Blog - by Linda Elder with Richard Paul Archives

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"[Missed Part 6? "},{"attributes":{"bold":true,"link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/blogPost.php?param=248"},"insert":"Read It Here"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Transcript [2 of 2]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Does your mind come to think at all the way the children around you think? Can you think of any examples where the way you think is like the way children around you think? Do you think you behave like other American kids?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Yes.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"What would make you behave more like the kids around you than like Eskimo kids?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Because you’re around them.\nStudent: Like, Eskimo kids probably don’t even know what the word “jump-rope” is. American kids know what it is.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"And are there things that the Eskimo kids know that you don’t know about?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" \n[The transcript then skips to a later point in the dialogue.]\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"So sometimes people think somebody is real good and they’re not and sometimes people think that somebody is real bad and they’re not. Like if you were a crook, would you let everyone know you’re a crook?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudents: [Chorus of “NO!”]\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"So some people are really good at hiding what they are really like. Some people might have a good reputation and be bad; some people might have a bad reputation and be good."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Like, everyone might think you were good but you might be going on dope or something.\nStudent: Does reputation mean that if you have a good reputation you want to keep it just like that? Do you always want to be good for the rest of your life?\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"I’m not sure…"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: So if you have a good reputation you try to be good all the time and don’t mess up and don’t do nothing?\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Suppose somebody is trying to be good just to get a good reputation – why are they trying to be good?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: So they can get something they want and they don’t want other people to have?\nStudent: They might be shy and just want to be left alone.\nStudent: You can’t tell a book by how it’s covered.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Yes, some people are concerned more with their cover than their book. Now let me ask you another question. So if its true that we all have a mind and our mind helps us to figure out the world and we are influenced by our parents and the people around us, and sometimes we choose to do good things and sometimes we choose to do bad things, something people say things about us and so forth and so on… Let me ask you: Are there some bad people in this world?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Yeah.\nStudent: Terrorists and stuff.\nStudent: Nightstalker.\nStudent: The TWA hijackers.\nStudent: Robbers.\nStudent: Rapers.\nStudent: Bums.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Bums, are they bad?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Well, sometimes.\nStudent: The Ku Klux Klan.\nStudent: The bums… not really, ‘cause they might not look good but you can’t judge them by how they look. They might be really nice and everything.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"O.K., so they might have a bad reputation but be good, after you care to know them. There might be good bums and bad bums."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Libyan guys and Machine Gun Kelly.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Let me ask you, do the bad people think they’re bad?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: A lot of them don’t think they’re bad but they are. They might be sick in the head.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Yes, some people are sick in the head."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: A lot of them [bad guys] don’t think they’re bad.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Why did you say Libyan people?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: ‘Cause they have a lot of terrorists and hate us and bomb us…\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"If they hate us do they think we are bad or good?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: They think we are bad.\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"And we think they are bad? And who is right?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Usually both of them.\nStudent: None of us are really bad!\nStudent: Really, I don’t know why our people and their people are fighting. Two wrongs don’t make a right.\nStudent: It’s like if there was a line between two countries, and they were both against each other, if a person from the first country crosses over the line, they’d be considered the bad guy. And if a person from the second country crossed over the line, he’d be considered the bad guy.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"So it can depend on which country you’re from who you consider right or wrong, is that right?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Like a robber might steal things to support his family. He’s doing good to his family but actually bad to another person.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"And in his mind do you think he is doing something good or bad?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: It depends what his mind is like. He might think he is doing good for his family or he might think he is doing bad for the other person.\nIt’s like the underground railroad a long time ago. Some people thought it was bad and some people thought it was good.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"But if lots of people think something is right and lots of people think something is wrong, how are you supposed to figure out the difference between right and wrong?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Go by what you think!\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"But somebody has to decide for themselves, don’t they?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Use your mind?\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Yes, let’s see, suppose I told you: “I’m going to give you a toy so you’ll like me.” And she gave you things so you would like her, but she also beat up on some other people, would you like her because she gave you things?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nNo, because she said I’ll give you this so you’ll like me. She wouldn’t be very nice.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"So why should you like people?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: Because they act nice to you.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Only to you?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: To everybody!\nStudent: I wouldn’t care what they gave me. I’d see what they’re like inside.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"But how do you find out what’s on the inside of a person?"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nStudent: You could ask, but I would try to judge myself.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"If you want to be happy and yet are in the habit of entertaining and indulging in bad habits of thought, you will need to develop the opposing tendency of routinely monitoring your thoughts throughout every day to override these harmful patterns. You will need to intervene in your thinking so that you stop falling prey to the bad habits of thought you have developed in your lifetime. These negative routines may keep you trapped in various dysfunctional rituals created by your own mind. They may cause feelings of frustration and discontent. They may lead you to harm others while thinking you are the one being harmed. It is only when you monitor and deliberately change these thoughts that you can experience contentment as an overall state of mind. But altering a habit of thought will take much commitment in the form of practice, since you may be facing an unconscious, long-running mental pattern or process that naturally repeats itself.\n\nFor the next twenty-four hours, actively observe your thoughts and then evaluate them as follows:\n\n1. Today I had the following powerful thoughts that seem to be habits for me [perhaps disturbing thoughts, perhaps empowering thoughts, perhaps destructive thoughts] . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"2. I realize that these thoughts are largely determining my level of happiness and contentment."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"After evaluating these thoughts, I see that most of them are [realistic or unrealistic, empowering or debilitating, etc.] . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"3. I uncovered the following irrational thoughts that I need to change, because these thoughts are causing problems for me . . . [For example, I thought mainly about my past mistakes, or I worried a lot of the time about what bad things might happen tomorrow or next week, or I was frustrated with the same person over and again when that person seems incapable of being reasonable, or I thought other people were leaving me out or not appreciating me.]"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"4. I need to replace these thoughts with the following reasonable thoughts . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"5. I frequently have trouble changing my unreasonable or illogical thoughts to more reasonable thoughts, because . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"6. However, when I permanently change these thoughts, I am certain to experience the following positive outcomes . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"7. Therefore, I intend to . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nFor the next week and beyond, revisit the concerns you detailed in 1-7 above to make sure you are actively replacing the bad habits of thought uncovered in your reasoning. Reread (and, if necessary, rewrite) your answers until you find yourself sufficiently commanding and replacing your bad habits of thought.\n\nLet us know how this activity is helping you better command your mind by sharing your results here in the comment section.\n\n----\n\nThis blog has been excerpted (and slightly revised) from pages 54-55 of the upcoming book "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Critical Thinking Therapy: For Happiness and Self-Actualization"},{"insert":" by Linda Elder (2025), Treely Green Publishing Co. (treelygreenpublishing.com), due for release Dec. 15.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"[Missed Part 5? "},{"attributes":{"bold":true,"link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/blogPost.php?param=246"},"insert":"Read It Here"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Transcript [1 of 2]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\nThe following is a transcript of a 4"},{"attributes":{"script":"super"},"insert":"th"},{"insert":" grade Socratic discussion. The discussion leader was with these particular students for the first time. The purpose was to determine the status of the children’s thinking on some of the abstract questions whose answers tend to define our broadest thinking. The students were eager to respond and often seemed to articulate responses that reflected potential insights into the character of the human mind, its relation to the body, the forces that shape us, the influence of parents and peer groups, the nature of morality and of ethnocentric bias. The insights are disjointed, of course, but the questions that elicited them and the responses that articulated them could be used as the basis of future discussions or simple assignments with these students.\n \n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"How does your mind work? Where’s your mind?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: In your head. (Numerous students point to their heads.)"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Does your mind do anything?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: It helps you remember and think."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: It helps, like, if you want to move your legs. It sends a message down to them."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: This side of your mind controls this side of your body and that side controls this other side."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: When you touch a hot oven, it tells you whether to cry or say ouch."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Does it tell you when to be sad and when to be happy? How does your mind know when to be happy and when to be sad?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: When you’re hurt it tells you to be sad."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: If something is happening around you is sad."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: If there is lightning and you are scared."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: If you get something you want."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: It makes your body operate. It’s like a machine that operates your body."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Does it ever happen that two people are in the same circumstance but one is happy and the other is sad? Even though they are in exactly the same circumstance?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: You get the same toy. One person might like it. The other gets the same toy and he doesn’t like the toy."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Why do you think that some people come to like some things and some people seem to like different things?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: ‘Cause everybody is not the same. Everybody has different minds and is built different, made different."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: They have different personalities?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Where does this personality come from?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: When you start doing stuff and you find that you like some stuff best."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Are you born with a personality or do you develop it as you grow up?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: You develop it as you grow up."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"What makes you develop one rather than another?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: Like, your parents or something."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"How can your parents’ personality get into you?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: Because you’re always around them and then the way they act, if they think they are good and they want you to act the same way, then they’ll sort of teach you and you’ll do it."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Student: Like, if you are in a tradition. They want you to carry on something that their parents started."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"Critical thinking is required for high quality reasoning in all parts of our lives. This includes, at the core, consistent application of critical thinking principles to our mental and emotional well-being. Accordingly, this blog focuses on one part of a healthy approach to life – exercising proper power in one’s life while making decisions that lead to a feeling of empowerment, in so far as this may be possible in any given situation. \n\nThe following activity, found in my forthcoming book, "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Critical Thinking Therapy"},{"insert":", emphasizes helping you delineate precisely when and where you feel helpless in your life, and then how to take proper power where before you felt helpless.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"DON’T ACT HELPLESS; DON’T LET OTHERS CONTROL YOU; EXERCISE YOUR POWER"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"There are times in your life when you may feel powerless. During these times, it may seem that others have all the power and you have none. But is this true? Are you letting others determine your happiness by allowing them to dictate how you think and act? Do you allow other people too much influence and control over your thinking? Do you spend too much time and energy trying to please others, thereby giving them power over you? Can you think of no fruitful ways to use your power?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"Mentally well people do not allow others to control them. They do not see themselves as helpless, vulnerable, or defenseless. They think for themselves, while seeking and considering the views of other reasonable people. They take responsibility for their decisions, their actions, and all aspects of their lives."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"If you often feel helpless, complete the following statements (whenever you do):"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"1. The following event happened today, or recently, in which I felt helpless [e.g., I thought my supervisor criticized me unfairly] . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"2. Because of this criticism I had the following thoughts and feelings . . . [For example, I was upset because I don’t like being criticized. My supervisor is always picking on me. My supervisor is a bully, and I am not taking this anymore.]"},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"3. Based on these thoughts, I reacted as follows . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"4. I now see the thinking underlying my emotions was reasonable/unreasonable because . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"5. I now realize I could have instead thought and behaved as follows . . . [For example, I could have considered that my supervisor is under pressure from her supervisor, that I had mischaracterized her behavior as being offensive when she meant no harm, or that there may be truth in her critique of my behavior. Or—if I cannot continue to live with the situation because I can’t be happy and fulfilled in this job—I could have recognized that acting irritable or angry is not rational, and that I should remain civil until I can get another job.]"},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"6. Based on this analysis, I intend to make the following changes in my thinking or my life circumstances . . ."},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"For the next week, practice reminding yourself of this important truth:"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"My power comes from within; I therefore have power over my thoughts and my life. I will take control of my thoughts in every situation and will be responsible for my thoughts and actions in every circumstance. I will use my power in the most advantageous ways possible, while still respecting the rights and needs of others. I will not pretend to have power when and where I have none, nor will I dwell negatively on the power I don’t have."},{"attributes":{"indent":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n----\n \nThis blog has been excerpted from the upcoming book "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Critical Thinking Therapy: For Happiness and Self-Actualization"},{"insert":", by Linda Elder, Treely Green Publishing Co. (treelygreenpublishing.com), due for release December 15, 2024, pp. 53-54.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"[Missed Part 4? "},{"attributes":{"bold":true,"link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/blogPost.php?param=244"},"insert":"Read It Here"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Why Children Need to Think Philosophically [3 of 3]"},{"insert":"\n \nLet me now explore the conceptual side of the question further by suggesting some kinds of philosophical issues embedded, not only in the lives of children, but also in the lives of adults:\n \nWho am I? What am I like? What are the people around me like? What are people of different backgrounds, religions, and nations like? How much am I like others? How much am I unlike them? What kind of a world do I live in? When should I trust? When should I distrust? What should I accept? What should I question? How should I understand my past, the pasts of my parents, my ethnic group, my religion, my nation? Who are my friends? Who are my enemies? What is a friend? How am I like and unlike my enemy? What is most important to me? How should I live my life? What responsibilities do I have to others? What responsibilities do they have to me? What responsibilities do I have to my friends? Do I have any responsibilities to people I don’t like? To people who don’t like me? To my enemies? Do my parents love me? Do I love them? What is love? What is hate? What is indifference? Does it matter if others do not approve of me? When does it matter? When should I ignore what others think? What rights do I have? What rights should I give to others? What should I do if others do not respect my rights? Should I get what I want? Should I question what I want? Should I take what I want if I am strong or smart enough to get await with it? Who comes out ahead in this world, the strong or the good person? Is it worthwhile to be good? Are authorities good or just strong?"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" \nI do not assume that children must reflect on all or even most of the questions that professional philosophers consider – although the preceding list contains many concepts that professional philosophers tackle. To cultivate philosophical thinking, one does not force students to think in a sophisticated way before they are ready. Each student can contribute to a philosophical discussion thoughts which help other students to orient themselves within a range of thoughts, some of which support or enrich and some of which conflict with other thoughts. Different students achieve different levels of understanding. There is no reason to try to force any given student to achieve a particular level of understanding. But the point is that we can lead young students into philosophical discussions which help them begin to:\n\nsee the significance and relevance of basic philosophical questions to understanding themselves and the world about them,"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"understand the problematic character of human thought and the need to probe deeply into it,"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"gain insights into what it takes to make thinking more rational, critical, and fairminded,"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"organize their thinking globally across subject matter divisions,"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"achieve initial command over their own thought processes, and"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"come to believe in the value and power of their own minds."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nIn the transcript that follows, a normal 4"},{"attributes":{"script":"super"},"insert":"th"},{"insert":" grade class is led to discuss a variety of basic ideas: how the mind works, the nature of mind, why different people interpret the same events differently, the relationship between emotions and mental interpretations, the nature and origin of personality, nature versus nurture, peer group influence on the mind, cultural differences, free will versus determinism, the basis for ethical and unethical behavior, the basis for reputation, the relation of reputation to goodness, mental illness, social prejudice and sociocentrism, and the importance of thinking for oneself. This transcript represents the first philosophical discussion this particular class had and although it is clear from some of their answers that their present degree of insight into the ideas being discussed is limited, it is also clear that they are capable of pursuing those insights and of articulating important philosophical ideas that could be explored in greater and greater depth over time.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"Any rich conception of critical thinking must take into account and appropriately address the barriers to criticality that exist to some degree (or a large degree) in all humans. I invite you to view two of our latest videos that focus on these barriers:\n\nA recent webinar recording with Dr. Gerald Nosich: "},{"attributes":{"color":"blue","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/watchEmbeddedVideo.php?id=359"},"insert":"Why Self-Deception Is a Tremendous Barrier to Critical Thinking"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Our latest Podcast Release which captures a discussion between Dr. Nosich and myself focused on "},{"attributes":{"color":"blue","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/watchEmbeddedVideo.php?id=358"},"insert":"Ethical Reasoning, Part Two - How Egocentric and Sociocentric Thinking Are Barriers to, and the Elements of Reasoning Aid in, Ethical Reasoning"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTo delve deeper into these barriers and apply the theory of egocentric and sociocentric to your own life, complete the activities in the "},{"attributes":{"color":"blue","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/wallOfBarriers.php"},"insert":"Wall of Barriers"},{"insert":".\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"[Missed Part 3? "},{"attributes":{"bold":true,"link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/blogPost.php?param=242"},"insert":"Read It Here"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Why Children Need to Think Philosophically [2 of 3]"},{"insert":"\n \nIn some sense we act as though we believe, and doubtless many do believe, that children have no significant capacity, need, or right to think for themselves, Many adults do not think that children can participate mindfully in the process which shapes their own minds and behavior. Of course, at the same time we often talk to our children as though they were somehow responsible for, or in control of, the ideas they express or act upon. This contradictory attitude toward children is rarely openly admitted. We need to deal explicitly with it.\n \nI believe that children have the need, the capacity, and the right to freedom of thought, and that the proper cultivation of that capacity requires an emphasis on the philosophical dimension of thought and action. Again, by ‘the philosophical dimension,’ I mean precisely the kind of deliberative thought that gives to thinkers the on-going disposition to mindfully create, analyze, and assess their own most basic assumptions, concepts, values, aims, and meanings, in effect to choose the very framework in which they think and on the basis of which they act. I would not go so far as to say, as Socrates was reputed to have said, that the unreflective life is not worth living, but I would say that an unreflective life is not a truly free life and is often a basic cause of personal and social problems. I claim at least this much, that philosophical thinking is necessary to freedom of thought and action and that freedom of thought and action are good in themselves and should be given a high priority in schooling. They are certainly essential for a democracy. How can the people rule, as the word democracy implies, if they do not think for themselves on issues of civic importance? And if they are not encouraged to think for themselves in school, why should they do so once they leave it?\n \nLet me now discuss whether children are in fact capable of this sort of freedom of thought, reflection upon ultimate meanings, values, assumptions, and concepts. The question is both conceptual and empirical. On the conceptual side, the issue is one of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"degree."},{"insert":" Only to the degree that children are encouraged in supportive circumstances to reflect philosophically, will they develop proficiency in it. Since few parents and teachers value this sort of reflection or are adept at cultivating it, it is understandable that children soon give up their instinctive philosophical impulses (the basic "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"why"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"what"},{"insert":" questions). It would be foolish to assume that it is the "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"nature"},{"insert":" of children to think and act unreflectively when indeed our experience indicates that they are socialized into unreflectiveness. Since we do not encourage children to philosophize, why should they do so?\n \nFurthermore, in many ways we penalize children for philosophizing. Children will sometimes innocently entertain an idea in conflict with the ideas of their parents, teachers, or peers. Such ideas are often ridiculed and the children made to feel ashamed of their thoughts. It is quite common, in other words, for people to penalize unconventional thought and reward conventional thought. When we think only as we are rewarded to think, however, we cease to think freely or deeply. Why should we think for ourselves if doing so may get us into trouble and if teachers, parents, and powerful peers provide authoritative didactic answers for us? Before we decide that children cannot think for themselves about basic ideas and meanings, we ought to give them a real and extended opportunity to do so. No society has yet done this. Unless we are willing to exercise some faith in freedom of thought, we will never be in a position to reap the benefits of it or to discover its true limits, if any.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"We look forward with great anticipation to our upcoming "},{"attributes":{"color":"blue","link":"https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/2024-fall-academy-critical-thinking/1653"},"insert":"2024 Fall Critical Thinking Academy"},{"insert":" to be held November 15"},{"attributes":{"script":"super"},"insert":" "},{"insert":"-17, 2024 in the beautiful Arkansas Ozarks. This is our first in-person event in over five years, and we are delighted to have another opportunity to work with you all in an intimate retreat setting. Together we will explore critical thinking foundations and practice applying critical thinking concepts and principles across the significant domains of learning, teaching, work, and life.\n\nIn preparing for a new academy, we are reminded of core critical thinking insights articulated at our past events, including the following excerpt from the “Program of the Ninth Annual and Seventh International Conference on Critical Thinking” (1989). As you read it, remember that it applies not only to “students” in a formal educational setting, but to all of us who aspire to develop our minds to the fullest.\n\nOne who understands and values education as higher-order learning holds a very different set of assumptions, namely:"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":"1)   that students can learn what to think only as they learn how to think,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"2)   that knowledge is acquired only through thinking,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"3)   that educated persons are those who have learned how to gather, analyze, synthesize, apply, and assess information for themselves,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"4)   that classes with much student talk, focused on live issues, is a better sign of learning than quiet classes, focused on a passive acceptance of what the instructor says,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"5)   that students gain significant knowledge only by valuing it,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"6)   that information should be presented so as to be understandable from the point of view of the learner, and this requires that it be related to the learner’s experiences,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"7)   that superficial learning is often mislearning that stands as an obstacle to deeper understanding,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"8)   that depth is more important than coverage,"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"9)   that students can often provide correct answers, repeat definitions, and apply formulas while yet not understanding those answers, definitions, or formulas, and"},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"10) that students learn best by working together with other students, with a good deal of experience in mutually supportive debate and empathic exchange of ideas."},{"attributes":{"indent":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWith these thoughts in mind, we do so hope you will not miss this unique learning experience led by Dr. Gerald Nosich and myself. There will be separate learning strands for new and returning registrants, while we will also be together as a whole group during part of the academy. \n\nWe will illuminate how we design instruction and training to foster intensive intellectual engagement by every learner, in every class or program, every day. If you are an educator, you will leverage your new understandings in critical thinking to rethink your model of instruction; if you are a business or government leader or trainer, you will utilize critical thinking tools to transform how you view, organize, and execute your training and other work.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"This academy is concerned to foster deep internalization of critical thinking in the long run and is designed for:"},{"insert":"\n\neducators and administrators at all levels of instruction,"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"business and government leaders, and"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"anyone desiring to advance their personal critical thinking skills, abilities and traits."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Throughout the academy, participants will work toward:"},{"insert":"\n\ninternalizing first principles of a rich conception of critical thinking;"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"contextualizing these principles within academic subjects and disciplines, or within business/governmental practices;"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"developing instructional strategies that foster deep learning by helping students, employees, colleagues, and/or clients reason through your content using the concepts and principles of critical thinking,"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"understanding how to embody the character traits of the fairminded critical thinker;"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"conceptualizing critical thinking as transformative, and as essential to self-actualization and contributing significantly to the common good."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWith limited space at the Academy and Early Bird rates expiring October 6th, we recommend "},{"attributes":{"color":"blue","link":"https://www.criticalthinking.org/store/events/register_1.php?id=653"},"insert":"registering soon"},{"insert":". We also recommend taking advantage of our "},{"attributes":{"color":"blue","link":"https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/logistics-2024-fall-academy-critical-thinking/1659"},"insert":"hotel room blocks"},{"insert":".\n\nRemember that developing critical thinking skills and traits – as a teacher, a learner, a professional, a citizen, a partner, a family member, etc. – is a lifelong expedition, never finished, and that it occurs to a significant degree only through disciplined, explicit, routine practice. Studying in concert with others who are also serious about advancing their thinking is an excellent (and perhaps essential) way to propel your mind forward on this highly important journey. As we undertake such study in November, we hope to have you with us.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"[Missed Part 2? "},{"attributes":{"bold":true,"link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/blogPost.php?param=240"},"insert":"Read It Here"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Why Children Need to Think Philosophically [1 of 3]"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\nThere is a sense in which everyone has a philosophy, since human thought and actions are always embedded in a framework of foundational concepts, values, and assumptions which define a “system” of some sort. Humans are by nature inferential, meaning-creating animals. In this sense, all humans use “philosophies,” and even in some sense create them. Even the thinking of very young children presupposes philosophical foundations, as Piaget so ably demonstrated. Of course, if by “philosophy” we mean explicit and systematic reflection on the concepts, values, aims, and assumptions that structure thinking and underlie behavior, then in that sense most children do "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"not"},{"insert":" philosophize. It all depends on whether one believes that one can have a philosophy without "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"thinking"},{"insert":" one’s way to it.\n \nMost children have at least the impulse to philosophize and for a time seem driven by a strong desire to know the most basic "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"what"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"why"},{"insert":" of things. Of course parents or teachers rarely cultivate this tendency. Usually children are given didactic answers in ways that discourage, rather than stimulate, further inquiry. Many parents and teachers seem to think that they or textbooks have appropriate and satisfactory answers to the foundational questions that children raise, and the sooner children accept these answers the better. Such authorities unwittingly encourage children to assent to, without truly understanding, basic beliefs. In effect, we teach answers to philosophical questions as though they were like answers to chemical questions. As a result, children lose the impulse to question, as they learn to mouth the standard answers of parents, peers, and other socializing groups. How many of these mouthed answers become a part of children’s lived beliefs is another matter.\n \nChildren learn behaviors and as well as explanations. They learn to act as well as to speak. Thus they learn to behave in ways inconsistent with much of their conscious talk and thought. Children learn to live, as it were, in different and only partially integrated worlds. They develop unconscious worlds of meaning that do not completely square with what they are told or think they believe. Some of these meanings become a source of pain, frustration, repression, fear, and anxiety. Some become a source of harmless fantasizing and day-dreaming. Some are embedded in action, albeit in camouflaged, or in tacit, unarticulated ways.\n \nIn any case, the process of unconsciously taking in or unknowingly constructing a variety of meanings outstrips the child’s initial impulse to reflect on or question those meanings. In one sense, then, children become captives of the ideas and meanings whose impact on their own thought and action they do not themselves determine. They have in this sense two philosophies (only partially compatible with each other): one verbal but largely unlived; the other lived but mainly unverbalized. This split continues into adulthood. On the emotional level, it leads to anxiety and stress. On the moral level, it leads to hypocrisy and self-deception. On the intellectual level, it results in a condition in which lived beliefs and spontaneous thought are unintegrated with school learning which in turn is ignored in “real life” situations.\n \nAs teachers and parents we seldom consider the plight of children from this perspective. We tend to act as though there were no real need for children to reflect deeply about the meanings they absorb. We fail to see the conflicting meanings they absorb, the double messages that capture their minds. Typically our principal concern is that they absorb the meanings that we think are correct and act in ways that we find acceptable. Reflecting upon their thoughts and actions seems important to us only to get them to think or act correctly, that is, as we want them to think and act. We seldom question whether they deeply agree or even understand. We pay little attention as parents to whether or not conflicting meanings and double messages become an on-going problem for them.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"The proper role of ethical reasoning is to highlight acts of two kinds: those which enhance the well-being of others—that warrant our praise—and those that harm or diminish the well-being of others—and thus warrant our criticism. Developing one’s ethical reasoning abilities is crucial because there is in human nature a strong tendency toward egotism, prejudice, self-justification, and self-deception. These tendencies are exacerbated by powerful sociocentric cultural influences that shape our lives—not least of which is the mass media. These tendencies can be actively combated only through the systematic cultivation of fair-mindedness, honesty, integrity, self-knowledge, and deep concern for the welfare of others. We can never eliminate our egocentric tendencies absolutely and finally. But we can actively combat them as we learn to develop as ethical persons.\n\nThe ultimate basis for ethics is clear: Human behavior has consequences for the welfare of others. We are capable of acting toward others in such a way as to increase or decrease the quality of their lives. We are capable of helping or harming. What is more, we are theoretically capable of understanding when we are doing the one and when the other. This is so because we have the capacity to put ourselves imaginatively in the place of others and recognize how we would be affected if someone were to act toward us as we are acting toward others.\n\nThus nearly everyone gives at least lip service to a common core of general ethical principles—for example, that it is morally wrong to cheat, deceive, exploit, abuse, harm, or steal from others, that everyone has an ethical responsibility to respect the rights of others, including their freedom and well-being, to help those most in need of help, to seek the common good and not merely their own self-interest and egocentric pleasures, to strive in some way to make the world more just and humane.\n\nUnfortunately, mere verbal agreement on ethical principles alone will not accomplish important moral ends nor change the world for the better. Ethical principles mean something only when manifested in behavior. They have force only when embodied in action. Yet to put them into action requires intellectual skills as well as ethical insights. The world does not present itself to us in morally transparent terms. We live in a world in which propaganda and self-deception are rife. Public discussion and media communication are not neutral centers of open debate. A tremendous amount of money is spent on persuading people to see the events of the world in one way rather than another.\n\nFurthermore, depending on the society and culture in which we are raised, we ourselves are strongly pre-disposed to see some persons and nations on the side of good and other persons and nations on the side of evil. Humans typically take themselves to be on the side of good and their enemies on the side of evil.\n\nIn the everyday world, the ethical thing to do is sometimes viewed as obvious and self-evident when it should be a matter of debate, or, conversely, viewed as a matter of debate when it should be obvious and self-evident. One and the same act is often ethically praised by particular social, religious or political groups and ethically condemned by others.\n\nThrough example and encouragement, we can cultivate important intellectual traits. We can learn to respect the rights of others and not simply focus on fulfilling our desires. The main problem is not so much distinguishing between helping and harming, but our natural propensity to be focused almost exclusively on ourselves and those closely connected with us. This is clear in the behavior of national, religious, and ethnic groups. Few groups, in fact, value the lives and welfare of others (other nations, other religions, other ethnic groups) as they value those of their own. Few think about the consequences to other groups of their own group’s pursuit of money, power, prestige, and property. The result is that few people (in virtually any society) act consistently on ethical principles when dealing with “outsiders.” A double standard in applying ethical principles to human life is virtually universal and often flagrant.\n\nIn short, ethical persons, however strongly motivated to do what is ethically right, can do so only if they know what is ethically right. And this they cannot do if they systematically confuse their sense of what is ethically right with self-interest, personal desires, or social taboos. Ethically motivated persons must learn the art of self- and social critique, of ethical self-examination. They must recognize the pervasive everyday pitfalls of ethical judgment: moral intolerance, self-deception, and uncritical conformity. They must also learn not to confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs, and the law. \n\nTo go deeper into the foundations of ethical reasoning, we invite you to view our recent podcast: \""},{"attributes":{"link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/watchEmbeddedVideo.php?id=356"},"insert":"Ethical Reasoning, Part One: The Concept and How it is Confused With Other Modes of Thought"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":".\""},{"insert":"\n\n\n-----\n\nThis blog was adapted from "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"The Thinker's Guide to Ethical Reasoning"},{"insert":" by Richard Paul and Linda Elder, 2013, Rowman & Littlefield (pp. 4-5).\n"}]}