Thinking Comparatively and Theoretically

We all in some way have recognized the need for critical thinking, else we would not be students of an institution dedicated to the cultivation of that exact purpose. Furthermore, we have consented to the notion that critical thinking in the field of political science is also worthwhile, otherwise we would not have enrolled in a comparative political science course. Thus, we all seem to have admitted the notion that thinking theoretically is a worthwhile pursuit. Therefore, all we are left is a concern for how we ought to think critically, which presumably is a course charted for our discovery throughout not only the semester, but also our entire college experience, and why we ought to do so, into which I will attempt to delve here.

Comparative and theoretical thinking are often described as pursuits of luxury, available only to those with the granted free time necessary for their pursuit (the phrase "Ivory Tower" often comes to mind). However, this is a severely limiting point of view. Although practical knowledge within a subject is often sufficient for completion of tasks, it is limiting to the agent to not understand for what purpose his or her actions are preformed. For example, a person on a factory assembly line is not only more effective, but more motivated, when he knows that the carburetor he is piecing together will eventually help an ambulance driver drive a heart attack patient to the emergency room. Of course, the factory line worker would still be able to churn out carburetors without this knowledge, but he is at a great detriment not to know it. We all like to know that our pursuits are worthwhile, that our actions all have meaning, and that what we do will have a greater impact upon not only ourselves, but also others. Thinking Comparatively and Theoretically about our subject matter affords us this opportunity to give greater meanings to the things we do, and for this reason, it is a vital component of our academic pursuit.