Activity:
Distinguish Between Reasonable and Unreasonable Ideas Within a Group
Starting at a very young age, humans begin
fitting themselves into groups. They do so
not by their own choice, but out of instinct,
and primarily in order to survive. Young
children lack the skills to critique the beliefs
thrust upon them by these various groups—
to determine group practices that make
sense to accept, to identify those that need
modification, and to abandon those that
should be rejected. Thus, from a very young
age, humans for the most part uncritically
accept the beliefs of family, school, religion,
peers—indeed any group in which they
become members. Then they spend their
lives largely defending and building on
views they have uncritically accepted as
children. As we age, we don’t naturally
become less sociocentric, just perhaps more
sophisticated in our sociocentrism.
Use the template below to distinguish between the
reasonable and unreasonable ideas within one
group you belong to.
Complete these statements: