Would teaching critical thinking skills and practices in schools be a good thing?
Critical thinking
- Thread starter Pete
- Start date
Yes, of course those should be part of the curriculum... but that's not the question here.
Funny... but I'm interested if any parents do actually have that attitude (if not so arrogantly or blatantly!) toward their children.
Do parents want schools to teach their children to critically examine their beliefs?
I believe that to be able to read and comprehend is the first priority for anyone starting to learn. Without the skills it takes to understand what you ar reading everything else is a waste of time.
Yes, of course those should be part of the curriculum... but that's not the question here.
I meant it this way. Do I want people who cannot teach a child ONE language (one being the ONLY language most of them will learn) to teach anything to my children?
???
Are you going to address the thread topic, or are you just on a sidetracking mission?
I only put that there to insure that those who can read could become critical thinkers for without the ability to read and comprehend people will never get to that stage of thinking.
I am. I think instead of enforcing some particular way of thinking we should focus on giving them the tools to make up their own minds. I'm not very impressed with the ideologies of the so called critical thinkers. They seem cold and dispassionate and regimented to me.
thats what critical thinking is about
Four years ago I may have agreed with you.
I grew up with a great many people without the training or capacity for critical thought, but I had a wonderful time with them; now I'm surrounded by critical thinkers and most of them are arseholes.
Schools can hardly teach basic social skills to children, let alone how to think things through to a logical conclusion. I don't know about the schools where you guys are but here in inner city Ingerland we teach our kids badly and inconsistently. I wouldn't put something as important as teaching children to think for themselves in the hands of teachers. I'm only just about satisfied with the level of academic abilities they have. Teachers aren't the right people for this, parents are. Parents are our children's educators. If a child is raised in a household where free thinking, logic and intelligence are the norm then critical thinking will already be a part of their assessing ideas and beliefs. If not, they're likely to come from a household where thinking things through isn't a reg'lar (sic) occurance. If they come home saying, "This God dude seems a little far fetched to me Mum", there's goning to be all kinds of shit hitting the fan. If the parents don't go up and knock their lights out they're certainly going to pull them out of the school.
I did not realise critical thinking was a pseudonym for atheism.
It's not. There might or might not be a correlation, but I'm interested in whether there is any correlation between religiousness and attitudes toward having children taught the skills required to rationally make up their own minds.
It might also be interesting to explore the correlation between critical thinking and assholeness
It's not. There might or might not be a correlation, but I'm interested in whether there is any correlation between religiousness and attitudes toward having children taught the skills required to rationally make up their own minds.
It might also be interesting to explore the correlation between critical thinking and assholeness
I think making a choice to enforce critical thinking over creative thinking leads to a society of self absorbed, judgemental humans who lack the capacity for real empathy and fairness. Critical thinking without the traits that make us better human beings, or at least happier ones, can lead just as easily to the manipulative sophist or con man.