Truth is Like Poetry 3
It is not a secret that common sense is not that common, but it is necessary. Common sense is nothing more than the ability to think logically and critically. And although it is not common and at the same time necessary, logical, critical thought is the only process by which we can problem-solve and come to conclusions that are both not contradictory, and can be applied with no doubt and trustworthy consequences to objective issues and subjective arguments. From philosophy, to engineering, to the scientific method and the arts, critical thinking is core.
But critical thinking takes practice. Common sense is learned and not simply a “natural state”. Critical thinking entails educating one’s self to be a critical thinker and then putting in practice those basic logical methods. This takes work, and this is the first problem. Secondly, most people in power do not want a thinking populace. Such populaces do not follow orders, question authorities, and generally do not fall into place and so it is not pushed in education. As a result public and private education systems (for the most part) are based upon ideologies (religious and political) that do not coincide with critical thinking. John Stuart Mill summed this problem up very succinctly. Paraphrased, he wrote that if a leaders do not educate the public, they get what they deserve.
Solution:Like all solutions, education is key. But here the solution itself needs work. Most countries (some doing better than others) use public education as a method of nationalizing its citizens, brainwashing for meritocratic and economic reasons. However, education must be based, solely, on critical thinking methods in all subjects. Secondly, but perhaps more importantly, non-critical ideologies must be phased out, taught out, and starved. Education, in short, must be overhauled. We have examples to follow, especially in Scandinavia.
Secondly, a quality, critical-thinking based education must be made available and accessible to all within the society, no matter their economic, social, or cultural standing. This “extreme” idea is not new as it is one which several founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, proposed it. This will take a social and a political push.
Finally, from the Judaic traditions to the eastern traditions, from nationalistic to patriotic, from social to cultural norms, ideological beliefs must not be immune to critical analysis or consideration for they are the core of the problem. ideological beliefs have no place in educational systems outside of historical interest. No leaf shall remain in the shadows, hiding from critical consideration.
