ENGL 120 CCC Skepticism vs Superstition Essay

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TASK #1

Commenting on the delusions of crowds, neurologist and historian William J. Bernstein writes, “We are the apes who tell stories. And no matter how misleading the narrative, if it is compelling enough it will nearly always trump the facts.” Connect, synthesize, and contextualize at least two of the quotations below to explain why people are either believers or skeptics of superstitions.

JOHN CLARE: “‘Superstition lives longer than books; it is engrafted on the human mind till it becomes a part of its existence; and is carried from generation to generation on the stream of eternity, with the proudest of fames, untroubled with the insect encroachments of oblivion which books are infested with'” (qtd. in Rhodes). [Take note, not only of how double- and single-quotation marks are used here to show that Clare’s words are a quote inside a quote, but also how such a quote is cited parenthetically to attribute it to Ella Rhodes’s article, rather than to John Clare’s source used in her article.]

MICHAEL SHERMER: “Scientific progress is the cumulative growth of a system of knowledge over time, in which useful features are retained and nonuseful features are abandoned, based on the rejection or confirmation of testable knowledge. By this definition, science (and technology by extension) are the only cultural traditions that are progressive, not in any moralistic or hierarchical way but in an actual and definable manner. Whether it is deified or defied, science is progressive in this cumulative sense.” (Shermer 32).

TESSA SCHLESINGER: “The downside of scientific thinking is that there is no room for comforting ourselves with false notions. We need to be tough to face the facts. We need an inner honesty that stops us from lying to ourselves, and we need to be able to examine all things with one thought in mind, ‘Where’s the evidence?’” (Schlesinger ) [As with the Clare quote, above, single quotation marks are used here in the Schlesinger quote to enclose a nested quotation. Take note, however, of the different reasons for this nested quotation.]

ALFIE COHN: “We’re all vulnerable to motivated reasoning and confirmation bias: We disproportionately notice and remember information that supports what we assume is true, and we construct justifications for arriving at the conclusions we prefer while finding reasons to ignore or dismiss anything that challenges those beliefs” (Cohn).

TASK #2

Proposing in advance the “what” and “why” of a thesis before you start writing about it is referred to as a précis. In a few sentences, write a précis of your Unit 1 essay, starting with a paraphrase of its thesis.

Identifying and describing for your readers the usefulness of the sources you will be citing is important to what’s called an annotated bibliography. Name one (or more) of the required Unit 1 readings you intend to quote and cite in your essay, and briefly explain why. Your explanation should be specific about how it relates to your definition as set forth in your thesis. (You’re welcome to include the actual quote in your response.)

An explanation of the writer’s investment in their topic—its immediate relevance to them, and their motivation for writing about it—is known as a personal statement. Briefly provide a personal statement about how you are connected to, or invested in, your essay’s topic. If you like, you may also reference the personal details you plan to include in your Unit 1 essay.