Intellectual Self-Reliance, Independent and Critical Thinking are the Cornerstonesby Sharon Presley
In seeking self-reliance in education, it's not enough to advocate freedom from religious interference in the public educational system. Nor are alternatives such as private schools and home schooling the whole solution either. More than just political or institutional change is needed; psychological and cognitive conditions must also be met. Self-reliance in thinking is as important as self-reliance in educational systems. Finding ways to encourage children to think for themselves and to be critical thinkers are crucial elements for a free and free-thinking society. If children grow up to be adults who are unable to think independently and critically, then they will be vulnerable to political, religious, and psychological despots, regardless of what kind of schools they attended! Incorporating the principles of independent and critical thinking into the educational curriculum of our schools-public, private or home-should be a primary goal of those who educate. What is Independent Thinking? The Oxford Unabridged Dictionary offers many definitions of "independent," including "not depending on the authority of others" and "not dependent on others for forming an opinion." Making up your own mind, in other words. But what does that really mean? Does it mean forming an opinion without input from others? No, of course not, otherwise we "reinvent the wheel" every time we make a decision. We all need relevant information and data on which to base our opinions. It's the way that we seek information and how we apply it that makes us dependent or independent thinkers. If we uncritically accept whatever values or ideas we've been taught by parents, teachers or church, never questioning these ideas or asking ourselves if these ideas really make sense, then we are dependent thinkers (even if the ideas are true!). If we reject what our parents, teachers or church have taught us simply because they say something is right, does that make us independent thinkers? No, that's just what psychologists call "anti-conformity" rather than non-conformity. Making up your own mind is an action, not a reaction.Independent thinking means making sense of the world based on your own observations and experiences rather than just depending on the word of others. It means trusting your own ability to make judgments, even if they contradict what others say. It means acting in accordance with these judgments, even if you sometimes make mistakes. Independent thinkers know it's psychologically better to make your own mistakes than someone else's. Independent thinking is not necessarily rational or critical. Sometimes you make mistakes; sometimes it's difficult to know whether your beliefs are your own or simply uncritically borrowed. No one ever said independent thinking is easy. Critical thinking is a tool that can help you decide whether your old beliefs are sensible. It can help you examine new ideas or help you solve problems in reasonable ways. What is Critical Thinking? There are many reasonable definitions of "critical thinking," but I like the one offered by psychologists Carole Wade and Carol Tavris because it emphasizes the positive side to critical thinking. Too often people think that being critical means just tearing some argument down: "Critical thinking," they write, "is the ability and willingness to assess claims and make objective judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons. It is the ability to look for flaws in arguments and resist claims that have no supporting evidence. Critical thinking, however, is not merely negative thinking. It also fosters the ability to be creative and constructive-to generate possible explanations for findings, think of implications, and apply new knowledge to a broad range of social and personal problems. You can't really separate critical thinking from creative thinking, for it's only when you question what is that you can begin to imagine what can be." Nor is being an independent thinker and a critical thinker merely being "open-minded." As Wade and Tavris point out, "Sometimes people justify mental laziness by proudly telling you that they are "open-minded." "It's good to be open-minded," replies philosopher Jacob Needleman, "but not so open that your brains fall out." Wade writes that sometimes her students think that being open- minded means that every opinion is just as good as every other opinion. "What comes across to students," she says, "is that they shouldn't defend their own beliefs too passionately or criticize someone else's beliefs too strongly." When they complain "it's just my opinion," she replies "Well, is it a good opinion or a bad opinion? Is it well-supported by evidence or reasons? The goal is to teach students how to take a position and defend it strongly and with passion, and yet fairmindedly." Commitment and Fair-mindednessA theory that complements Wade's idea of fair-mindedness, as well as the notion of critical thinking, is one offered by developmental psychologist William Perry. He suggests that, as we mature to adulthood, we go through different stages in our thinking about beliefs. As young teens, many of us see the world from an authoritarian perspective. There's only one right answer and it's the teacher or authority figure's job to give us "the" answer. [Sadly, many adults never get out of this stage!] Then, as we mature, we begin to see things in a more relative perspective, recognizing that different people have different points of view. At this point, we can take several paths-we can slip into complete relativism, believing like those students of Wade's, that any opinion is as good as any other; or we can slip into nihilism, giving up any belief; or, if we keep growing, we move forward to the final stage. Here, we recognize the need to make a commitment to personal beliefs that we have arrived at by careful thinking and a need to take responsibility for these beliefs. But at this stage, we also accept and respect the idea that others may hold contradictory values to which they are equally committed. In other words, we see the need to defend our values and to be fair-minded. Self-reliance of any kind, political, social or personal, is not an easy goal to reach. "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else," writes e.e. Cummings, "means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." It's a battle well worth fighting-for ourselves and for future generations. Sharon Presley, Ph.D. is a social psychologist who writes and speaks frequently on topics relevant to critical and independent thinking. She is executive director of Resources for Independent Thinking. For more information about RIT, write RIT, 4067 Hardwick #129, Lakewood, CA 90712-2324 or call (310) 630-3678. This article has been adapted from an essay that appeared in Volume 1, Number 1 of Independent Thinking Review. All rights reserved by Resources for Independent Thinking. Resources for Independent ThinkingResources for Independent Thinking is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization with a commitment to encouraging and promoting fair-minded independent and critical thinking. It offers information and resources that help people think for themselves and increase their critical thinking skills. This includes workshops, seminars, reprints, and a mail-order book service for adults and children, as well as a quarterly publication, Independent Thinking Review. ITR includes articles, book reviews and listings of organizations, publications and other resources available that are relevant to critical or independent thinking in general or to specific themes where critical thinking is called for. Because critical thinking resources for children and parents in the sense defined in this article are not easily found, RIT has a special mission to seek out the resources that do exist and make them more readily available. RIT also plans to develop its own critical thinking educational material for children and parents. You are invited to join in this endeavor. If you know of resources-books, organizations, publications, videos, TV and radio programs, or other efforts-that could help increase critical thinking skills, let RIT know about them; they are always looking for new and useful information to pass on to people. Guidelines for Critical Thinking1. Ask questions; be willing to wonder. Always be on the lookout for questions that have not been answered in the textbooks, by the experts in the field or by the media. Be willing to ask "What's wrong here?" and/or "Why is this the way it is, and how did it come to be that way?" Based on "Critical and Creative Thinking" by Carole Wads and Carol Tavris. Harper Collins, 1993.
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