James Drogan

The title of this post is the title of a contribution by Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, to the Project Syndicate blog.

Two pithy paragraphs are:

But the need for critical thinking has never been as pressing as in the Internet era. At least in developed countries – but increasingly in underdeveloped ones as well – the problem is no longer one of access to information, but of the lack of ability to process and make sense of that information.

Unfortunately, colleges, high schools, and even elementary schools are unlikely to mandate introductory courses in critical thinking on their own. Education has increasingly been transformed into a commodity system, in which the “customers” (formerly students) are kept happy with personalized curricula while being prepared for the job market (rather than being prepared to be responsible human beings and citizens).

Be sure to page down and read the comments, especially that by Dr. Gary Hurd.

There is work to be done to tame the present and secure the future.