HOT TOPIC #1: Is Language innate

One of the unagreed upon issues today in linguistics is whether or not language is innate. Innateness is a characteristic that genetically surfaces in a species. According to Dr. Noam Chomsky, language is innate for human beings. In researching this project, as the team investigated cognative science, it found this issue. Seeing much on both sides of the issue, the team emailed Dr. Adele E. Goldberg, a noted linguist with a PHD from the Univeristy of California, Berkeley. In fact in the last page, the team was sitting on top of her PHD thesis, which she made into a book called "CONSTRUCTIONS." She now teaches at the University of Illinois. She feels that language is not totally innate. The team thanks Dr. Goldberg for taking the time to encourage and respond. The team highly respects her as a thinker. She has co-written "VISUAL OBJECT-ORIENTED PRAMMING" (call QA76.64.V58 1995), which is totally awesome!!!! She was the only college professor to respond to our emails. She was sincerely interested in us and the project. What do you think? Are humans born to speak? Obviously we all do end up speaking. But would we speak if we had not been taught? Please use this comments page to provide your input on this issue. Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #2: Tradition

We have pointed out that tradition can be good and can be bad. We live in a century of radical paradym shifts. As teenages we are taught that those who fail to keep up are left behind. It drives the "technology" war just as much as the moon race drove the cold war. What do you think? Are our traditions worth keeping? Do some of them need to be changed. If you are not from the United States, could you explain to us the aspects of your culture you address that we may not understand. Does a culture's traditions impede economic progress? Why are such traditions valuable to you culture? Please send us your opinions from your cultural perspective. Have you seen tradition used as a thinking falacy by your countries politicians? Press here to return to comments page.

HOT TOPIC #3: Peer pressure

Do you feel that the principles in this page have better prepared you to address the fallacies in thinking that come from negative peer pressure? If so, please let us know. If you have practical applications to share with our reader audience, please include them. We feel that good leadership and people who want to succeed must have clear thinking skills. Please share the most often thinking fallacies that you have seen in negative peer pressure situations. Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #4: Lying

The United State historically began with a strong Judeo-Christian value system. Over the years we have seen an erosion of some of the older, more traditional Judeo-Christian values. Some major newspapers (like the Washington Post, Los Angeles Time, Chicago Tribune) have reported on events in the past year where the issue was possible perjury being committed by high ranking members of the US government. Over that time we saw illustrations of supporters of those accused using the rebuttal fallacy of poisoning the well. We have seen the use of the acceptance fallacy of ambiguity in the process. When a culture tolerates (has no penalty) lying, what do you think are the long-term affects on future generations? Why is the principle of truth so important to uphold for all? Some cultures in the 1990s experienced a radical paradym shift from survival through lying to a freedom that comes from the truth. Please share examples from your perspective, if you fit in this category. Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #5: The HAL threat

It was a shame Mr. Turing died so young. Do you believe that one day we might create a machine that can think like humans? As we have the ability to control our environment, would these computers be able to control us? Should we ethically or morally be investing money in funding grants to develop this kind of technology? Why or why not? Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #6: Trust

What does it take to trust or not trust a person, a friend, one in authority, a nation? What are the characteristics of persons you trust? When public trust has been violated, should a society ever trust that individual again? Why or why not? If you have had a trust violated, how did that color your thinking? The Boy Scouts promote trustworthiness as a virtue. Why do you think people break trust? Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #7: Beauty

Why do you think that humans appreciate the beauty of literature (such as poetry)? What is a distinctive of your country's culture as reflected in its literary forms and why do you think that the people of your culture appreciate that literary form? What are some of the art forms of your culture and why do you think the people of your culture appreciate that form? What is it that makes human thinking able to appreciate art, music, and other forms of athestics? What does your culture consider beautiful? What kind of inward characteristics does your culture consider virtuous? What do you think is attractive to the people of your culture and why? Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #8: Use it or lose it

If you are a teacher or mentor of teenagers, please respond to this topic!!! In the August 9, 1999 (just a week before this project was due) issue of U.S. News and World Report there is an interesting article called "Inside the Teen Brain." It springboards off of the ideas presented in our brain function tab. The article shares results of research done by Giedd of NIMH in 1991,reporting that "around age 9 or 10, neurons begin sprouting new connections, or synapses." Giedd says that when we become teenagers these synaptic connections start dying off, so that the brain "nourishes only useful connections." The implications of this are profound. This means that one either uses his/her potential during that time or he/she loses it. TEACHERS/MENTORS: It appears that the old theory of a child's being mostly developed by age 5, overlooks this critical period from 9 through teen years. Please report from your experience the impacts of mentoring and developmental results in light of this startling discovery. The U.S. News article reports that researchers believe that children who are striving to "understand abstract concepts are laying the neural foundations that will serve them for the rest of their lives." It is interesting that the national teacher certification program involves "integrated" and "critical" thinking skills. Such teaching seems to stimulate better synaptical infrastructure development. Yet, why are there so few teachers holding this certification since 1997 when goals 2000 came in? Teachers, please share your thoughts on these issues and on the article. Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #9: Depression and disfunction

ATTENTION: Counselors and Guidance Counselors In our project, we explained how mood affect and colors our perceptions of reality. The article "Inside the Teen Brain" in the August 9, 1999 issue of U.S. News and World Report reports on research conducted under Jay Giedd of the National Institute of Mental Health, where he has found links in neural development (see topic 8 above) to a teenager's learning environment. He has found that "kids who exercise their brains, by learning to marshall their thoughts" (maybe study skills or critical thinking concepts vs. couch potatoes watching TV) are causing their neural system to not "prune" new connections created during their growth spurt (from 9 to 12). The article reports on the neural circuitry developed while teens experience depression. Apparently, there is a chemical circuitry set in place during teen development which makes it more difficult to deal with depression when they mature to adulthood. This says much for the merits of having a happy childhood. But, counselor, what does this say about the at risk child in your school? Please share your experience. Please keep it generic. Don't use specific names, please. Press here to return to comments page

HOT TOPIC #10: Teens acting impulsively

TEENS: We highly recommend you read the article "Inside the Teen Brain" in the August 9, 1999 issue of U.S. News and World Report. The article present interesting research that our brain hardware, specifically the part that deals with making judgments (the prefrontal cortex of the brain) is not fully developed at puberty, but continues through the teen years. There are two dangers that arise during the teen years: (1) a tendency to act impulsively and (2) a misjudging of potential danger (manifested in risk taking). The limbic system in the brain deals with emotions (fear, anger, and aggression). The research conducted involved showing teens faces of people who were showing these emotions. Teens misidentified the emotional expression in the face more often then their adult counterpart in the experiment. So, what do you think? Do we act more impulsively? Do we take more risks? Can we be taught to have good judgment skills if our brain infrastructure has not yet developed? Should we be more cautious about situations where our emotions drive us to act before thinking through the situation? Press here to return to comments page

So, what are you waiting for? Give us some feedback on these hot topic issues, ok? If you did not see a topic you'd like to discuss (that is within the thematic material of the project), please put in a comment to that effect.