I hear you on the lack of critical thinking, instead it's being replaced by a defaulting to a conformist view of surrounding peers. In harder sciences this is e

I hear you on the lack of critical thinking, instead it's being replaced by a defaulting to a conformist view of surrounding peers. In harder sciences this is easier to combat because of objective data but personal viewpoints have jack-diddly to do with logic/reason. I was 'attending' a 400 level course on contemporary arts at my local university and the groupthink exhibited by the students was insane. With only 7 students in the class it was intimate and dialogue based. Just for the sake of provoking actual defences and backing to viewpoints I took up a contrarian stance on damn near every topic. Sure I was labelled a racist, bigoted close minded hoser. But the conversations were integral to proper development of critical skills. The professor told me at the end of the year that the only reason she let me remain in her class (as opposed to booting me out as I wasn't a student or qualified) was because of this generated dialogue.