RIA: Critical Thinking

In talking with kids and adults today it becomes apparent that we are no longer teaching critical thinking. It’s a foreign concept. Kids in school are indoctrinated with a variety of things and are never given the other side, told to research the other side, or asked to evaluate all of the potential negative consequences of a decision. They’re now growing in to adults who choose who they like and want to listen to and then swallow everything that person or group says. To the blind and often ignorant exclusion of others. No questions asked.

We are ALL, whether Democrat or Republican, Black, White, Red, or Grey, becoming simpletons. We’re nothing but lemmings. We follow without question, even if that’s right over a cliff. We make decisions with little to no thought about the consequences – for us, those around us, and society. Most of us have no idea why we believe what we believe, even on a very rudimentary level.

It would do us some good to task ourselves with writing a paper arguing for the position opposed to our own and evaluating all consequences.

In school our kids should routinely be tasked with doing this so that they learn to evaluate the pros and cons of decisions. Perhaps first argue for their own position along with the negative consequences of the opposing view, then some time later argue for the opposing position with all of the negative consequences our their own view, then some time after that present a solid pros and cons evaluation.

RIA? Rest In Anquish. Critical thinking won’t rest in peace.