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This will sound objectionable, but I do not believe most people value critical thinking. In fact, to many it can offend them. Objective analysis and the ability

This will sound objectionable, but I do not believe most people value critical thinking. In fact, to many it can offend them. Objective analysis and the ability to question assumptions, groupthink, consensus offends people. And even if it didn't, it's nearly clear most people are not even capable of it. There's an Einstein quote about this: >Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.

ben509 7y ago
> Objective analysis and the ability to question assumptions, groupthink, consensus offends people. I disagree. Assumptions, groupthink and consensus are more a consequence of a social hierarchy. Social offense is the feeling one experiences when that hierarchy is challenged. It's a feeling that probably evolved with our pack animal ancestors. And while social offense is something your brain invents like any other feeling, it's not something you can simply ignore; analogously, the feeling of cold is in your head, but ignoring it can lead to hypothermia. We're still social creatures, our careers and relationships are directly linked to our reputations. We can't simply ignore someone (potentially) assaulting our reputation because it has real world impacts. To make critical thinking work requires social mechanisms that protect the reputation of the person who is found to be wrong. That's a large part of the reason for the scientific method, for the scholarly tone in academic journals, for professionalism in business, etc.