the ladder of inference

   The ladder of inference is a way that we draw conclusions, first proposed by Chris Argyris. The ladder of inference is seven rungs. The first rung is our observational data, the second rung is where we select what we think is important data, the third rung is where we add meaning, the fourth rung is where we make assumptions, the fifth rung is where we draw conclusions, the sixth rung is where we adopt beliefs, the last and seventh rung is where we take action. We can also create a loop with the first, observational data, and the seventh, take action, rungs. That also happens with the second, selecting data, and sixth, adopt beliefs, rungs. People believe that the ladder of inference creates bad judgement. There are also ways we can make sure that we are not drawing the wrong conclusions, asking questions and looking at body language.

Jonas's character traits.

Jonas's Character Traits

  'The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvient. Or unusual. The life without colour, pain, or past'. Jonas has never had anything unusual happen to him, most of his life was decided by others. He has never known about colours, seeing in black and white. He doesn't know anything about the past, until he becomes the Receiver. He is very curious and unsure, but brave.

  He is curious because he is always asking a lot of questions to the Giver, asking about the Receiver before him that didn't 'make' the job and about the Giver's family. He also wonders about a lot of different things. In the beginning, he wondered what job he was gonna get, later he wonders why everyone doesn't have memories and colours. In one paragraph where the Giver is explaining that the memories are the whole past, Jonas asks, "The Whole World? Do you mean not just us? Not just the community? Do you mean Elsewhere, too?"

  He is unsure because he's never really chosen what to do. He's never made his own choices, and never had anything unexpected happen to him. For example, when he's wondering what job he's  gonna get, he isn't sure because he's never focused on one spot. Also, when he got his instructions for his job, he is unsure of some of the rules. The book says that he wasn't quite ready to think about the final rule and he also seems unsure about the exemption from rudeness, as it says that it would be unnerving to ask an intimate question.

  He is brave because when he asked the Giver why the first memories didn't hurt and the Giver said that it need not be painful yet, he said that he was brave and got the memory of sunburn. Later in the book, Jonas knows that the sunburn wasn't great pain that gets the Giver hunched over in pain and he says, "What is it that makes you suffer so much? If you gave me some of it to me, maybe your pain would be less." He also goes on a maybe impossible quest to release the memories to everyone.

  I do not know how Jonas feels, but I have felt unsure before, whether it was about a presentation or making something. I also felt curious about some things, like when people talk and I can only catch a few words or when I find out something and I want to know more about it. So, I believe that Jonas is curious, unsure and brave.

Schema debate.

  Police are justified in shooting black people in the US.

  I strongly disagree with this statement because even though they are 'coloured', they are still human beings and have feelings. Black people don't always do something bad, in fact, I believe that we white people do worse things. When it's a white person running away from cops vs a black person running away from cops, some cops might shoot the black person, but run after the white person so they can bring him/her to jail.

  It's like in some movies where the a black person gets pulled over just because they were driving a nice car. Also, in comments for a YouTube video about David Belle running away from police in a movie, in the comments there was one particular comment saying 'if he was black, the police would be shooting him instead of chasing him' or something like that. There were a ton of reply's to it saying stuff like 'too true'. If cops are justified in shooting black people, than they should be justified in shooting white people too, but that's murder.

  Also, in what I can remember, there was this post about a black person standing up to a white person who said "coloured people are not allowed to sit here" or something. Anyways, the black person stood up and replied, "When I am born, I'm Black, when I grow up, I'm BLACK, when I'm sick, I'm BLACK, when I can't breathe, I'm BLACK, and when I die, I'll be BLACK. But you sir, when you are born, you're PINK, when you grow up, you're WHITE, when you're sick, you're GREEN, when you can't breathe, you turn PURPLE, and when you die, you'll turn BLUE, and you have the nerve to call me coloured?" What he said is true and if we call them coloured, what are we? Rainbows?

  So, again, why is it murder when police kill a white person for running away, but it isn't murder when a police kill a black person running away? Why are black people pulled over when they are driving nice cars? Why would it be justified for a police to shoot a black person?