The document discusses reading for critical understanding. It defines reading as a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols to construct meaning. Critical understanding involves reflecting on, analyzing, and evaluating different ideas and positions to form independent thoughts. It also discusses how preparedness for peace is a false philosophy that usually results in war. It provides the example of two neighbors who both arm themselves for protection, but end up threatening each other's peace. Nations that boast of battleships and readiness to fight are also menacing world peace. The conclusion is that just as an armed individual threatens community peace, armed nations threaten world peace.

1. C H A P T E R 3
L E S S O N 3
READING FOR CRITICAL
UNDERSTANDNG
R E P O R T E R : R I V E R A , H M
M I N A N G A ,

2. READING
• I S A CO M P L E X " CO G N I T I V E P R O C E S S " O F
D E CO D I N G S Y M B O L S I N O R D E R TO
CO N S T R U C T O R D E R I V E M E A N I N G
( R E A D I N G CO M P R E H E N S I O N ) .
• T E C H N I Q U E F O R D I S CO V E R I N G I N F O R M AT I O N
A N D I D E A S W I T H I N A T E X T.
• R E F E R S TO A C A R E F U L , AC T I V E , R E F L E C T I V E ,
A N A LY T I C R E A D I N G .
• I T R E Q U I R E S T H E M I N D TO P R O C E S S
I N F O R M AT I O N , R E A S O N , Q U E S T I O N A N D
E VA LUAT E .

3. CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING
• THE EXAMINATION OF IDEAS,
ISSUES OR SOURCES.
• IT IS ACHIEVED THROUGH
REFLECTING UPON, ANALYSING
AND EVALUATING DIFFERENT
AND POSITIONS, AND IS
DEMONSTRATED THROUGH AN
ABILITY TO EXPRESS INFORMED
RESPONSES AND INDEPENDENT
THOUGHT.

4. THE PARADOX OF PREPAREDNESS FOR PEACE
That preparedness brings about peace is a false philosophy. On the contrary, it
usually results in war.
Take the case of two men who have just moved into a village. They live side by
side. They introduce themselves to each other and start to become friends. One tells
himself that for the sake of ensuring peace in the neighborhood, he should take care not
to infringe on his neighbor's rights. But at the same time, he thinks of how he could
protect himself and his family against him. He goes to a store, buys a gun, and tells
himself that if his neighbor would interfere with him, he would not hesitate to kill him.
Without his knowing it, his neighbor who also proclaims his love for peace, goes to
town, obtains a gun, a better one, and gets himself ready to defend his rights, honor,
family.

5. The case of these two men is similar to the case of two nations who talk about
their love for peace while boasting of their battleships and their readiness to fight. They
do not get a battleship simply to boast of their acquisitions.
They have it in preparation
for war. They are as determined to protect themselves from any attack as a man who
carries a gun. He has it for protection. However, experience tells us that a man who
carries a gun tends to use it on slight provocation and tends to provoke its use by
others.

6. Preparedness provokes trouble. Hence, it does not preserve
peace. We must conclude that as a man who carries a gun is a
menace to the peace of a community, so the nation who
keeps guns is a menace to the peace of the world.
-Adapted from “ Preparedness and Peace”
by William Jennings Bryan

7. • What is the main problem/ issue?
• The arguments
• The Conclusion

8. •Reading an argumentative/persuasive discourse
is an exercise in developing critical
understanding.
•You identify the issue, weigh, the arguments,
and follow them in their logical conclusion.
•You become discriminating, checking the facts,
generalizing cautiously on the basis of what you
know.

9. C H A P T E R 3
L E S S O N 4
R E A D I N G F O R S T U D Y
M I N A N G A ,