BHelmet
The Living Force
And yeah, real critical thinking has to take into account the reading errors of the human thinking machine: it’s biases, tendencies and pathways imprinted from early experiences. Unexamined assumptions are huge. Just looking at the fundamental unseen, assumed and accepted presuppositions is a starting point.
For example I have an automatic reaction called “this is bullshit”. It’s a filter. So I have to 2nd guess my reactions and discern - is this just my automatic skepticism which is based on an inferiority complex that manifests as a need to know more and better than the other guy therefore they have to be wrong; or is it a valid 6th sense reaction; can I see the validity and possibility of the other point of view? Etc. Critical thinking involves discernment. It is not a mechanical slam dunk. There is art to it.
“Why would I (or anyone) think that?”
A classic that has been exposed on this forum is the mistake made by a majority of victims of psychopathy: “people are fundamentally good so how could someone be so cold hearted? Therefore there must be some excuse for their behavior.” Until you realize that your assumption that government exists to serve the people is 100% wrong, critical thinking that is built upon that edifice is going to be flat out wrong.
And given that the frontal cortex does not get full formed until age 25-27 ish, you actually can’t even really teach it until after that point when school is long over!
For example I have an automatic reaction called “this is bullshit”. It’s a filter. So I have to 2nd guess my reactions and discern - is this just my automatic skepticism which is based on an inferiority complex that manifests as a need to know more and better than the other guy therefore they have to be wrong; or is it a valid 6th sense reaction; can I see the validity and possibility of the other point of view? Etc. Critical thinking involves discernment. It is not a mechanical slam dunk. There is art to it.
“Why would I (or anyone) think that?”
A classic that has been exposed on this forum is the mistake made by a majority of victims of psychopathy: “people are fundamentally good so how could someone be so cold hearted? Therefore there must be some excuse for their behavior.” Until you realize that your assumption that government exists to serve the people is 100% wrong, critical thinking that is built upon that edifice is going to be flat out wrong.
And given that the frontal cortex does not get full formed until age 25-27 ish, you actually can’t even really teach it until after that point when school is long over!
