How?

[robinson]

Arguing/discussing shit on the internet is almost always a huge waste of time

But, sometimes I learn some me things new and valuable from “the enemy”

Especially when it’s a subject I don’t know much about

Most people won’t lift a finger to help you out online, but goddamn, if you are appearing to challenge their pet belief, or worse, something they are an expert in, they will move heaven and earth to prove you are wrong

[robinson]

Many people don’t even know how to do an analysis of facts to form a judgment.

They simply never were taught how. The rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis, or evaluation of factual evidence isn’t even a thing to them. The very idea of self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking just doesn’t exist. Much less rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of one’s own thinking. Even if one does consider it important, as valuable, using effective communication and problem-solving abilities as well as a commitment to overcome native egocentrism and sociocentrism isn’t something one just acquired by chance.

Hell, if anybody actually reads that above, it probably sounds like nonsense to them

[gnome]

Um OK.

Who are you addressing?

That cartoon stereotype Indian over there?

[gnome]

Arguing/discussing shit on the internet is almost always a huge waste of time

But, sometimes I learn some me things new and valuable from “the enemy”

Especially when it’s a subject I don’t know much about

Most people won’t lift a finger to help you out online, but goddamn, if you are appearing to challenge their pet belief, or worse, something they are an expert in, they will move heaven and earth to prove you are wrong

So can I take this as an admission that you're full of crap when you argue? It would save me a lot of time. Or perhaps you could signal when you're trying to be serious.

[robinson]

You can do anything you want

[Helz]

Teaching metacognitive processes would be a good start.

If you go to a gym with a professional personal trainer they are not going to say 'There is the weight, go lift it X times to get better.' They are going to break down what muscles to use and how to position your body to use them so you can be efficient and safe.

I see very little difference in the mind. Its similar to a muscle in that it preforms a function but can do so in multiple ways. If your goal is cognitive ability knowing how to flex that muscle is huge.

Another big factor would be teaching people thinking traps and especially how categorical thinking can limit your understanding. If you read that last sentence and assumed what I was getting at reading the next one will start with you being more closed minded. Theres huge issues socially with that but having the ability to break free of assumptions and use lateral thought has a pretty big impact on ability for critical thinking.

If you are interested in the subject there is lots of publicly available information on formal processes think tanks use. Might also lead to some very interesting rabbit holes if your like me and when you get something to chew on you gotta dive in : )

[Pyrrho]

This kid is a genius.

https://i.imgur.com/E7UPE5U.jpg

[robinson]

Um OK.

Who are you addressing?

The unmarked deletion of all of Abduls posts makes many a thread look like I am talking to myself. There is no fixing this. It also doesn't matter in any way.

At some point you realize you spent part of the last 20 years arguing or talking to nobody, and none of it matters at all.

[robinson]

Teaching metacognitive processes would be a good start.

If you go to a gym with a professional personal trainer they are not going to say 'There is the weight, go lift it X times to get better.' They are going to break down what muscles to use and how to position your body to use them so you can be efficient and safe.

I see very little difference in the mind. Its similar to a muscle in that it preforms a function but can do so in multiple ways. If your goal is cognitive ability knowing how to flex that muscle is huge.

Another big factor would be teaching people thinking traps and especially how categorical thinking can limit your understanding. If you read that last sentence and assumed what I was getting at reading the next one will start with you being more closed minded. Theres huge issues socially with that but having the ability to break free of assumptions and use lateral thought has a pretty big impact on ability for critical thinking.

If you are interested in the subject there is lots of publicly available information on formal processes think tanks use. Might also lead to some very interesting rabbit holes if your like me and when you get something to chew on you gotta dive in : )

This topic was originally a response to the sub forum, which used not be

Education
How can we expose more people to critical thinking?

[Pyrrho]

Start two Twitter accounts.

"Go viral" on both.

Have them argue against each other.

Open merch stores.

[Helz]

Teaching metacognitive processes would be a good start.

If you go to a gym with a professional personal trainer they are not going to say 'There is the weight, go lift it X times to get better.' They are going to break down what muscles to use and how to position your body to use them so you can be efficient and safe.

I see very little difference in the mind. Its similar to a muscle in that it preforms a function but can do so in multiple ways. If your goal is cognitive ability knowing how to flex that muscle is huge.

Another big factor would be teaching people thinking traps and especially how categorical thinking can limit your understanding. If you read that last sentence and assumed what I was getting at reading the next one will start with you being more closed minded. Theres huge issues socially with that but having the ability to break free of assumptions and use lateral thought has a pretty big impact on ability for critical thinking.

If you are interested in the subject there is lots of publicly available information on formal processes think tanks use. Might also lead to some very interesting rabbit holes if your like me and when you get something to chew on you gotta dive in : )

This topic was originally a response to the sub forum, which used not be

Education
How can we expose more people to critical thinking?

Thats a pretty complicated question. I feel like off the bat our education system is geared away from critical thinking by design. Schools teach to regurgitate information for standardized testing because their funding is tied to it and that in itself translates to the underlying motivation of public education to be something other than critical thinking. One of the substantial issues is that critical thinking is tough to grade objectively. The separate forms of thinking are linear and lateral. While it is absolutely necessary for many higher forms of education and understanding concepts fundamentals are often much more linear in nature.

A decent start could simply be teaching thinking. I would bet the majority of people have never considered the difference between linear and lateral thought or how it correlates with critical thought. It could fit the garbage model of standardized testing and be essentially a force multiplier for educational processes. While some limited critical thought exercises are implemented actually breaking down what critical thought is and how to work around a problem would be a much more appropriate approach than throwing down an exercise and watching people fumble through it. Yet this is generally how I see most of education. I could sit down with a child and teach him formal methods for manipulating the form of memory he is using to remember information in an hour, and he could be more capable for the rest of his life; yet a school is more likely going to just hand him a list of words to spell or multiplication tables and say 'memorize this'.

[robinson]

No government body wants to teach kids to question what they are told.