A Decline in Critical Thinking

The Covid hysteria and suppression did not occur in isolation. The educational world and mainstream mass media had already established a habit of attacking individuals instead of interacting with those with differing viewpoints. A decline in critical thinking is prevalent.

The decline in critical thinking

As a result, the oppressive reaction encountered by COVID-19 dissenters was largely expected. Similarly, there was a clear and pervasive lack of utilization of analytical reasoning.

In the past, the field of education had a wonderful chance to make significant improvements. The critical thinking movement gained significant traction in both the university and K-12 education sectors during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Richard Paul, a prominent leader in the movement, organized a yearly Conference on Critical Thinking in Sonoma, California. There was an opportunity to attend this conference multiple times and gained valuable insights from influential individuals like Paul and Robert Ennis.

Being exposed to the movement’s views and practices completely changed the way I teach pupils and understand ideas and information when I used to work in healthcare.

Prior to that point, I frequently found it challenging to interact with several college students, as they tended to uncritically repeat concepts they came up with in the mass media and books, rather than engaging in independent thought.

Specifically, I was appalled to see that several student research papers were expressing the same anti-Semitic perspectives and advocated for the annihilation of Israel as the sole resolution to the Arab-Israeli issue.

The students had unquestioningly embraced his extreme beliefs as indisputable realities. Similar to today.

What is critical thinking?

“Critical thinking” is not merely an educational creation but a concentrated form of the intellectual heritage of logical and skeptical investigation of ideas and assertions.

The Greek philosopher Socrates was well-known for his intelligent inquiries into the claims made by others, making him a renowned example of this strategy.

Despite not being introduced to the term “critical thinking” (abbreviated as “CT” and not Connecticut 🤷🏿‍♂️🤔) in official schooling, I quickly grasped its meaning.

Unfortunately, the chance to enhance the role of CT in education has been missed. This significant advancement was supplanted by trendy, illogical ideology and the indoctrination into popular causes.

Overall, the prevailing perspective strongly rejects the notion of objective truth. CT was initially undermined by the rise in popularity of cultural relativism.

Initially prevalent among cultural anthropologists, a growing number of academics started advocating the notion that it is inappropriate to assert possession of any knowledge on objective reality. As a result, a decline in critical thinking follows.

In 1993, the plenary speaker at the annual meeting of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) identified this perspective as the prevailing belief for all language teachers.

The speech, entitled “How to Avoid Being an Inarticulate Ignoramus,” openly criticized individuals who adhere to the notion of objective truth.

Later, in a publication by JALT, I criticized cultural relativism as being illogical and contradictory, which has also been noted by other members of the CT movement.

Within the realm of postmodernism, a similar mindset influenced the global domain of foreign language teaching, leading to the questioning of the practice of critical thinking in the classroom. Postmodernism can be described as a form of cultural relativism that emphasizes collective thinking.

Typically, academics of the New Left have dismissed rationality and classical objectivity as means of subjugation. As noted by Roger Scruton, this position is highly advantageous for them as it relieves them from the obligation to provide rational justifications for their claims.

Therefore, any absurdity, such as the claim that “All white people are racists” in Critical Race Theory, cannot be challenged by anyone.

Is lack of thought leftist ideology?

Several old-school Leftists, including writer Christopher Hitchens and author George Orwell, held different views. Orwell, a socialist, passionately believed in objective reality and the individual’s right to voice thoughts about it.

They were open to participating in civil discourse with individuals who held differing opinions. A decline in critical thinking maybe?

Conversely, New Left intellectuals have mostly abandoned such formalities. When their perspectives gained control over the academic, educational, and media spheres, a form of ideological intolerance sometimes referred to as “political correctness,” “cancel culture,” or “woke” became widespread.

In response to this occurrence, groups such as the National Association of Scholars and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education were established to promote freedom of expression and the exploration of truth within educational contexts.

Regrettably, the implementation of postmodern, irrational, New Left-style education has already resulted in the emergence of numerous individuals who tend to respond to opposing beliefs by engaging in aggressive behavior and/or excluding those who hold such opinions.

The notion of rational and dispassionate discourse regarding truth is foreign to the contemporary psyche.

Unsurprisingly, those with that mindset also responded similarly to doubts about government-imposed and media-amplified COVID regulations, therefore they had no issue with mindlessly repeating catchphrases and intimidating those who disagreed.

In addition to that inclination, numerous individuals in modern times have developed a preference for subjective emotions above reason and facts.

Toxic sentimentality

Theodore Dalrymple coins the term “toxic sentimentality” to describe this tendency, highlighting how many individuals nowadays are more swayed by displays of emotion rather than objective facts.

For example, individuals accused of murder have been wrongly convicted despite their innocence due to their inability to publicly demonstrate tears, whilst actual killers have frequently avoided censure by convincingly expressing intense emotions and asserting their innocence.

In contemporary times, a significant number of individuals display a lack of patience towards logical and evidence-based reasoning, and instead, readily succumb to the influence of intense emotions, particularly fear.

In a society characterized by a lack of sentimentality, an individual with a hyper-emotional disposition such as Greta Thunberg would not be regarded as credible.

Popular entertainment is saturated with politicized content that belittles the intellect of individuals who engage in critical thinking. In the past, Hollywood produced numerous artistic and thought-provoking films, as well as several intellectually stimulating television programs.

via GIPHY

Concluding the critical thinking debacle

Currently, numerous YouTube critic-bloggers, such as The Critical Drinker and The Despot of Antrim, express their dissatisfaction with the decline of movies and video shows, which they perceive as being shallow and badly crafted forms of propaganda.

In modern times, society frequently relies on technology as a means to address our problems. Nevertheless, the specific problem at hand cannot be resolved by technical advancements such as AI, as AI lacks the capability for critical thought.

The most disconcerting element of the current situation may indeed not be factors such as the terrifying capacity of nuclear and biological weapons.

Alternatively, it could signify the repudiation of objective reality and rational thinking as crucial principles for sane behavior. When the fields of science and medicine deviate from rationality and objective truth, it poses a significant threat to all of us such as a decline of critical thinking.

“I would rather have my mind be opened by wonder than closed by belief.”