Critical Thinking Note 30: Intellectual Courage

People generally have reasons for believing the things they believe. Sometimes those are good reasons and sometimes not. When we believe something, we typically take our reasons to be good ones. It would be hard to sustain belief for reasons we know to be bad. Perhaps people sometimes do this, but the problems with this … Continue reading Critical Thinking Note 30: Intellectual Courage

Academic Freedom isn’t what Pamela Paul thinks it is

Opinion | Colleges Are Putting Their Futures at Risk – The New York Times (nytimes.com) Pamela Paul takes universities to task for failing to promote open ended inquiry and knowledge seeking in the editorial linked above. She blames misuses of academic freedom whereby academics short-cut inquiry on a rapid path to conviction, advocacy, and activism, … Continue reading Academic Freedom isn’t what Pamela Paul thinks it is

Critical Thinking Note 30: It’s not about Buying and Selling

Arguments are commonly regarded as tools of persuasion. Seen this way, arguments are sales pitches for believing something. In our consumer society, we are all skilled at negotiating the constant onslaught of sales pitches. Our default is the hard no. Any of us would soon be broke without rejecting the vast majority of sales pitches. … Continue reading Critical Thinking Note 30: It’s not about Buying and Selling

Critical Thinking Note 29: Is Education Indoctrination?

This charge is being leveled at higher education frequently. The idea that colleges are in the business of indoctrination is a standard trope in attacks on higher education. Foes of education aren’t just preaching to the choir with this indictment. The appeal of the indoctrination charge is significantly wider, since many of our students aren’t … Continue reading Critical Thinking Note 29: Is Education Indoctrination?