I have to question whether critical thinking skills are really that important. Truly critcal people are labelled as trouble makers who have issues with authority. People who are obedient, who can play the political game, tend to do much better. This is obviously true in law and politics, and certainly other professions like engineering. But what surprises people is that it's also true within academia - if you don't c…
No, this isn't obviously true. Criticizing and critical thinking isn't the same thing.
By "critical people" I meant people who think critically, in the sense of the word critical thinking from the previous sentence
I have to question whether critical thinking skills are really that important. Truly critcal people are labelled as trouble makers who have issues with authority. People who are obedient, who can play the political game, tend to do much better. This is obviously true in law and politics, and certainly other professions like engineering. But what surprises people is that it's also true within academia - if you don't c…
If those children were learning critical thinking, maybe they would not be simple sad extensions of theirs parents. Two days ago at a welfare office, I said to a 21yo guy: "Take your free time and read! Learn new things!" and he asked me why ... So many lifes wasted just because you have to only be efficient in a broken system. (I was at that office because of my too much critical thinking label)
I agree with you that critical thinking is important. The point of my post is not to say "don't think critically" but rather to draw attention to how if you pursue status in a hierarchical organisation, then you need to accept that you're making a sacrifice. If you accept this fact, then you can better weigh a balance between your personal goals and the easiest path to attain status.