"Critical Thinking" - NYT Opinion Piece

[arebelspy]

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/young-minds-in-critical-condition/

The author makes an argument for why we should approach things with openness, rather than a critical mind (and by that, he means don't look to deconstruct and criticize right away).  Give the author [of what you're reading at the time, not the author of this piece] the benefit of the doubt and look for what you can learn, rather than look for mistakes.

A good way to approach things, IMO, and one I try.  I used to be very much like the students he described, however.

It'd be nice if we could approach forum conversations this way.

[AccidentalMiser]

Thank you for posting this.  It is refreshing to read something that isn't just an echo, particularly in the NYT.

[Russ]

how timely

[swick]

Thanks for sharing, Arebelspy.

I think the last paragraph is particularly applicable to our little community:

"Liberal education must not limit itself to critical thinking and problem solving; it must also foster openness, participation and opportunity. It should be designed to take us beyond the campus to a life of ongoing, pragmatic learning that finds inspiration in unexpected sources, and increases our capacity to understand and contribute to the world — and reshape it, and ourselves, in the process."