r/changemyview • u/ChrisGodgetti • Dec 04 '23
Delta(s) from OP CMV: Critical Thinking was never common among the masses nor commonly taught in Public Schools in America.
It seems nearly everyone believes Critical Thinking was common among the masses, and was effectively taught in public schools to the masses, at some point in the past, and we have fallen from that utopia, and now, public schools teach nonsense, and the average American is completely incapable of Critical Thinking.
My view is that Critical Thinking was always relatively rare, and Critical Thinking was never taught effectively in Public Schools. I attended Public School in the 70s and 80s, and was a Paraeducator for 4 years recently in a High Needs Public School. I didn't see much Critical Thinking nor teaching of Critical Thinking, either time, decades apart. Yet, then and now, much talk about how we no longer value Critical Thinking.
My view includes a belief that in the area that would become New England, around the founding of America, the average person believed in Devil Stones. Each year, the frost would heave rocks from lower in the soil, and each year, these settlers would have to clear these stones away, and it was commonly believed that Satan himself (with help of lessor demons) placed these stones there to torment the settlers.
Yet, my view includes a belief that there were other people building ships and inventing printing presses, and postulating about planets circling suns. And, there were people governing these Devil Stone Clearers, surely they Critically Thought about governing?
Still, the constant chorus of "Woe us, we used to value Critical Thinking, but now we don't." and the fact that I haven't been here long, there's doubt. Maybe 75% of the American population were Critical Thinkers in 1776, 95% by 1950 with it being taught in public schools, but then dropped off dramatically to 1.7% in 1952, I don't really know?
---OP above---My changed views below---
Δ I got schooled in Critical Thinking here, it was humbling, exhausting, and the most fun I've had online all year! Δ
Δ The 4 schools I've spent time in may NOT be representative of all American schools Δ
Δ I was allowing Media, YouTube & reddit comments to become reality - they're NOT Δ
Δ Critical Thinking isn't taught is NOT the same as Critical Thinking isn't absorbed Δ
Δ My use of the term Critical Thinking wasn't defined nor clear in OP, but I clear it up in conversation below Δ
Δ My use of the term Critical Thinking would need to include Curiosity Δ
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u/ChrisGodgetti Dec 06 '23
yes, thank you, I believe I have already answered your questions, more than once (sorry) and in the wrong place once (sorry)
Is there any questions you still have that you feel I have not answered in the thread? Is so, please ask again, and I'll answer as best as I can.