{"ops":[{"insert":"There are many misunderstandings and misconceptions about the concept of critical thinking beyond the best scholarship in the field. Many people have the erroneous idea that critical thinking merely seeks mistakes in thinking, or in other words, "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"criticizes"},{"insert":". Or they think of it only as a toolbox for improving their ability to reason through everyday life or professional problems. Some stereotype critical thinking as cold and calculating, having nothing to do with emotions. Some academicians conceptualize their field as "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"the"},{"insert":" field that defines critical thinking and how it should be contextualized.\n\nAll of these ways of looking at critical thinking are incorrect. Instead, critical thinking is a rich set of interconnected ideas that, if internalized and systematically employed, help us live better across our lives, and in every part. The hallmark of the fairminded critical thinker is the commitment to, and embodiment of, intellectual virtues such as intellectual integrity, intellectual empathy, intellectual courage, intellectual autonomy, confidence and reason, and intellectual humility. When we steadfastly cultivate these virtues in ourselves, over time we develop intellectual and ethical character, which in turn leads to self-actualization. When we achieve self-actualization, we are more spontaneous because we are less concerned with what others think of us, and we are happier because we have greater control of both our thinking and our actions. We see ourselves as worthy, while recognizing we are fallible. We accept that we can never be perfect, while continually working toward the ideal. We recognize that a primary purpose in life is happiness. Through our critical thinking we seek the highest and most noble paths toward happiness. This includes, for instance giving of yourself to others while also making sure to take care of yourself. It requires not beating yourself up or denigrating yourself. It means believing in the potency of your own mind. It entails appreciating your unique set of characteristics and working to develop the maximum capacities of your mind.\n\nIn my next webinar, we will explore some of the important relationships between critical thinking, spontaneity and happiness using the tools of critical thinking. Please join me through the link found at this page"},{"attributes":{"color":"red"},"insert":": "},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/webinarsAndAnnouncements.php"},"insert":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/webinarsAndAnnouncements.php"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"red"},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\nOne part of the webinar will entail exploring the opposites of the following barriers to fairminded critical societies. In doing so, we will together develop an opposing list which we might title "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"20 essential ingredients in critical societies"},{"insert":", most if not all of which have implications for human happiness.\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"red"},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0069ab"},"insert":"20 BARRIERS TO CRITICAL SOCIETIES"},{"insert":"\nTo illustrate the fact that we as humans tend not to take thinking seriously in today’s cultures, consider the following 20 barriers to critical societies and to human happiness.\n\nMost people:\n1. are only superficially aware of critical thinking.\n2. cannot clearly articulate the ideal of critical thinking, know of it only as a positive buzz term, and\nin any case, habitually violate its standards in multiple ways. Most humans, in other words, have\nnot aspired to the ideal of critical thought, and most who have done so (having only an implicit\nidea of it) have succeeded only modestly.\n3. uncritically accept the traditional, mainstream views and beliefs of their culture.\n4. are “culture bound” (enslaved within social conventions).\n5. uncritically accept the views of authority figures.\n6. are not aware of, and do not attempt to explicitly use, intellectual standards in their thinking.\n7. do not understand human thinking (their own or others’) or the impediments to reasonability.\n8. (unconsciously) believe much that is arbitrary or irrational.\n9. uncritically accept bureaucratic rules, procedures, and formulas.\n10. accept a variety of forms of authoritarianism (such as blindly following a religious ideology).\n11. are uncreative and unoriginal.\n12. are trapped in their social class.\n13. never come to think well within any subject and have no sense of what it is to think beyond\nsubject-matter compartments.\n14. do not believe in freedom of thought and speech or in a wide range of other inalienable freedoms.\n15. are biased on questions of gender, culture, species, and politics.\n16. use their intellects only superficially.\n17. have little command over their primitive emotions and desires; rather, they tend to be at the mercy\nof their own irrational impulses and passions.\n18. do not value true spontaneity, naturalness, or artlessness.\n19. are unable and/or unwilling to think within the viewpoints of others who hold a different\nworldview.\n20. are unable to achieve self-actualization, self-command, or enlightenment because they lack\ncommand of their thoughts, as well as understanding of the relationship between thoughts and\nemotions.\n\n________________________________________________________________________________________________\n\nThe "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"20 Barriers to Critical Societies"},{"insert":" section in this blog was slightly modified from the content on page of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, eight edition"},{"insert":", by Richard Paul and Linda Elder, 2020, (NY: Rowman & Littlefield, p. 46).\n\n"}]}