Teacher: So, what are the central arguments and sub-arguments of the article?
Health: The central argument is that learning requires the spirit of doubt. These two arguments are the first sentence of paragraph 6. "Doubt is not only a necessary step to distinguish truth from falsehood, but also a basic condition for establishing new theories and enlightening new inventions from the front."
Teacher: Moreover, the first sentence of the sixth paragraph also plays a connecting role, and it is the key sentence for us to sort out the structure of the argument, right? Can the central argument be summarized in the original sentence?
Health: You can use two famous sayings quoted at the beginning of the article. "Scholars must be suspicious first." "Knowledge is in doubt."
Teacher: From this point of view, the famous quote quoted at the beginning can be understood as an argument (theoretical argument) to prove the central argument, and it can also be regarded as the central argument, right? So, what does important and valuable skepticism mean?
Health: "think in advance, don't believe it", the third line of the fourth paragraph.
Teacher: It's clear, isn't it? Judging from the examples (factual arguments) cited in the article, such as Dai Zhen's reading "University Chapters", what is the most important behavior expression of "skepticism"?
Health: Keep asking questions and get to the bottom of it.
Teacher: Is it enough to "discard the false and retain the true" and "establish new theories and enlighten new inventions"? What does the author say about this?
Health: "Thinking because of doubt and distinguishing right from wrong because of thinking" should go through three steps of "doubt", "thinking" and "discrimination" before it can be regarded as blind obedience or superstition. Section 5
Health: The sixth paragraph "always argue with the theory in the book, often judge the theory in the book, and often revise the theory in the book", thus producing newer and better theories.
Health: And the author says that "doubt" is only "necessary step" and "basic condition".
Teacher: Good. Several students quickly found the key sentences. From these three points, the author believes that "skepticism" begins with questioning and thinking, and is often associated with discrimination, debate, judgment and correction. Then, can we reread the article Doubt and Learning with what the author taught us about "doubt"? Can we criticize and question the author's point of view with "incredulous attitude" and "in constant questioning and solving"?
(Students think and communicate)
Teacher: Who asked the question first?
Student: Teacher, in the second paragraph, the author says, "Knowledge is based on facts and evidence. There are two sources of facts and evidence: one is what I saw with my own eyes, and the other is what I heard from others. " Are these the only two sources of facts and evidence? For example: Is reading a kind? Moreover, what we see with our own eyes is limited after all. If we doubt what we have not seen with our own eyes and refuse to believe it easily, isn't the foundation of our study slow and not solid?
? Teacher: This is a very good question. I don't know if any students will come to "argue" or "correct" with him and talk about your thinking and understanding.
Health: I think the author's "listening to other people's legends" actually includes reading, or he means "not seeing everything with his own eyes". In addition, what the author may want to express is not to doubt all the "legends", but to say "you can't believe them casually" and "think about them carefully".
Teacher: Good. You take your classmates to explain the author's views and attitudes in the context. I agree with your understanding, especially that "you can't believe it casually" doesn't mean "you must doubt it". In fact, any views and opinions are aimed at a certain phenomenon, a certain kind of problem or a certain group. Perhaps the reason why the author emphasizes the "skeptical spirit" of "not credulous" is precisely because he has seen many people "credulous". Ok, do other students have any questions about this paragraph?
Health: I think the author also has a very loose expression. He said, "The most important and reliable material is the factual basis that you saw with your own eyes." This seems to be absolute. We are often taught that what we see is not necessarily true, so sometimes what we see with our own eyes is not necessarily reliable.
Teacher: Is there such an example in real life?
Health: There are (many people).
Health: Yes. Now WeChat and friends circle remind you that the forwarded video looks real, but it is not credible. That was not the case. A lot of information that was later proved to be false was a rumor, but it was just to attract people's attention.
Teacher: So, we often say "WeChat" can only be "trust a letter a little" (laughs). But the video and information in the circle of friends are different from what I saw with my own eyes. Are there any "illusions" (untrue) in your life that you have seen with your own eyes?
Health: Yes! Normal people pretend to be disabled. I once met a beggar who played dumb.
Teacher: The author thinks that "the most reliable thing is the factual evidence he saw with his own eyes", so he only talks about "being skeptical about the legendary words". This view seems to have been revised under our thinking and questioning. Do you think the view that "the most important thing in learning is the factual arguments you have seen with your own eyes" is credible?
Health: I don't think so, although there is no evidence for the time being.
Teacher: Very honest. I am also skeptical about this and need some facts and evidence to refute it. Do other students still have their own doubts and discoveries? For example, the first two famous sayings, what the students just said can be understood as the central argument. Do they mean the same thing?
Student: It should be different. One is "doubt before learning" and the other is "doubt after learning". The former sentence emphasizes "will" and the latter sentence emphasizes "must".
Teacher: Can you be more specific? "Will" can be understood as? What does "must" mean? What is the difference between "doubt" and "learning" in the two words?
Student: "Being an excellent scholar is an official" emphasizes "being good at questioning and doubting when studying". "Learning needs doubt" means "learning needs skepticism and critical thinking".
Teacher: So, which sentence is closer to the author's central point of view?
Health: "Learning needs doubt".
Teacher: Do the students agree?
Health: Identity (Chorus)
Teacher: Is there anything else to doubt and distinguish?
Student: Teacher, in the fifth paragraph, the author says that knowledge is your own "three steps of going through doubt, thinking and discrimination". Can the order of these three steps be reversed?
Teacher: Why do you ask?
Student: I don't think it can be adjusted, because generally speaking, the language of argumentative writing is very accurate and logical. But I always feel that "thinking because of doubt" is not in line with the actual situation. When we read a book or judge whether a statement is right or wrong, don't we all have doubts after thinking and deliberation? With questions, there is further reasoning and argumentation.
Teacher: I really appreciate that you can use your life experience to question and criticize. And you used the qualifier "generally speaking" in your answer to express your point of view, which shows that you think thoroughly and praise you. How to judge "thinking because of doubt" here? Can the three steps of "doubt", "thinking" and "discrimination" be interchanged? I also want to solve it for my classmates. Who will talk about their own thinking and understanding?
Student: I think the students' questioning is reasonable. Doubt begins with thinking, not thinking. Where can there be "doubtless doubt"?
Health: I think the "thinking because of doubt" here emphasizes that no matter what kind of books and knowledge, we must first have a posture of not blindly following and superstitious, so that we can think with our brains, ask questions, seek answers and distinguish right from wrong, good from bad. It's not whether doubt or thinking comes first.
Health: You have a point. But this statement is still not rigorous enough.
Teacher: Students have the flavor of "debate", and their views tend to become clearer and clearer. I thought of this sentence in the penultimate line of the sixth paragraph from your speech, "All scholars, not only about folklore, but also about the theories of scholars in the past, often argue with the theories in the book and often judge the theories in the book: only in this way can we produce newer and better theories." Are the four "Chang" here interchangeable in content? Why?
Student: (The student who asked the question first answered) You can't exchange it here. Because there is no "doubt" about the theories of scholars in the past, there will be no "argument", and there will be no "revision" of the theories in the book.
……
Teacher: It is necessary and valuable to be skeptical about knowledge and study. From the questioning, criticism, interpretation and debate of the author's views and arguments just now, I found that the students grasped the essence of this spirit and also showed the thinking quality of daring to speculate and question. Mencius once said: "I wonder if I can praise his poems and read his books." Is based on its world. " To truly understand Doubt, we really need to know the author Gu Jiegang. He put forward the theory that "the ancient history of China is formed by accumulation" and became the founder of China's "ancient history discrimination" school. His "Discrimination of Ancient History" is actually a "theory of doubting the ancient", which originally originated from the "doubt" in the evolution of traditional Chinese opera. He used this "suspicious" method to study and explore history, and few people can match his achievements. His life can be said to be accompanied by "doubt". Doubt and Learning is a summary of his learning experience and a true confession to future generations. After class, I might as well collect some information about Mr. Gu Jiegang and read it, so as to trace back to the source and know the world. Moreover, as far as I know, Doubt and Learning, which has been compiled into the textbook, has many abridgements compared with the original text, and some studies suspect that the author of this article was not written by this historian Gu Jiegang, but was compiled by his students according to Mr. Wang's dictation. Interested students may wish to find relevant materials to read, and may have some new thoughts and discoveries.