?
• Does my information directly relate to the problem or task?     
• Where do I need to focus my attention?
• Are we being diverted to unrelated matters?
• Am I failing to consider relevant viewpoints?
• How is your point relevant to the issue we are addressing?
• What fact are actually going to help us answer the question? What considerations should be set aside?
• Does this truly bear on the question? How does it connect?

 3. Question questions: We must be on the look out for questions. These are the questions that we ask. The ones we fail to ask. Questions must be examined on the surface and beneath them. Observe how people ask questions closely, observe when they ask questions, and when they fail to question. Look closely at the questions asked. Pay attention to the questions asked. What questions do we ask? Should we ask those questions? Examine the extent to which we are the questioner, or are simply the the ones who accept the definitions of situations given by others.

Most people are not skilled at asking questions. Most people accept the world as it is presented to them. When they do ask questions, their questions are superficial or "loaded." Their questions do not help in solving problems nor enable them in better decision making. A good thinker will constantly ask questions routinely in order to comprehend and deal effectively with the world around them. Good thinkers constantly question the status quo. Good thinkers are cognisant that things are often different from the way they are presented. Their questions penetrate images, masks, fronts, and propaganda. they use questions that make real problems explicit and discipline their thinking through those problems.When we become students of questions, we  can learn to ask powerful questions that lead them to a deeper and more fulfilling life. Questions become more basic, essential, and deep.

 Strategies for Formulating More Powerful Questions

• Whenever you do not understand something, ask a  question of clarification.
• Whenever you are dealing with a complex problem, formulate the question you are trying to answer in several different ways (being as precise as you can) util you hit upon the best solution that addresses the problem at hand.
• Whenever you plan to discuss an important issue or problem, write out in advance the most significant questions you think need to be addressed in the discussion. Be ready to change the main question, but once it is made clear , help those in the discussion stick to the question, making sure the dialogue builds toward an answer that makes sense.

Questions you can ask to disciple your thinking:

• What precise question are we trying to answer?
• Is that the best question to ask in this situation?
• Is there a more important question we should be addressing?
• Does this question capture the real issue we are facing?
• Is there a question we should answer before we attempt to answer this question?
• What information do we need to answer the question?
• What conclusions seem justified in light of the facts?
• What is our pint of view? Do we need to consider another?
• Is there another way to look at the question?
• What are some related questions we need to answer?
• What type of question in this: an economic question, a political questions, a legal question, etc?

4. Be Reasonable: We should be on the lookout for reasonable and unreasonable behaviour. These are both ours and that of others. Reasonable behaviour is where we or anyone is willing to listen to the ideas of other people, and not view themselves or ourselves as right and others as wrong. Instead, we should look to see if the views of other people have any merit. 

Whenever we think that we alone are right, we must stop and think if the views of other have any merit. We should see if we can break through our defensiveness to hear what others are saying.  

We should also be aware of unreasonableness in others. When unreasonable behaviour manifests itself in others, steps must be taken to 

We must be reasonable with the views of others. We should not be outright dismissive of the views of other people and neither should we allow other people to be dismissive of the views of others. We must make sure that we as well as everyone else is reasonable and never be unreasonable. We must breakthrough our defensiveness and listen to what others have to see we must see the merit in other peoples’ views. 

A hallmark of a critical thinker is a disposition to change one's mind and when given good reason to change. Good thinkers want to change their thinking when they discover better thinking. They can be moved by reason. Yet, comparatively few people are reasonable. Very few are willing to change their minds once set. Few are willing to suspend their beliefs to fully hear the views of those with which they disagree. How do we raise ourselves and others’. 

Strategies for becoming more reasonable:

We should set ourselves I'm not perfect I mean I make mistakes I'm often wrong. We have to see whether we have the courage to admit this during a disagreement. Saying such as, “of course, I may be wrong. You may be right”. We should practice saying this in our minds, “I may be wrong. I am often wrong, I'm willing to change my mind when given good reasons.”

Then what we should look for opportunities to change the way we think.

We should ask ourselves, “when was the last time I changed my mind because someone give me better reasons for his or her views then I had for mine? “

Realise that you are being close-minded:

a. you are unwilling to listen to someone's reasons
b. are irritated with the reasons people give to you
c. become defensive in a discussion

After you catch yourself being close-minded, analyse what was going on in your mind by completing these statements:

After you catch yourself being close-minded, analyze what was going on in your mind by completing these statements:

     a. I realize I was being close-minded in this situation because . . .
     b. The thinking I was trying to hold onto is . . .
     c. Thinking that is potentially better is . . .
     d. This thinking is better because . . .

The best thinkers are those who understand the development of thinking as a process occurring throughout many years of practice in thinking. They recognise the importance of learning about the mind, about thoughts, feelings and desires and how these functions of the mind interrelate. They are adept at taking thinking apart, and then assessing the parts when analysed. In short, they study the mind, and they apply what they learn about the mind to their own thinking in their own lives.

The extent to which any of us develops as a thinker is directly determined by the amount of time we dedicate to our development, the quality of the intellectual practice we engage in, and the depth, or lack thereof, of our commitment to becoming more reasonable, rational, successful persons.


Some of the types of thinking often gets us into trouble because we often:

• jump to conclusions
• fail to think-through implications
• lose track of their goal
• are unrealistic
• fail to notice contradictions
• accept inaccurate information
• ask vague questions
• give vague answers
• ask loaded questions
• confuse questions of different types
• think narrowly
• think illogically
• come to unreasonable conclusions

A How-To List for Dysfunctional Living

Most people have no notion of what it means to take charge of their lives. They don’t realize that the quality of their lives depends on the quality of their thinking. We all engage in numerous dysfunctional practices to avoid facing problems in our thinking. Consider the following and ask yourself how many of these dysfunctional ways of thinking you engage in:

1.     Surround yourself with people who think like you. Then no one will criticize you.
 

2.     Don’t question your relationships. You then can avoid dealing with problems within them.

3.     If critiqued by a friend or lover, look sad and dejected and say, “I thought you were my friend!” or “I thought you loved me!”
 

4.     When you do something unreasonable, always be ready with an excuse. Then you won’t have to take responsibility. If you can’t think of an excuse, look sorry and say, “I can’t help how I am!”
 

5.     Focus on the negative side of life. Then you can make yourself miserable and blame it on others.

6.     Blame others for your mistakes. Then you won’t have to feel responsible for your mistakes. Nor will you have to do anything about them.
 

7.     Verbally attack those who criticize you. Then you don’t have to bother listening to what they say.
 

8.     Go along with the groups you are in. Then you won’t have to figure out anything for yourself.
 

9.     Act out when you don’t get what you want. If questioned, look indignant and say, “I’m just an emotional person. At least I don’t keep my feelings bottled up!”
 

10. Focus on getting what you want. If questioned, say, “If I don’t look out for number one, who will?”

Public Bus Transport.

Public transport is a necessity for many people. Not everyone can afford a car. Taxis are costly lot to hire. Hire services like Grab and its equivalents are still costly. Light rail transit or mass rail transit need shuttle bus services to get people to a station, except for those who can travel by car and can pay a lot to park their cars at the station while they use the LRT or MRT trains. Using a car comes with tax an, insurance and fuel costs which makes ownership of a car best suited to those who can afford to own and maintain them, As such, public bus services must be provided and subsidised if need be. 

If we examine who are the people who use public bus services, we will see an interesting cross section of society. Most of the users are students, the elderly, housewives, and low wage workers. These are often folk who cannot afford a car. Even affluent people or ordinary clerical workers who can afford a car, too use the public bus service as a way to reduce the costs inherent in using a car. 

However, the public bus service is cut to some areas such as travelling to the capital city because of a fall in passengers. The fall in passengers is attributable to affluent people moving into a residential area and who happen to own cars. As poorer people sell their houses to the rich and move out of a residential area, there is a fall in he users of the public bus system. 

Bus companies who provide services based on economic considerations and are not subsidised cut their services and as result force people who cannot afford cars hve to use the LRT and MRT systems with the attendant delays in getting to a LRT or MRT station. Is this fair? Is this the right thing to do?

My area has not been serviced to KL for the past few years. The section of society I mentioned who use the public bus service now suffer. The LRT and MRT services do not always cover all the areas in KL. When one reaches a LRT or MRT station and the destination is far away, then another bus or a taxi must be used. This is causing great inconvenience.

 Therefore, what is needed now is for the authorities to review the routes the public bus service takes and if need be subsidise uneconomic routes.

Universities should accept an Equal number of Male and Female students. What is your opinion?

In my opinion, universities should accept an equal number of male and female students. The first reason I give for this is the necessity for the economic development and international business of a country. In order to generate economic development, you need a lot of tertiary qualified workers. Not all male students would want to pursue tertiary qualifications that will qualify them to work in business and industry. Some of them may want to pursue courses in the Liberal Arts or anthropology which are unsuitable for the requirements of business and industry. By permitting an equal number of women into universities the human resource needs in business and industry are addressed. The acceptance of an equal number of male and female students will increase the economic development of a country and thus the increase in the earnings of working people and so an increase in the affluence of a country.

Secondly, by allowing an equal number of women and men into universities we can address the issue of gender equality. The equality of women in all spheres is an important aspect in this enlightened age. By having tertiary education women will become more empowered and more independent. By permitting an equal number of male and female students the perception will be that women are equal to men. There is a notion of a so-called “Glass Ceiling” among women who feel that there is an invisible barrier beyond which they cannot go through in life. By permitting an equal number of women into universities the concept of the “Glass Ceiling” will be erased from the minds of women. They will cease to think that university education as predominantly for men.

Thirdly, by accepting an equal number of male and female students in university, there will be a pool of ideas from the student’s course projects. Women will be given the opportunity to express their ideas and views. This will enrich the knowledge of both genders. Women will have the opportunity to contribute actively to make course projects more successful. There is the added effect of raising the maturity of both genders when they work together. Male and female students will have a better understanding of the opposite gender. This will create the awareness of the needs and emotions of the opposite gender.

To conclude, universities should accept an equal number of male and female students.This will address gender imbalance at the workplace. It will remove the so-called 'glass ceiling', and empower women. It will increase the pool of talent at the workplace.

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