Quote:
Originally Posted by Spuds
Someone can be educated and still be an idiot. Likewise there are plenty of people who are not educated but have good critical thinking skills.
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This is very true, depending on your definitions of 'educated" and "idiot." And, in my view that is one of the key problems with fuzzy thinking. People get sloppy with definitions. To many people it sounds pedantic, but without an agreed upon vocabulary we're just making sounds with little to no, or even worse, distorted meaning. For example, one of the things we're talking about is "education." But I'll bet we are not all talking about the same thing.
The keys to critical thinking are, 1. insisting on clear definitions, 2. asking questions, 3. demanding answers, 4. listening to those answers and examining them for internal and external consistency, 5. examining your own thoughts and beliefs for flaws, internal and external consistency, 6. mental flexibility, 7. HEALTHY skepticism, 8. avoiding dogmatism, and a number of other things.
Anyone can learn and practice these things. And as with all skills some are more gifted at it than are others. But, the key to my argument is that, done right (a big deal) formal education forces people to engage with, practice, and hopefully, hone those skills.
It is my position that, although "education" is a requirement for critical thinking ,
formal education is not. It does, however, facilitate its development.