Criteria Corner Activities:
Click on each intellectual standards term above for activities focused on each one.
Internalize These Essential Intellectual Standards for Thought:
Fairness
The intellectual standard of fairness derives from the fact that it is possible to ignore
relevant facts and insights when they are not in line with one’s interest or agenda. Violation
of this standard is common in human life.
Activity: Are You Always Fair?
All of us want to see ourselves as imminently fair. Yet because we are by nature self-serving, we are not always able to consider
the rights and needs of others in equivalent terms as we do our own. Indeed, one of the most difficult things for people to do is
identify times when they are unfair. Yet highly skilled thinkers, aware of this human tendency, routinely search for problems in
their thinking.
Analyze yourself for fairness.
In the spirit of this idea, try to think of several times in the past few weeks where you were not fair. You are looking for
situations where your behavior was selfish or self-serving and as a result, you negated another person's desires or rights. You
placed your desires first. Remember that the more examples you can think of, the better. Also remember that, because of our native
egocentrism, we are highly motivated to hide our unfair thoughts and behavior. Try not to fall into this trap.
