Critiquing - Part Two

"But why should I care?"

That is the most important starting point of any critique.

What does it mean to care? 

How do you usually critique claims of care and expectations of caring?

How do you critique rudeness, especially when it is used as a tactic to attract attention, and money, and votes?

While criticism may be critiqued for including unnecessary and abusive ad hominem practices, reasonable critiques do not seek to encourage antipathy, or even sympathy for that matter. 

A good critique will seek to encourage insight, prevent hubris, express compassion and define appropriate standards.  It will do so through logical reasoning and the presentation of facts rather than argumentum ad passiones pathos or the ethos of argumentum ad verecundiam.  The latter is associated with criticism of science and scientists.

What do you usually consider to be the basis of human behaviour?

Is it the instinct for survival and the desire to meet needs associated with that instinct or is it something else?

Is it the desire to avoid discomfort, boredom and other forms of suffering by craving pleasure and actively seeking enjoyment?

While civility is mainly associated with reasoning, compassion is mainly associated with emotion. 

The wise expression of courtesy combines reason and compassion to help people survive, thrive and enjoy life gently.

There are many cultural critics and media commentators employed by various media outlets for various purposes.  There are numerous columnists, politicians, celebrities, youtubers, twitterers and bloggers with strident, biased and/or amusing opinions. 

But what makes you care about something or someone?

What makes you want to act upon the basis of that care in an attempt to improve a situation, from your point of view, and possibly from the point of view of another person, or even quite a few people?

Perhaps you pretend to care as a way to seek attention towards yourself.

Perhaps you behave rudely as a way to gain attention and/or feel excited.