Critical Thinking vs. Gullible Sheep

With the election of our new President, America will be under the leadership of a child of the TV generation. The generation that grew up without electronic babysitters is fading away. What got me to thinking about all of this was an article that I read on FactCheck called “Our Disinformed Electorate.”

Since MTV hit the airwaves the popularity of fast action and the sound bite has only continued to grow -- not that there is anything wrong with either one of those things. However, the number of people who are willing or able to sit and read a newspaper, and I’m not talking about skimming the headlines and taking a quick look at a story or two, grows smaller and smaller. Talk show hosts tell people what to think and how to act. Chain e-mails and their often totally fictitious content are believed as if gospel.

The art of critical thinking, of being able to look at a story and determine if it is true, a little off, or totally wrong would appear to be on the decline. Without that crucial ability I worry that today’s and future generations will devolve into nothing more than gullible sheep that blindly follow whoever is the most popular at the moment.

When I was in school (and I’m a child of the TV generation too) we had Debate Clubs. These were people who loved to discuss a topic from all sides and would meet with Debate Clubs from other schools in a contest to see which group was better at debating a subject. Do they even have these anymore? If they do, I doubt that many of their peers would be willing or even interested in sitting through a lengthy debate.

Humanity has achieved a great many things by the power of critical thinking. I hope we aren’t starting to devolve into nothing more than gullible sheep. There is an old saying about 'stopping to smell the roses.' Maybe it's time to stop, look, and think.

Ignorance is bliss

I worry that we are becoming a nation of blind people. By blind I don’t mean that we are unable to see, but rather that we lack the ability, and especially the knowledge, to see. The knowledge I fear that has been lost to us is common sense and critical thinking.

Let’s start with public schools. I know that they are failing our children (who are the future of our country) because of something that happened to a friend of mine. He supervises a small staff of warehouse workers, many in their early 20’s. His employees know that he reads a lot (he generally reads a book during lunch), and one day one of the young men there asked him “What are stars?” This young man has a high school education and doesn’t know what a star is (and I’m not talking about the ones in Hollywood)! Another friend of mine got a job teaching at a brand new high school. He told me about his ‘adventures’ there: no books for students (generally there is just a set in the classroom for the students to look at during class), no homework given to students (he was told “they don’t do it anyway, so why assign it to them”), unruly students and limits placed on what teachers can do to discipline them, and that’s just some of what he’s told me.

Humans are not born with the ability to think rationally, it has to be learned. Unfortunately with a steady diet of video games (generally violent), commercial television (look at how families are portrayed), and movies (a co-worker once told me that if stuff wasn’t blowing up in the first 30 seconds that the movie was no good), I have little faith in the future of our society.

Ignorance is a dangerous thing. And things are not being helped by the fact that most television news programs and newspapers are now owed by mega-corporations. Have you ever noticed how no matter what nightly news show you turn to they are all showing the same thing – at the same time? Heck, they even have commercials at the same time! By using a “cookie-cutter” approach it makes it easy for the owners to produce the shows. Unfortunately it also makes it easy to control what information is made available to the public, and what real and vital information is withheld from the public. I did a post on January 1, 2008, about New Years Resolutions, take a look at my fourth suggestion for a list of alternative sources for information.

We as a nation have to do better. We are failing our children. Our educational ranking, as compared to other nations, has been slipping for some time. There is an organization called the National Education Association, they have some interesting things to say about public schools and education. Lastly, because of the Federal No Child Left Behind program, teachers are just teaching students how to pass a test, not the things they need to know to survive in the real world

Wish I could end this on a better note. Parents have a lot on their plates and so many work multiple jobs just to make ends meet which gives them little quality time to spend with their kids. Families are scattered and often don’t have the support of grandparents, aunts, or uncles to help with raising the next generation. There are some volunteer organizations out there, maybe that’s a start.

Pale Blue Dot

There may be a few folks who remember a scientist by the name of Carl Sagan. Back in 1980 he released the Cosmos series, a show that introduced the concepts of science to people in a way that almost anyone could understand. It was a great series, one that I enjoyed. If you were to view it now it may appear to be a bit dated on some topics, but his widow, Ann Druyan, re-released the show on DVD a while back (don't know when) and included some updated graphics and information. If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

I know that many people view science as a nasty, evil thing. It is not. It is what has brought us to where we are today (both good and bad). Do you enjoy artificial light at night? A scientist invented it. Do you every talk to someone who is far away over the telephone? A scientist invented it. What about television, microwave ovens, air conditioning (OK, a doctor created it, but medicine and science go hand in hand), the list goes on and on.

This is not to say that science is universally good. However, anything can be used for both good and evil. You can use a pen to write a love letter and use that same pen to stab someone. The choices we make determine the end result.

My concern is that so many people do not really think about most of the decisions (or maybe I should say opinions and beliefs) that they make. They follow along with "popular opinion" or what someone tells them they should believe. If you went to the doctor and they said you needed major surgery, wouldn't you get a second opinion? I'm trying to offer a second opinion on science to show that it has done good things and can continue to do good things. Please read this article posted at the American Institute of Physics.

As for the title of this blog, when the Voyager I spacecraft was beyond the orbit of Neptune its cameras were turned back in towards the sun and a portrait of our solar system was taken. Earth is only a tiny, blue dot, smaller than a pixel. Click here to view an article about it.

Thanks for listening.