هلا
مشكوره عزيزتي موضوع في غاية الروعه
بس اذا ماعليك امر
تقدري تسويلي موضوع عنWrite an essay comparing distance to traditional education
يعني مقاله فيها مقارنه بين التعليم التقليدي والتعليم عن بعد
باسرع وقت
هذا اذا ماكان في مانع
تحياتي لكِ
How do we define teaching at a distance? What should be accept as a reasonable "teaching at a distance" paradigm? Are there substantive differences between distance education which includes students spread across a state or region and students who log on and participate from their dorm rooms on campus?
What constitutes distance ed?
Telecourses (TV courses, fiber optics), correspondence courses, online courses,tutoring.
distance between the teacher and students in face-to-face.
What leads to distance ed?
Economics, rural situations, access issues, strategic connections between cooperating institutions, K12 and post-secondary linkages, weather.
Concerns?
More students per instructor
Preparation time and course release
Need for distance ed should govern who can take the course. Dorm is not usually distance.
Campus politics --> might think fewer teachers are needed
Reproduce "push technology" model over interactive model
How are issues of promotion, tenure, and academic recognition affected by teaching at a distance? Are standard measures "one size fits all"? Can we ask the same questions about teaching excellence for distance and classroom-based teaching? For instance, are students who never see the teacher going to answer questions about the teacher's concern for the individual student in the same ways that students in a traditional classroom-based environment answer that question? How does peer review and class observation change when there is no classroom to observe -- only transcripts to read? What can we (what should we) accept as reasonable evaluation of the work we do when teaching at a distance?
'zines? referred publications
college and institutional service -- community
terms and translations
department or college basis for statements
What counts as what? Deal with loose ends
How do we counter the arguments of economics, or what do we do when distance education decisions are based on untrue assumptions about the teaching load and the interaction with students when those students are not physically present? What are the misconceptions someone unfamiliar with the student-teacher interaction typical of writing instruction or with the workload required for teaching with computers is likely to make? At its most basic, how do we answer the administrator who cackles with glee about the development of distance classes because now the school can teach twice as many students online for half the cost?
English department realistic about the costs of distance learning -- probably more expensive than traditional. Pressure comes from limitations of physical campus. 40K students on 30K size campus. Charge more per credit hour for classes online!
Also willing to teach the technical part rather than considering it an innocent conduit
Mandate from the state to offer distance ed. We should remind admins that video/audio delivery is expensive, and although text-based stuff is bandwidth cheap, it's labor intensive.
Spanish distance learning in CA hasn't worked. Need to have contracts that specify what instructors are supposed to do -- are they responsible for tech support and troubleshooting as well as content teaching?
Beware of overload
School of education in Florida is going for the "telepresence" model, no limits on class size? Is there a way to get unions involved, or faculty governing boards?
Can we also make contacts with students, students groups as well as unions-->Our working environment is your learning environment.
30/40 minutes per essay in distance type class, but multiplicity of word processors: how long does it take to convert/decode an essay, let alone comment on it? We need to set standards for software to make these kinds of classes work.
Suggestions from our group:
class size not to exceed traditional class size
teachers need technical support
maintain interactivity --> goal to value agency of the students, not make them passive
teachers should not be asked to be available (via email, etc) more hours a day than they would be IRL
we see a good future for distance learning IF it's done right
CCCC should survey members, not only of this SIG, but all members, to find out how their schools are moving toward distance learning -- also what experiences people have already had with distance learning (stats, anecdotal, etc.)
What useful analogies can we draw between traditional classroom-based teaching and distance teaching? Are there things we should compare? things we shouldn't? And how do these analogies affect the way we think about, construct, and evaluate teaching at a distance? How does teaching (and learning) at a distance reshape, redefine, revolutionize what we think of as the university?
Analogies and success depend on abilities and environment of students involved
Students need to be self-motivated
Conrad Scott-Curtis works with a gifted population from 4th graders through seniors in college -- people who are ahead of the rest of their class
Patricia Hofer worked with less gifted, less motivated students working 40 hours per week who couldn't find the time
ANALOGY: Time spent in class is analogous to time spent online. This is at least as important for students who are considering distance learning as for faculty. This may be time spent in synchronous environments or simply time spent reading and writing asynchronous messages.
ANALOGY: The time that it takes a faculty member to communicate with a class in a distance-learning environment is more analogous to holding a series of one-on-one conferences than it is to meeting a class for three hours a week. This point is important to make to administrators.
ANALOGY: Universal or widespread distance education is analogous to a bad high school which crams students of all ability levels into the same classroom with the same assignments at the same speed. Distance education may be more appropriate for gifted students.
ANALOGY: Distance education models are analogous to process-oriented models in the way they can provide individualized scaffolds for different students as they draft and revise.
ANALOGY: Students need to be convinced that communicating online is analogous to talking (i.e., they need to learn to communicate spontaneously and easily on the computer) -- at least at times. We need to come up with assessment instruments for online courses, for assessment of the program -- both by people who've taken part in it and by faculty.
How do you handle the special challenges of teaching at a distance? How is teaching affected by students you never see? How do you maintain control when you can never raise your voice or ask everyone to focus on one topic? What special strategies do we need to foster in students to help them succeed in this setting? What coping strategies can help with the geographically decentered classroom?
Different ways of delivery -- Distance Learning and how to combine them?
TV/Cable Teaching
Teleconferencing (works well, but there are limits)
MOOS
Email
Lecture Mode must be considered a real danger
Plagiarism issue very important. Cheating is seen as easy by outsiders. We need to handle this by knowing more about our students' writing abilities. Simple solutions: draft submissions
Class size -- changes our relationship with our students and our abilities to teach effectively
How to instruct the tentative student? Tone issues and miscommunication.
Cultural communication issues as well (in our community, etc.) Especially in translocal classes
Ripe situation for exploitation
What constitutes distance ed?
Telecourses (TV courses, fiber optics), correspondence courses, online courses,tutoring.
distance between the teacher and students in face-to-face.
What leads to distance ed?
Economics, rural situations, access issues, strategic connections between cooperating institutions, K12 and post-secondary linkages, weather.
Concerns?
More students per instructor
Preparation time and course release
Need for distance ed should govern who can take the course. Dorm is not usually distance.
Campus politics --> might think fewer teachers are needed
Reproduce "push technology" model over interactive model
How are issues of promotion, tenure, and academic recognition affected by teaching at a distance? Are standard measures "one size fits all"? Can we ask the same questions about teaching excellence for distance and classroom-based teaching? For instance, are students who never see the teacher going to answer questions about the teacher's concern for the individual student in the same ways that students in a traditional classroom-based environment answer that question? How does peer review and class observation change when there is no classroom to observe -- only transcripts to read? What can we (what should we) accept as reasonable evaluation of the work we do when teaching at a distance?
'zines? referred publications
college and institutional service -- community
terms and translations
department or college basis for statements
What counts as what? Deal with loose ends
How do we counter the arguments of economics, or what do we do when distance education decisions are based on untrue assumptions about the teaching load and the interaction with students when those students are not physically present? What are the misconceptions someone unfamiliar with the student-teacher interaction typical of writing instruction or with the workload required for teaching with computers is likely to make? At its most basic, how do we answer the administrator who cackles with glee about the development of distance classes because now the school can teach twice as many students online for half the cost?
English department realistic about the costs of distance learning -- probably more expensive than traditional. Pressure comes from limitations of physical campus. 40K students on 30K size campus. Charge more per credit hour for classes online!
Also willing to teach the technical part rather than considering it an innocent conduit
Mandate from the state to offer distance ed. We should remind admins that video/audio delivery is expensive, and although text-based stuff is bandwidth cheap, it's labor intensive.
Spanish distance learning in CA hasn't worked. Need to have contracts that specify what instructors are supposed to do -- are they responsible for tech support and troubleshooting as well as content teaching?
Beware of overload
School of education in Florida is going for the "telepresence" model, no limits on class size? Is there a way to get unions involved, or faculty governing boards?
Can we also make contacts with students, students groups as well as unions-->Our working environment is your learning environment.
30/40 minutes per essay in distance type class, but multiplicity of word processors: how long does it take to convert/decode an essay, let alone comment on it? We need to set standards for software to make these kinds of classes work.
Suggestions from our group:
class size not to exceed traditional class size
teachers need technical support
maintain interactivity --> goal to value agency of the students, not make them passive
teachers should not be asked to be available (via email, etc) more hours a day than they would be IRL
we see a good future for distance learning IF it's done right
CCCC should survey members, not only of this SIG, but all members, to find out how their schools are moving toward distance learning -- also what experiences people have already had with distance learning (stats, anecdotal, etc.)
What useful analogies can we draw between traditional classroom-based teaching and distance teaching? Are there things we should compare? things we shouldn't? And how do these analogies affect the way we think about, construct, and evaluate teaching at a distance? How does teaching (and learning) at a distance reshape, redefine, revolutionize what we think of as the university?
Analogies and success depend on abilities and environment of students involved
Students need to be self-motivated
Conrad Scott-Curtis works with a gifted population from 4th graders through seniors in college -- people who are ahead of the rest of their class
Patricia Hofer worked with less gifted, less motivated students working 40 hours per week who couldn't find the time
ANALOGY: Time spent in class is analogous to time spent online. This is at least as important for students who are considering distance learning as for faculty. This may be time spent in synchronous environments or simply time spent reading and writing asynchronous messages.
ANALOGY: The time that it takes a faculty member to communicate with a class in a distance-learning environment is more analogous to holding a series of one-on-one conferences than it is to meeting a class for three hours a week. This point is important to make to administrators.
ANALOGY: Universal or widespread distance education is analogous to a bad high school which crams students of all ability levels into the same classroom with the same assignments at the same speed. Distance education may be more appropriate for gifted students.
ANALOGY: Distance education models are analogous to process-oriented models in the way they can provide individualized scaffolds for different students as they draft and revise.
ANALOGY: Students need to be convinced that communicating online is analogous to talking (i.e., they need to learn to communicate spontaneously and easily on the computer) -- at least at times. We need to come up with assessment instruments for online courses, for assessment of the program -- both by people who've taken part in it and by faculty.
How do you handle the special challenges of teaching at a distance? How is teaching affected by students you never see? How do you maintain control when you can never raise your voice or ask everyone to focus on one topic? What special strategies do we need to foster in students to help them succeed in this setting? What coping strategies can help with the geographically decentered classroom?
Different ways of delivery -- Distance Learning and how to combine them?
TV/Cable Teaching
Teleconferencing (works well, but there are limits)
MOOS
Lecture Mode must be considered a real danger
Plagiarism issue very important. Cheating is seen as easy by outsiders. We need to handle this by knowing more about our students' writing abilities. Simple solutions: draft submissions
Class size -- changes our relationship with our students and our abilities to teach effectively
How to instruct the tentative student? Tone issues and miscommunication.
Cultural communication issues as well (in our community, etc.) Especially in translocal classes
Ripe situation for exploitation
تدنيس القرآن في جوانتانامو
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Detainees at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, alleged in 2002 that guards mistreated the Quran, according to some of the hundreds of FBI documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU obtained the documents from the FBI through a federal court order in a lawsuit based on a Freedom of Information Act request. Most of them are records of detainee interviews with FBI agents.
According to the documents, released Wednesday by the ACLU, a detainee interviewed in August 2002 said guards had flushed a copy of the Quran in a toilet.
Others reported the Quran being kicked, withheld as punishment and thrown on the floor.
Prisoners also complained about "non-believers" touching the book, according to the documents.
A senior Pentagon official said Wednesday that on May 14 camp officials re-interviewed the detainee who made the flushing claim and he failed to substantiate it.
The senior official also denied allegations by detainees that interrogators desecrated Qurans to intimidate them.
FBI officials said the documents released Wednesday merely reflect allegations made by individuals interviewed by the FBI.
The FBI did not investigate the allegations and said that would be the responsibility of the Defense Department.
In addition to complaints about the treatment of the Quran, detainees told FBI agents about alleged beatings, planned suicides, hunger strikes and sexual assaults, according to the documents.
"The United States government continues to turn a blind eye to mounting evidence of widespread abuse of detainees held in its custody," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero in a news release.
"If we are to truly repair America's standing in the world, the Bush administration must hold accountable high-ranking officials who allow the continuing abuse and torture of detainees."
The ACLU said it made the Freedom of Information Act request in October 2003 and filed a lawsuit in June 2004 demanding the government comply.
The group said that so far more than 35,000 pages of government documents have been released in response to the FOIA lawsuit.
But it contends the Pentagon and CIA continue to "unlawfully" withhold "documents concerning abuse and torture of prisoners" and said it will go back to federal court to argue that position.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters Wednesday that past accusations have had credibility issues.
"There have been allegations made by detainees," McClellan said. "We know that members of al Qaeda are trained to mislead and to provide false reports.
"We know that's one of their tactics that they use. And so I think you have to keep that in mind as well."
Pentagon review
Last week, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita, during an extensive answer about abuse allegations, said the Defense Department was reviewing how U.S. troops handle the Quran.
"There have been instances, and we'll have more to say about it as we learn more, but where a Quran may have fallen to the floor in the course of searching a cell," Di Rita told reporters.
"So they've reviewed the standard operating procedures to see if perhaps we could have been more careful in those cases."
"The philosophy as reflected in the standard operating procedures is one of great respect for the Quran and other religious articles, and for the detainees' practice of their faith, and that's what we're doing," he said.
A recent Newsweek magazine article alleged that U.S. investigators concluded that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay had desecrated the Quran, in one instance by flushing the Muslim holy book down a toilet.
Newsweek subsequently retracted the report, saying its government source had indicated doubts about his information after publication. (Full story)
The Bush administration blamed the report, at least in part, for deadly violence that erupted in early May, when thousands of demonstrators marched in Afghanistan and other parts of the Muslim world.
But some U.S. and Newsweek officials said the magazine article was not to blame for the violence.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said this week during a trip to the United States the protests were "directed at the peace process" and the "elections in Afghanistan." (Full story)
On May 13, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited a U.S. commander as saying the protests in Jalalabad, at least, were more about local politics than anti-American sentiment stirred up by the Newsweek report.
Other allegations
The International Committee of the Red Cross said last week it had gathered "credible" reports about U.S. personnel at Guantanamo Bay disrespecting the Quran and had raised the issue with the Pentagon several times.
Group spokesman Simon Schorno said the allegations were made by detainees to Red Cross representatives who visited the detention facility throughout 2002 and 2003. (Full story)
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said then that the Pentagon in 2003 issued strict guidelines on how U.S. personnel should handle the Quran.
Schorno said the Red Cross heard no more allegations about mishandling of the Quran after the guidelines were issued.
Also Wednesday, Amnesty International criticized the United States in its annual report on human rights, calling on foreign governments to investigate President Bush and members of his administration. (Full story)
The London, England-based group detailed claims of alleged mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
The naval base at Guantanamo Bay houses 520 detainees, according to the Department of Defense Web site.
أحترام ألأديان
Should We Respect Religion? Does Religion Deserve Respect?
Religious Believers Demanding Respect:
An increasing source of conflict in the world today is centered around religious believers’ demands for respect. Muslims demand “respect” that would forbid criticism, satire, or mocking of their religion. Christians demand “respect” that would amount to something very similar. Nonbelievers are caught in a bind when it’s not clear what “respect” is supposed to entail and how it is supposed to be achieved. If respect is so important to believers, they need to be clear about what they want.
Respect vs. Tolerance:
Sometimes, a person who wants respect is simply asking for tolerance. The minimal definition of tolerance is a state where one has the power to punish, restrict, or make something difficult but consciously chooses not to. Thus I may tolerate the barking of a dog even if I have the ability to stop it. When it comes to non-violent, consensual behavior, religious believers’ demand for tolerance is usually reasonable and should be granted. It’s rare, though, that this is all that is desired.
Going Beyond Tolerance:
Respect and tolerance are not synonyms; tolerance is a very minimalist attitude whereas respect involves something more active and positive. You can think very negatively about something you tolerate, but there is something contradictory about thinking very negatively about the exact same thing you are also respecting. Thus, at the very least, respect requires that one have have positive thoughts, impressions, or emotions when it comes to the religion in question. This isn’t always reasonable.
Should Beliefs Be Respected?:
There seems to be a popular impression that beliefs deserve automatic respect, and therefore that religious beliefs should be respected. Why? Should we respect racism or Nazism? Of course not. Beliefs don’t merit automatic respect because some beliefs are immoral, evil, or just plain stupid. Beliefs may be able to earn a person’s respect, but it’s an abdication of moral and intellectual responsibility to automatically accord the same respect to all beliefs.
Should the Right to Believe be Respected?:
Just because a belief is immoral or stupid doesn’t mean that there is no right to believe it. Belief may be unwise or irrational, but a right to belief must cover such beliefs if it’s to have any meaning at all. Therefore, a person’s right to believe things and to hold their religious beliefs must be respected. Having a right to a belief, however, is not the same as having a right to not hear criticism of that belief. The right to criticize has the same basis as the right to believe.
Should Believers Be Respected?:
Although beliefs must earn respect and should not receive automatic respect, the same is not true of people. Every human being deserves some basic minimum of respect right from the beginning, regardless of what they believe. Their actions and beliefs may lead to greater respect over time, or they may strain your ability to maintain that minimum. A person is not the same as what that person believes; respect or lack thereof for one should not lead to the exact same for the other.
Respect vs. Deference:
The most significant problem with believers’ demands for respect for their religions and/or religious beliefs is that “respect” too often amounts to “deference.” Deferring to religion or religious beliefs means according them a privileged status — something understandable for believers, but not something which can be demanded from nonbelievers. Religious beliefs merit no more deference than any other claims and religions do not merit deference from nonbelievers.
How Religion Can and Should Be Respected:
The increasingly raucous demands from religious believers that their religions be accorded more “respect” in the public square and from non-adherents is a sign that something very serious is going on — but what, exactly? Believers apparently feel that they are being slighted and insulted in a significant manner, but is this true, or is it instead a case of mutual misunderstanding? It may be that both are occurring at various times, but we won’t get to the root of the problem without being clear about our terminology — and this means that religious believers must make it clear what sort of “respect” they are asking for.
In many instances, we’ll find that religious believers are not asking for something appropriate — they are asking for deference, positive thoughts, and privileges for themselves, their beliefs, and their religions. Rarely, if ever, are such things justified. In other instances, we may find that they aren’t being accorded the basic tolerance and respect which they deserve as human beings, and they are justified in speaking out.
Respecting religion, religious beliefs, and religious believers does not and cannot include treating them with kid gloves. If believers want respect, then they must be treated as adults who are responsible and culpable for what they assert — for better and for worse. This means that their claims should be treated seriously with substantive responses and critiques, if criticism is warranted. If believers are willing to present their position in a rational, coherent manner, then they deserve a rational and coherent response — including critical responses. If they are unwilling or unable to present their views in a rational and coherent manner, then they should anticipate being dismissed with little afterthought.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Detainees at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, alleged in 2002 that guards mistreated the Quran, according to some of the hundreds of FBI documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU obtained the documents from the FBI through a federal court order in a lawsuit based on a Freedom of Information Act request. Most of them are records of detainee interviews with FBI agents.
According to the documents, released Wednesday by the ACLU, a detainee interviewed in August 2002 said guards had flushed a copy of the Quran in a toilet.
Others reported the Quran being kicked, withheld as punishment and thrown on the floor.
Prisoners also complained about "non-believers" touching the book, according to the documents.
A senior Pentagon official said Wednesday that on May 14 camp officials re-interviewed the detainee who made the flushing claim and he failed to substantiate it.
The senior official also denied allegations by detainees that interrogators desecrated Qurans to intimidate them.
FBI officials said the documents released Wednesday merely reflect allegations made by individuals interviewed by the FBI.
The FBI did not investigate the allegations and said that would be the responsibility of the Defense Department.
In addition to complaints about the treatment of the Quran, detainees told FBI agents about alleged beatings, planned suicides, hunger strikes and sexual assaults, according to the documents.
"The United States government continues to turn a blind eye to mounting evidence of widespread abuse of detainees held in its custody," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero in a news release.
"If we are to truly repair America's standing in the world, the Bush administration must hold accountable high-ranking officials who allow the continuing abuse and torture of detainees."
The ACLU said it made the Freedom of Information Act request in October 2003 and filed a lawsuit in June 2004 demanding the government comply.
The group said that so far more than 35,000 pages of government documents have been released in response to the FOIA lawsuit.
But it contends the Pentagon and CIA continue to "unlawfully" withhold "documents concerning abuse and torture of prisoners" and said it will go back to federal court to argue that position.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters Wednesday that past accusations have had credibility issues.
"There have been allegations made by detainees," McClellan said. "We know that members of al Qaeda are trained to mislead and to provide false reports.
"We know that's one of their tactics that they use. And so I think you have to keep that in mind as well."
Pentagon review
Last week, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita, during an extensive answer about abuse allegations, said the Defense Department was reviewing how U.S. troops handle the Quran.
"There have been instances, and we'll have more to say about it as we learn more, but where a Quran may have fallen to the floor in the course of searching a cell," Di Rita told reporters.
"So they've reviewed the standard operating procedures to see if perhaps we could have been more careful in those cases."
"The philosophy as reflected in the standard operating procedures is one of great respect for the Quran and other religious articles, and for the detainees' practice of their faith, and that's what we're doing," he said.
A recent Newsweek magazine article alleged that U.S. investigators concluded that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay had desecrated the Quran, in one instance by flushing the Muslim holy book down a toilet.
Newsweek subsequently retracted the report, saying its government source had indicated doubts about his information after publication. (Full story)
The Bush administration blamed the report, at least in part, for deadly violence that erupted in early May, when thousands of demonstrators marched in Afghanistan and other parts of the Muslim world.
But some U.S. and Newsweek officials said the magazine article was not to blame for the violence.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said this week during a trip to the United States the protests were "directed at the peace process" and the "elections in Afghanistan." (Full story)
On May 13, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited a U.S. commander as saying the protests in Jalalabad, at least, were more about local politics than anti-American sentiment stirred up by the Newsweek report.
Other allegations
The International Committee of the Red Cross said last week it had gathered "credible" reports about U.S. personnel at Guantanamo Bay disrespecting the Quran and had raised the issue with the Pentagon several times.
Group spokesman Simon Schorno said the allegations were made by detainees to Red Cross representatives who visited the detention facility throughout 2002 and 2003. (Full story)
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said then that the Pentagon in 2003 issued strict guidelines on how U.S. personnel should handle the Quran.
Schorno said the Red Cross heard no more allegations about mishandling of the Quran after the guidelines were issued.
Also Wednesday, Amnesty International criticized the United States in its annual report on human rights, calling on foreign governments to investigate President Bush and members of his administration. (Full story)
The London, England-based group detailed claims of alleged mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
The naval base at Guantanamo Bay houses 520 detainees, according to the Department of Defense Web site.
أحترام ألأديان
Should We Respect Religion? Does Religion Deserve Respect?
Religious Believers Demanding Respect:
An increasing source of conflict in the world today is centered around religious believers’ demands for respect. Muslims demand “respect” that would forbid criticism, satire, or mocking of their religion. Christians demand “respect” that would amount to something very similar. Nonbelievers are caught in a bind when it’s not clear what “respect” is supposed to entail and how it is supposed to be achieved. If respect is so important to believers, they need to be clear about what they want.
Respect vs. Tolerance:
Sometimes, a person who wants respect is simply asking for tolerance. The minimal definition of tolerance is a state where one has the power to punish, restrict, or make something difficult but consciously chooses not to. Thus I may tolerate the barking of a dog even if I have the ability to stop it. When it comes to non-violent, consensual behavior, religious believers’ demand for tolerance is usually reasonable and should be granted. It’s rare, though, that this is all that is desired.
Going Beyond Tolerance:
Respect and tolerance are not synonyms; tolerance is a very minimalist attitude whereas respect involves something more active and positive. You can think very negatively about something you tolerate, but there is something contradictory about thinking very negatively about the exact same thing you are also respecting. Thus, at the very least, respect requires that one have have positive thoughts, impressions, or emotions when it comes to the religion in question. This isn’t always reasonable.
Should Beliefs Be Respected?:
There seems to be a popular impression that beliefs deserve automatic respect, and therefore that religious beliefs should be respected. Why? Should we respect racism or Nazism? Of course not. Beliefs don’t merit automatic respect because some beliefs are immoral, evil, or just plain stupid. Beliefs may be able to earn a person’s respect, but it’s an abdication of moral and intellectual responsibility to automatically accord the same respect to all beliefs.
Should the Right to Believe be Respected?:
Just because a belief is immoral or stupid doesn’t mean that there is no right to believe it. Belief may be unwise or irrational, but a right to belief must cover such beliefs if it’s to have any meaning at all. Therefore, a person’s right to believe things and to hold their religious beliefs must be respected. Having a right to a belief, however, is not the same as having a right to not hear criticism of that belief. The right to criticize has the same basis as the right to believe.
Should Believers Be Respected?:
Although beliefs must earn respect and should not receive automatic respect, the same is not true of people. Every human being deserves some basic minimum of respect right from the beginning, regardless of what they believe. Their actions and beliefs may lead to greater respect over time, or they may strain your ability to maintain that minimum. A person is not the same as what that person believes; respect or lack thereof for one should not lead to the exact same for the other.
Respect vs. Deference:
The most significant problem with believers’ demands for respect for their religions and/or religious beliefs is that “respect” too often amounts to “deference.” Deferring to religion or religious beliefs means according them a privileged status — something understandable for believers, but not something which can be demanded from nonbelievers. Religious beliefs merit no more deference than any other claims and religions do not merit deference from nonbelievers.
How Religion Can and Should Be Respected:
The increasingly raucous demands from religious believers that their religions be accorded more “respect” in the public square and from non-adherents is a sign that something very serious is going on — but what, exactly? Believers apparently feel that they are being slighted and insulted in a significant manner, but is this true, or is it instead a case of mutual misunderstanding? It may be that both are occurring at various times, but we won’t get to the root of the problem without being clear about our terminology — and this means that religious believers must make it clear what sort of “respect” they are asking for.
In many instances, we’ll find that religious believers are not asking for something appropriate — they are asking for deference, positive thoughts, and privileges for themselves, their beliefs, and their religions. Rarely, if ever, are such things justified. In other instances, we may find that they aren’t being accorded the basic tolerance and respect which they deserve as human beings, and they are justified in speaking out.
Respecting religion, religious beliefs, and religious believers does not and cannot include treating them with kid gloves. If believers want respect, then they must be treated as adults who are responsible and culpable for what they assert — for better and for worse. This means that their claims should be treated seriously with substantive responses and critiques, if criticism is warranted. If believers are willing to present their position in a rational, coherent manner, then they deserve a rational and coherent response — including critical responses. If they are unwilling or unable to present their views in a rational and coherent manner, then they should anticipate being dismissed with little afterthought.
maitha04
•
ممكن تكتبين لي هاذي الرساله :)
Yesterday you bought a new computer from a shop in...... when you got home the computer did not work
Write a short letter of complaint to the manager of the shop
Yesterday you bought a new computer from a shop in...... when you got home the computer did not work
Write a short letter of complaint to the manager of the shop
الصفحة الأخيرة
وبارك الله فيك