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like you would with a child Why would we turn off our critical thinking skills when contemplating claims of a leap in technology that transcends what many of u
by crusso 13y ago
like you would with a child
Why would we turn off our critical thinking skills when contemplating claims of a leap in technology that transcends what many of us understand to be possible currently?
There are times to encourage creative thought, like with children or within the context of a brainstorming meeting.
But most of the time we should evaluate claims critically with the best practices of the Scientific Method.
IMO, there's way too much gullibility in our society for religions, junk science, Internet scams, and political dogma.
- harryh 13y agoThe Scylla and Charybdis of innovation. Open your mind too far and you accept too many wacky ideas. Close it to much and you'll never see what's possible.
- crusso 13y agoSure, but if I could turn the societal dial a few clicks toward critical thinking vs day dreaming, I'd do it. The unquestionable success of the Scientific Method has shown that careful analysis and requirement of experimental proof far outstrip bumbling about with our own natural human level of random thoughts that we label "creativity".
- harryh 13y agoI dunno. Maybe. But then I look around and see more need for creativity now than ever. Technology is changing faster than ever and that's impacting society in ways previously only speculated about. To me that means there's a lot of opportunity out there waiting to be captured by people crazy enough to do a little dreaming. Ideas are delicate things.
- InclinedPlane 13y agoCreativity and critical thinking aren't opposite ends of the same scale, in many ways they are orthogonal. Similarly, critical thinking and blind pessimism aren't the same thing, though many people mistake them to be.
- jamesrcole 13y agoThe scientific method is about testing ideas. Generating ideas another matter. Innovation often requires ideas that sound 'crazy' (because they don't fit with established ideas).
- chongli 13y agoThe really hard part of critical thinking is training your intuitive, heuristic filters. Applying rigorous critical thinking to everything takes way too long. Conversely, applying critical thinking to nothing at all makes you a gullible idiot. Developing that filter to strike the right balance is a lifelong learning process.
- mapmeld 13y ago> Why would we turn off our critical thinking skills when contemplating claims of a leap in technology that transcends what many of us understand to be possible currently? Because it's Amazon, and they're one of a few companies able to choose the technology, location, and customer base for the system, and willing to operate a service at a loss. If it's only possible to deliver this to suburban homes in Little Rock, Arkansas, and they lose money on each delivery, then they still can do it.
- woofyman 13y agoJust because it's Amazon doesn't mean you should turn off your critical thinking skills.
- woofyman 13y agoWell said