1. Critical Thinking and The Liberal Arts: We Neglect Them at our Peril. Based on the title alone I hypothesize that the article is going to be focused on the importance of the liberal arts and critical thinking. The subtitle indicates that the liberal arts and critical thinking are so important that if society continues to reject them there will be “peril.”

2.

1. The first section of the article “What are the Liberal Arts?” breaks down the terms liberal and art to help the reader fully understand the topic. The writer explains that liberal in this case, simply means freedom of the mind. Art originally meant “skill” or “applied knowledge” in contrast to the visual aesthetics we associate the term with today. The writer explains that, “ liberal arts is also a complicated and antiquated term, yoking together two words that don’t obviously belong in harness and may not be ideally suited for hauling their intellectual load into the twenty-first century”. Although todays definitions may make the term confusing, if anyone were to use critical thinking it would be easy to understand the meaning behind the term and its origin.
2. Civic dimension, economic citizenship, and cultural citizenship are the three explored topics in the section “Why Do We Need Liberal Arts”? The section explains that not every citizen necessarily needs to go into the liberal arts careers. However the quote: “But we all need to be well-informed, critical citizens. And the liberal arts prepare students for citizenship in all three senses—civic, economic, and cultural.” explains that the skills acquired with liberal arts should be universal. 
3. “What is Critical Thinking?” begins with the quote: “Critical thinking is the intellectual 
4. engine of a functional democracy.” The article goes on to explain that in order to have true, complete democracy, every member of a society must be able to think critically. It is necessary to question everything before you believe anything.
5. The final section, “The Importance of Critical Inquiry” explains that careful language is vital in order to critically analyze. The writer explains that we must pay attention to, “ truth, nature, value, causality, complexity, morality, freedom, excellence, and—as Wittgenstein understood—language itself, as the principal medium of thought”. Although these are not ways to fully understand topics these are effective ways to better understand.

3. Both Scheuer and The Core Handbook both seem to strategize to create a “well rounded” “citizen.” Both influence readers to work towards bettering oneself academically in order to better oneself fully. Both pieces seem focused specifically on citizenship and making sure the reader is aware of civic, economic, and cultural issues to the extent where one can create their own opinions. This strategy, if used, would help create a fully democratic society.

• 

• 

•