critical thinking

I remember it from the corners of grade school textbooks:  "Critical Thinking," a section of the chapter most often ignored (to all students' relief) for the more palatable multiple choice questions and bullet points.  In a recent conversation, though, it came to me that the lack of critical thinking is at the root of almost every stagnated argument.  Why weren't we encouraged as children to practice that most important of skills?  To listen and learn, but not to take anything for granted, for gospel.  Analyze.  Criticize.  Think.

For example, during my time homebound with my father, I have often run into political and ideological stalemate.  I have often lamented the whole "us versus them" trope that makes everything so black and white, life and death.  All I hear pertaining to Muslims and mosques is parroted from the latest Fox News program, filled with emotional fallacy and hatred and fear.  Any disagreement on my part is often met with harsh words...or at least they felt harsh to me.  To disagree is not to be narrow-minded, or insolent, or aggressive.  I do admit to being "aggressive" on New York subways, if indeed looking into someone's eye is an act of war, but I just can't not look, you know?  And I just can't not voice my opinions and observations.

The thing is, it is ungratifying to say the least when saying my part does not propel us into meaningful dialogue.  Who wants to be shut down with a curt "No, you're wrong"?  Even children don't accept that crap.  They ask why.  And grownups scramble for some watered-down explanation of sex or pregnancy or profanity.  It is our natural instinct to question and explore.

So why am I seeing all these signs appearing to say "Don't question" and "Don't think"?  If you want to contradict me, come up with something better than "No."

Just now, reading the book Heaven, I came across a Muslim scholar fighting against the lack of critical thinking within Islam itself.  What Americans might consider Islam is in fact an overly literal, Puritanical interpretation that forbids all questions.  An "uncritical adherence" to the Qur'an.  Sound familiar?  These "Puritans" ignore history and cultural context and foster the ideas that lead young Muslims to terrorism.  Of course, this is a simplification...read the book.  But either way, it tells me that I've been onto something, because I see uncritical adherence in many religions and ideologies.

So to put it critically, people have been asking the wrong question:  it's not which religion is the right path (a nice, simple either/or that many are comfortable with) but how does religion lead us down the path?

Reject the literal, forget the grade school adherence to whatever the teacher tells you.  Think for yourself.  It's nothing new, but it sure could solve a lot of new problems.