If people can be ignorant like this, then the educational system would seem to have already failed to teach them to take responsibility for thinking critically for themselves. They are arguably as likely to have read and understood what Aristotle or Kant had spoken/written of as a flea would be likely to comprehend its place in the universe. If you looked into such peoples' eyes you would probably see all the lights on, but that nobody's home.
-IainB
I must agree. You're quite right.
The vast majority of people are complete idiots on any given topic. I know that there are topics that I'm a complete idiot on. On other topics, I'm quite competent.
The core problem that I see (as per my highlight above), is that the education system has utterly failed in producing people that are capable of thought. Real thought. Not regurgitating nonsense they gobbled down from somewhere.
Any idiot can cite some source, but it takes reflection, intelligence, and an ability to think to analyze that and produce something of value.
People spout out "critical thinking" quite often as some buzz word, but few really understand what it is, and fewer yet can do it.
One of the most important things in thinking properly is knowing when to shut up. It may seem like a cop-out at times, but it's better to simply shut ones mouth than spout of nonsense. I quite often resort to stating that I do not have an opinion on a topic simply because I am not informed enough on it to have formed an intelligent opinion.
This all is a failure of the education system. I truly believe that education can solve problems. But education in "HOW TO THINK". That's the real problem. Anyone can think, just as anyone can do almost anything. That doesn't mean that the results of somebody's efforts are useful. e.g. I could try to race in a stock car race. While I'm a good driver, I don't have the training in HOW to race properly. I'd lose. The same thing goes for thought. People try to think, but they simply can't because they've never been taught how to think.
As an expat, I've seen things in different places that are completely insane, and other things that are utterly brilliant. I've also seen things that at first glance look totally nutty, but upon further examination, they work, and they work well. Some things take years to understand. So thinking involves being able to adopt a perspective or a set of givens. Often good thought can solve the same problem in different ways. There's nothing wrong with having multiple solutions to a problem.
To put that simply:
X + Y = 3
X = 1, Y = 2
X = 2, Y = 1
2 solutions to the same problem. Neither is wrong. This is something that people generally don't get, and is a huge source of bigotry. i.e. "MY" solution is better than "YOUR" solution.
In the climate debate, my frustration is the religiosity of it. That doesn't gel well with me. "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him." Why then raise the spectre of some twisted, lesser form of god? Karl Popper ended science long ago. Science is a method. Done.
I've really appreciated your input here and the many links. (I must confess, I've not had time to follow and read them all.) It's refreshing. A logical, scientific approach where no god is sacred... Truly refreshing!
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I wish I could. 