Concluding Post

I think that one of biggest skills that I have acquired from this class is the ability to spot the virtues of one theory or explanation of some phenomena over another.  In the beginning of the semester we talked a lot about the value of parsimony or simplicity in a theory and how this virtue competes with explanatory power when it comes to what theories we end up supporting, or how likely explanation is to be correct. I now spot these two virtues coming up in many debates about what is likely to be the explanation of some phenomenon like in debates between creationists and people who believe that the theory of evolution is correct. As a result, I now feel that I am much better at being able to articulate why I believe what I do than I was before and can more effectively have discussions with people about a variety of topics.