Agreed. The person who was talking about it referenced media literacy and being able to discern valid sources from, effectively, propaganda.
Critical thinking skills were more to the point of the “functional illiteracy” label.
And god damn that example hits home because the worst of social media posts are exactly that. The Reddit “um akshually” guy who wonders why a simple statement post doesn’t include every possible extrapolation because it has to be a one-upmanship game instead of a clarifying question.
Critical thinking skills aren’t completely dead in America, but they are on life support and I’m not sure it’ll survive.
Our university system is hell bent on eradicating it the past few decades. It used to teach them.
Now critical thinking is considered dangerous and offensive and harmful, and the students who are suppose to be learning it, are opposed to it because it ‘hurts’ them to have their raw emotional pre-conceptions about things challenged.
There has been a major cultural shift in the past decade, starting in the early 2010s towards creating ‘safe spaces’ at universities, and students refusing to learn critical thinking skills and replacing them with quasi religious dogma, of a leftist political bent often. It is very new that this type of thing is going on at universities.
Relatedly, grade inflation is also rampant again. 60% of Harvard undergrads get straight As last year. in 2005, 25% of of them did. Failing or getting bad grades is basically impossible at universities these days unless you are deliberately negligent. Showing up and making minimal effort usually gets you a B or higher. Because being lazy and getting a C would ‘traumatize’ a student these days, so it’s not allowed.
There are some great books about it. Coddling of the American mind is probably the most popular.
Also students don’t study anymore. Average study time is like a dozen hours a week now. It used to be 30+ 2-3 decades ago.
Agreed. The person who was talking about it referenced media literacy and being able to discern valid sources from, effectively, propaganda.
Critical thinking skills were more to the point of the “functional illiteracy” label.
And god damn that example hits home because the worst of social media posts are exactly that. The Reddit “um akshually” guy who wonders why a simple statement post doesn’t include every possible extrapolation because it has to be a one-upmanship game instead of a clarifying question.
Critical thinking skills aren’t completely dead in America, but they are on life support and I’m not sure it’ll survive.
Our university system is hell bent on eradicating it the past few decades. It used to teach them.
Now critical thinking is considered dangerous and offensive and harmful, and the students who are suppose to be learning it, are opposed to it because it ‘hurts’ them to have their raw emotional pre-conceptions about things challenged.
Anti-intellectualism has always existed in the US but I’ll take your word about universities since I haven’t been in one since the 90s.
But honestly kids back then weren’t much better.
There has been a major cultural shift in the past decade, starting in the early 2010s towards creating ‘safe spaces’ at universities, and students refusing to learn critical thinking skills and replacing them with quasi religious dogma, of a leftist political bent often. It is very new that this type of thing is going on at universities.
Relatedly, grade inflation is also rampant again. 60% of Harvard undergrads get straight As last year. in 2005, 25% of of them did. Failing or getting bad grades is basically impossible at universities these days unless you are deliberately negligent. Showing up and making minimal effort usually gets you a B or higher. Because being lazy and getting a C would ‘traumatize’ a student these days, so it’s not allowed.
There are some great books about it. Coddling of the American mind is probably the most popular.
Also students don’t study anymore. Average study time is like a dozen hours a week now. It used to be 30+ 2-3 decades ago.