Most Americans have never had critical thinking as part of their educational curricula. If you’re very lucky you’ll cover critical thinking skills as part of AP English in highschool, otherwise that’s a second semester course your freshman year of college. Most Americans can’t look at a particular piece of media and unpack what it’s saying and why it’s saying it. Americans are ridiculously easy to manipulate as a result.
Tbf most schools don’t. Mine in the UK didn’t either. Critical thinking isn’t something a curriculum can teach you, it’s something you need to pick up yourself and adapt from all the other things you’re taught. School can definitely help you develop those skills tho although I think this is just another reflection of how badly the US invests in education. That and the rampant misinformation and propaganda all over the place that seems to teach people to only trust what reaffirms their own beliefs. Society is f*cked until we actually take a long hard look at where we are, why, and where we should be.
We need a standard high school class that is some kind of intro to epistemology, how to study something scientifically, how to root out bias, and maybe even a little on logical fallacies.
How many high school grads are even aware of the concept of confirmation bias?
I fear we as a collective society are just so, so bad about knowing how to find the correct answer to something. Despite all the technology at our fingertips, so many people learn things the same way humans have for centuries: somebody I trust told me!
Ahh now you’re thinking like Thanos. Or maybe Ultron.
Humanity is a species of upright locusts that never socially evolved beyond our cave brains. Capitalism dangles a shiny new thing every so often to keep the masses distracted and intellectually diffuse, while a small cabal of insanely wealthy cretins gleefully destroys our planet.
You vastly, vastly overestimate the intelligence of the average person/voter.
Most Americans read and write at a 6th or 7th grade level.
Most Americans have never had critical thinking as part of their educational curricula. If you’re very lucky you’ll cover critical thinking skills as part of AP English in highschool, otherwise that’s a second semester course your freshman year of college. Most Americans can’t look at a particular piece of media and unpack what it’s saying and why it’s saying it. Americans are ridiculously easy to manipulate as a result.
Tbf most schools don’t. Mine in the UK didn’t either. Critical thinking isn’t something a curriculum can teach you, it’s something you need to pick up yourself and adapt from all the other things you’re taught. School can definitely help you develop those skills tho although I think this is just another reflection of how badly the US invests in education. That and the rampant misinformation and propaganda all over the place that seems to teach people to only trust what reaffirms their own beliefs. Society is f*cked until we actually take a long hard look at where we are, why, and where we should be.
That’s just not true. Yes, you can pick it up yourself but this is not an unteachable concept.
Well that may be a good excuse if you’re failing your critical thinking class. I had one in college and it was great.
No.
We need a standard high school class that is some kind of intro to epistemology, how to study something scientifically, how to root out bias, and maybe even a little on logical fallacies.
How many high school grads are even aware of the concept of confirmation bias?
I fear we as a collective society are just so, so bad about knowing how to find the correct answer to something. Despite all the technology at our fingertips, so many people learn things the same way humans have for centuries: somebody I trust told me!
Which fucking sucks…Empathy is an AP course.
Extending your line of thinking: knowing the average person’s intelligence, understand that there are 4 billion people more stupid.
At what percentile do we get to a person who is not an utter imbecile?
Final question: how do I hit the reset button on humanity? I think we’re using the wrong build.
Ahh now you’re thinking like Thanos. Or maybe Ultron.
Humanity is a species of upright locusts that never socially evolved beyond our cave brains. Capitalism dangles a shiny new thing every so often to keep the masses distracted and intellectually diffuse, while a small cabal of insanely wealthy cretins gleefully destroys our planet.
Always have been. This sad observation has been a part of my life’s lamentations for as long as I can remember.