To think people have lost their power of critical thought

[TheClaws]

I’ve noticed a tendency of people across social media to respond to posts without any critical thought or analysis. Eg. Someone tweets ‘There was no quid pro quo: the sham is over.’ The replies to this tweet are primarily ‘AGREE!’ ‘We need to make arrests’ etc. DISCLAIMER: this is just an example. Please don’t jump on this content. If you do, you’re somewhat proving that point.

Regardless of political affiliations, this reluctance to think frightens me. I see over a range of subjects, not just politics - though in the political arena, it is dangerous, as we run the risk of being used by others. (By this I mean misleading social media posts could be made and commented upon as above by unwitting people.)

My point is this: before you comment on something, research it, even just a little bit. Use more than one source. Learn what sources are trustworthy and what are not credible. This process doesn’t take much time and soon becomes second nature.

I'm in the dark about your example so will happily not comment

Apparently in studies people vastly overestimate their intelligence.

I definitely concur with that, I think I'm much smarter than the average person - this is not borne out by any of these online tests so clearly I'm dimmer than a 40 watt bulb

However I know that as I can understand the data and can use it to know that I'm a Thicky.... 🤷‍♀️

I agree with you. Just because something is written down, that doesn't make it true.
We need more challengers, debaters, alternative view-takers. It astounds me sometimes how people take so much at face value when it can take just minutes to validate or refute many things

I agree , we seem to have lost our ability to argue and debate . Instead it’s all about insults and whataboutery shouting people down . We ‘hate’ people a lot , we fight rather than debate .

I agree, there's such a dearth of critical thinking and debate. I find it horrifying personally (notably because of my teen DC )

The rise of Internet access and usage, especially social media, means that people can readily express themselves often with seemingly very little thought behind it. Exemplified with hashtags like #nodebate.

What's the opposite of meritocracy? Or some other word to describe those who shout the loudest, rises to the top?

I see a lot of very black and white opinions on very complicated issues. And people who consider themselves very bright, sharing articles and links, that 2 minutes research would have told them were not all they seemed. Whilst sneering at 'the idiots'.

YANBU. I have a relative who is a prime example of this, complete rape apologist. Her response to the Prince Andrew scandal? ‘Well, what were those girls doing there? Just setting him up’
No ability to question power dynamics and social structures that contribute to women’s oppression. Oh no, it’s always the women’s fault. Fucking victim blamer.

‘Get Brexit done’. Yep, negotiate for the next 10 years.

I agree! I’ve really tried to encourage it in my dcs. I found that creativity and critical thinking isn’t really developed at school and when they turn to gaming and gadgets for their downtime, it’s not developed at home either.

I wonder if it was always thus. I agree however. I find it frustrating that many people, when it comes to thinking about political issues are debating at the level of newspaper headlines, perhaps getting down to the byline (and it is the same on both sides. e.g. immigration is too high, billionaires don't pay taxes). I find the expression "Get Brexit Done" particularly frustrating as it skirts over the very serious issues that need to be resolved.

That said, I am sympathetic to the reality of people's lives. How much time do we all have to read in depth articles on foreign affairs, economic policy, etc, etc. So it's natural to adopt simple heuristics, to jump for the headline or the catchphrase.

I agree - the abuse that MPs (of apparently all parties) have been suffering shows what a bear pit social media is.
I deleted my Facebook account a while back as I don’t believe Facebook has any respect for the laws and democratic process in the UK. There’s a great talk by Sachs Baron Cohen doing the rounds that makes the point better than I can.

Arrgh I was just thinking this this morning. Someone has shared something on facebook, it's about the upcoming elections.

It is a claim about 1 of the parties, it's in bright red like a huge warning sign. The sharer has posted the comment 'if this is true then etc....' above the post.

As far as I can tell it's fake news (or at best a conscious misinterpretation of a historic comment) but the discussion underneath doesn't even register the if just a series of frothing raging rants about betrayal etc..

Honestly, I despair that with the whole internet at their fingertips nobody has bothered to spend 5 minutes googling to check.

That said, I am sympathetic to the reality of people's lives. How much time do we all have to read in depth articles on foreign affairs, economic policy, etc, etc. So it's natural to adopt simple heuristics, to jump for the headline or the catchphrase

I understand this - and you’re right, it’s easy to simply read the headline. Often I find people have done just that, but you can tell they haven’t read the linked article. (ie. Their response would likely be different.) But it’s easy now to find a minute or two to skim through an article or two. If you can find time for social media, time can be found for this.

OP I absolutely agree with you. I’ve come to the conclusion people are just intellectually lazy. They want short cuts and “easy wins”. So called “debate” has turned into a slanging match of over used meaningless sound bites.

I think Brexit has highlighted this issue beyond all question. Many people are very black and white, if they applied some critical thought (and research) to the issue they would at least be able to appreciate (and hopefully respect) others views without necessarily agreeing. Instead we get smug, “aren’t I clever?” Regurgitation of sound bites.

We don’t set aside enough time to think, to reconcile our own thoughts. We fill our lives with external posturing. Discussions revolve round reality tv. We spout on about diversity, but in reality the diversity we discuss is superficial, we dismiss others who think differently to us as if we embrace their thoughts and seek to understand them we might need to challenge ourselves. In a world where being “right” is valued over all else, the thought that there is no absolute view of right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral shakes people and they would rather not have their world view challenged.

Society embraces and values the scientific over the arts. We want things that are quantifiable, measurable and objective. Things are to be presented as fact, exams become a regurgitation of “facts” or others’ opinions. Little thought is needed to operate in society today, in fact it is actively discouraged. We are rewarded for compliance, punished for not following the rules. Despite many people claiming to be a contrarian (it seems the new business buzz word) they nevertheless tread a line of compliance, interspersed with the odd poorly conceived argument.

Completely agree.

It's shocking how many people agree with, and share, something which a little bit of critical thinking (and a quick Google) would make you realise it's made up.

Facebook seems to be the worst:

• "Urgent advice from police, please share"
• "If you see this...don't do this"
• Anything about benefits statistics
• Fake missing persons
• Misleading political claims

USE YOUR BRAINS! People build commercial pages through reach and they will say whatever it takes to get their page spread far and wide. Remember that viral post about mechanically recovered chicken which turned out to be the tubby custard machine? My case in point.

I think the more concerning side of this is that we are heading towards a society where there is an 'acceptable' viewpoint on everything and becoming incapable of rational debate without name calling. We are becoming increasingly polarised because we are told that every issue is black and white, for or against, pro or anti whilst most issues require a spectrum of opinions.

Brexit brought this to a head. On social media you had to be 'Leave' or 'Remain'. Of course they were the two options on the ballot so, ultimately, you had to choose one. On social media though, it became tribal with insults being hurled about by people who's opinions may not have been too dissimilar in reality.

I see it with my teenage (13) stepdaughter. She'll talk about current affairs in black and white, "X is bad", "Y is wrong", "Z is great". I do try and say "yes, but there is also AB&C to consider" but it's a bit of a losing battle when everything is so polarised.

I also can't abide this era of 'superior' thought.

i.e. If I post a particular opinion on Facebook that makes me a better person even if, in reality, you may not actually believe what you're saying.

Some people don't have their own opinions any more, they read and regurgitate what they believe will be the most popular and 'righteous' soundbite.

I’m so glad you understand what I’m trying to say! Lifeover, thank you for your post - it really sums up how I feel beautifully. I can’t understand vindictiveness combined with intellectual laziness, though. Why? What propels that?

I don't think many people have time to stop and think any more, let alone find out information for themselves. A few generations ago (think 70/80s even) people usually had Sundays off of work. Shops were mostly closed on Sundays even in late 80s. There were Sunday papers to be read and discussed. Lawns were mowed and maybe a chat to the neighbours or visit the family for a chat and catch up cos really, what else was there to do? Ok, lots of stuff, but I do think far fewer people these days just take time out of life to sit and read a newspaper (and they are no longer written for people to do that) or in depth articles. Discussion is not so common as people will message each other, rather than chat on the phone or 'pop round' as previously (when no other options) and when we do have downtime, we can watch whatever TV/YouTube we like, stream music, play games, even go to the cinema (multiplex means always something on) or any other entertainment place (iindoor golf, laser tag, etc).

Critical thinking is not taught at schools and kids and adults have less downtime to find it themselves.

Totally agree with you, OP; there's a school of thought seems to struggle with any discussion which can't be expressed as a one-liner (and often an insulting one)

I often wonder how much SM such as Twitter have contributed to this ...

I don't think many people have time to stop and think any more, let alone find out information for themselves.

People have greater access to information today than ever before, you just need to look in the right places. You can access virtually any information from the phone in your pocket, you just need to find reliable sources.

Even if lack of time/information was/is a factor then this is no excuse for bandwagon-jumping or simply regurgitating the latest 'popular' opinion.

I feel like a big part of the problem is that a lot of social media is an echo chamber - people follow those whose beliefs align with theirs, have friends on their timeline etc. and only read the media that they 'trust' to an extent. Then when what they think is reflected back to them there's a sense of validation, of being one of the ones in the 'right'.

I do worry that researching, analysing and referencing sources and evidence is going to be a thing of the past pretty soon.

I think many people never had it in the first place, and social media has highlighted but also exacerbated the problem.

A friends teen son was asking his grandad about Brexit. He'd seen the billboards about getting ready for Brexit and wanted to understand what they meant. Grandad just kept repeating "Don't worry..., Boris is going to get it done." He felt that was a legitimate, meaningful answer to everything. Eventually friend stepped in and explained that we don't know what it means as the details haven't been decided yet.

We used to talk about the Maybot, but it feels like half the population have turned into bots, and the "Brexit means Brexit" setting has now been adjusted to "Get Brexit done".

If people are this easily conditioned, it doesn't bode at all well for the future.

I think that for many people they sheer abundance of information is overwhelming and that nuance for many adds to uncertainty. We're not really comfortable with uncertainty for the most part, and so it makes it more tempting to choose a viewpoint and parrot that - rather than sift through lots of info that can feel dense and confusing.

Also - yep we have more access to information than at any point in history. But information on its own is kind of useless unless you have a framework in which to put it. And for a lot of people, choosing an easy soundbite that helps them make sense of this avalanche of info - and allows them to disregard uncomfortable and confusing information - can be a way of navigating it all. Not saying it's right but I can understand the temptation.

I think you’re being quite polite with ‘lost’. There are several people I can think of who I don’t think have ever had the power of critical thought! I think SM makes it stand out a lot more though.

Broadly agree- people are very clannish, and inclined to go along with a group rather than delve into things properly.

That said, it's not always easy to dig out the actual information among the propaganda.