critical thinking

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Spanish and World Religions course materials for Darren Witwer's classes Fall 2004
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Critical Thinking & Spanish (Spanish 2000)
 

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When you are making statements within a context of argumentation or critical thinking, it necessary to use certain linguistic structures. One of the common structures is the "impersonal noun clause", which frequently calls for the subjunctive mood. Another is the hypothetical imperative (if a then b). This structure calls for the indicative mood in all cases.  Yet another is the contrary to fact hypothetical, which calls for the imperfect subjunctive and conditional tenses.  

Examples:

Impersonal noun clause with subjunctive

Es común que los niños se rebelen contra sus padres.

Hypothetical imperative with indicative

Si los padres no mantienen la disciplina, los niños resultan más problemáticos en la sociedad y en la escuela.

Contrary to fact hypothetical with imperfect subj. & conditional

Si la clase alta no les hubiera robado tanto a las otras clases, no tendríamos tantas guerras.

Let's discuss the impersonal noun clause first.  Impersonal noun clauses always call for the subjunctive unless the adjective expresses: truth, certainty.

Impersonal noun clauses can be classified into three groups for the purpose of critical thinking:

  1. Descriptive statements about reality:
    Es típico que, Es común que, Es raro que, Es inevitable que, Es imposible que, etc.  these all call for subjunctive mood.  Es cierto que, es verdad que require the indicative.
  2. Prescriptive statements referring to reality:
    Es importante que, Es necesario que, Es preciso que, etc.
    We can also include other independent clause structures such as those that express Will: Les recomiendo que, Les prohibo que, Les aconsejo que
  3. Evaluative statements describing an attitude or reaction (moral or aesthetic)
    Es bueno que, Es malo que, Es triste que, Es horrible que, Es interesante que, etc.

Notice that the Impersonal Noun Clause has a very mysterious "It" that is the main subject. It refers to the source of authority in the statement. Rather than saying:

  1. Descriptive Claims "I have seen lots of disobedient children become criminals" >> "It is common for disobedient children to become criminals" (anecdotal or empircal generalization)
  2. Prescriptive Claims "I think you should do that" >> "It's necessary that you do that." (Moral/Aesthetic imperative)
  3. Evaluative/subjective Claims "I don't like it that you think this way." >> "It's bad that you think this way." (Subjective reaction)

This statement adds the APPEARANCE of added authority to your statement by removing you from the recommendation, description or evaluation.

Notice that each statement carries with it an implied type of support that will aid in defending your statement.

  1. Descriptive Claims "Studies show that..." (statistical sources can be strong support) or "Every case that I have seen..." (anecdotal arguments tend to be very weak from a logical perspective) The subjunctive is not typically necessary in such statements. However, some form of research is needed to avoid making sweeping generalizations based on a few personal experiences.
  2. Prescriptive Claims "The law says that..." "The Bible/Koran says that..." "My parents told me that...." "The book says that..." "If you do a, the b will result" These statements do not typically require the subjunctive unless stated in such a way that the dependent clause acts as a command: "my parents always told me not to disobey them." "Mis padres me decían que no los desobedeciera yo."
  3. Evaluative Claims "It makes me angry when...." "People who do x are really y." The subjunctive is not needed for these types of remarks either, unless stated in this form: Me ofende que no tengan pan ni tierra.

 

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