coberst
March 19, 2004, 08:45 AM
Reply to "Who Really Works Hardest to Banish Ignorance" by Peter Atkins
Looking in the dictionary I find a definition of ignorance to be “lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified�.
I assume that the “thing specified� by religion is God and His word.
I assume that the “thing specified� by science is comprehension of “reality�.
It appears to me that religious people make almost superhuman efforts to lead their members into the knowledge and comprehension of God and His word.
It appears to me that humanists are very lax in their efforts to lead their members into knowledge and comprehension of the science of reason. I hope “humanists� is an acceptable word to encompass the people to whom the author refers.
Reason is the only human faculty for ascertaining truth (reality). Humanists refuse to take sufficient notice of the very obvious fact that almost every adult citizen is ignorant of the nature of reason. The comprehension of reality becomes at best a haphazard event for people ignorant of the science of reason, i.e. critical thinking.
The US has begun an effort to teach critical thinking in high schools and universities. The effort is late coming and meeting a good deal of resistance. Our adult population has hardly been exposed to the phrase “critical thinking� let alone any idea of the content and nature of critical thinking, i.e. science of reason.
Virtually the totality of our adult population is ignorant of the science of reason, i.e. critical thinking, but I am unaware of any organized effort to encourage adults to become self-learners and critical thinkers.
I began, in my mid-forties, to develop an “intellectual life�. An “intellectual life� contains three elements: a self-learner and critical thinker who is also a heavy user of the local college library.
I have come to the conclusion that very few of our citizens, after formal education, engage in any intellectual activity beyond that called for by their career. This lack of a disinterested intellectual component in the life of our citizens is unfortunate for all of the obvious reasons.
I find much effort directed toward developing enthusiasm for critical thinking in youngsters but nothing directed to the adult. This tends to accentuate the error that I perceive in our education system. Our educational system tends to indoctrinate the population to the idea that, after formal education, disinterested intellectual pursuits are of no value.
The first half of our life is generally laid out for us and we develop small variations of the program. It is in the second half of our life, after age forty, that we have the opportunity to energetically “examine life�.
I would like to see an effort made to encourage adults to follow the advice of Socrates. Forget the allure that our culture constantly propagandizes and, instead of constantly gathering more stuff, gather more knowledge.
Critical thinking without a constant inflow of stimulation in the form of new knowledge creates only boredom and self-absorption. Reading books of substance and quality, especially history, is to a critical mind much like intelligence is to the success of a well organized and disciplined army. The critical thinker develops the question and the reading thinker develops the answers.
My hope is that somewhere along the way every adult will decide to add a new dimension to his or her daily routine. I am convinced that those who do so will never regret having developed an “intellectual life�.
I conclude that every humanist would agree that the development of an intellectual life is universally desirable.
Looking in the dictionary I find a definition of ignorance to be “lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified�.
I assume that the “thing specified� by religion is God and His word.
I assume that the “thing specified� by science is comprehension of “reality�.
It appears to me that religious people make almost superhuman efforts to lead their members into the knowledge and comprehension of God and His word.
It appears to me that humanists are very lax in their efforts to lead their members into knowledge and comprehension of the science of reason. I hope “humanists� is an acceptable word to encompass the people to whom the author refers.
Reason is the only human faculty for ascertaining truth (reality). Humanists refuse to take sufficient notice of the very obvious fact that almost every adult citizen is ignorant of the nature of reason. The comprehension of reality becomes at best a haphazard event for people ignorant of the science of reason, i.e. critical thinking.
The US has begun an effort to teach critical thinking in high schools and universities. The effort is late coming and meeting a good deal of resistance. Our adult population has hardly been exposed to the phrase “critical thinking� let alone any idea of the content and nature of critical thinking, i.e. science of reason.
Virtually the totality of our adult population is ignorant of the science of reason, i.e. critical thinking, but I am unaware of any organized effort to encourage adults to become self-learners and critical thinkers.
I began, in my mid-forties, to develop an “intellectual life�. An “intellectual life� contains three elements: a self-learner and critical thinker who is also a heavy user of the local college library.
I have come to the conclusion that very few of our citizens, after formal education, engage in any intellectual activity beyond that called for by their career. This lack of a disinterested intellectual component in the life of our citizens is unfortunate for all of the obvious reasons.
I find much effort directed toward developing enthusiasm for critical thinking in youngsters but nothing directed to the adult. This tends to accentuate the error that I perceive in our education system. Our educational system tends to indoctrinate the population to the idea that, after formal education, disinterested intellectual pursuits are of no value.
The first half of our life is generally laid out for us and we develop small variations of the program. It is in the second half of our life, after age forty, that we have the opportunity to energetically “examine life�.
I would like to see an effort made to encourage adults to follow the advice of Socrates. Forget the allure that our culture constantly propagandizes and, instead of constantly gathering more stuff, gather more knowledge.
Critical thinking without a constant inflow of stimulation in the form of new knowledge creates only boredom and self-absorption. Reading books of substance and quality, especially history, is to a critical mind much like intelligence is to the success of a well organized and disciplined army. The critical thinker develops the question and the reading thinker develops the answers.
My hope is that somewhere along the way every adult will decide to add a new dimension to his or her daily routine. I am convinced that those who do so will never regret having developed an “intellectual life�.
I conclude that every humanist would agree that the development of an intellectual life is universally desirable.