Assignment

Make sure to respond to both questions thoroughly, using specific details and brief quotes from the text to support your answers. In short, show me that you read and thought critically about the assigned article. Each of your answers should be about 1/4 a page, double-spaced. Ultimately, you should be submitting a half page of double-spaced text for this assignment.

1. What does the author suggest/imply about the relationship between one's preexisting beliefs and new facts (like scientific facts)? According to the author, what impact does this have on modern politics, debates, and controversies?

2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan has said "You have a right to your own opinion, but you don't have a right to your own facts." What do you think Moynihan means by this, and what connection does it have to this text? How can we, as scholars and members of this society, ensure our own beliefs and arguments don't fall victim to this phenomenon?