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wellness centerdirector: Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.Wellness in the Headlines
We Know More Facts But Are We More Rational Than The Ancients? Current DR: May 15-17. Coming May 18: Ethics In Action
In her best-seller, The Age of American Unreason, Susan Jacoby makes a case that the US is gripped by a "virulent irrationality." Fundamentalist religion and junk science are flourishing, along with variations of "junk thought." Jacoby: "The mentally enfeebled American public is easily manipulated by flimsy symbolism, whether it's George Bush's bumbling, accented speaking style or the successful campaign by right-wing ideologues to smear liberals as snooty elites. Unable to grasp even the basic principles of statistics or the scientific method, Americans gullibly buy into a cornucopia of bogus notions, from recovered memory syndrome to intelligent design to the anti-vaccination movement." Jacoby believes an American norm is to distrust those who are knowledgeable about "ideas, reason, logic, evidence, and precise language." Could this be true? If so, how did this tradition ever come about? Yike - we're in trouble. This anti-critical thinking mindset is exacerbated as never before by "an ignorant popular culture of video images and unremitting noise that leaves no room for contemplation or logic." Vast numbers of people no longer read books, concentrate on anything significant for more than a few minutes and thus, don't really think critically anymore in a manner consistent with reason and free inquiry. Yike, again. What chance is there for REAL wellness if Jacoby is right about this awful trend? Given the level of rationality as described by Ms. Jacoby, I wonder how many folks today would even understand the humor in this glorious line by the late, great "Uncle Miltie" (Milton Berle): "We should be grateful to Thomas Edison, without whom we would be sitting around watching television by candlelight." Maybe a national effort to promote critical thinking would mitigate this unfortunate trend of poor reasoning Jacoby described in The Age of American Unreason. What is critical thinking? It simply refers to the way in which data, assertions and information is processed. At least most people today, uninformed as many are, still know more than the ancients. Most have a better idea about the approximate age of the Earth. Most surely know more about astronomy, biology, geology, history, psychology, philosophy and other arts and sciences than the best minds of the millennia before our own. Let's try to look on the bright side here. Don't compare Americans with contemporary Europeans or Australians, Brits or Kiwis. Compare us with the ancients - and I think we come out looking pretty good! Let's begin the recovery from being really dumb about thinking things through by emphasizing reason in REAL wellness promotions. No need to follow any particular protocols or rely or experts -- the basic skills are readily available and easily mastered. The following are among the many qualities that boost rationality and a reliance on reason, science, and evidence in making judgments:
Fortunately, we live in a society that, at least officially, still values reason, science, and other forms of independent thinking. We just have gotten out of the habit of practicing these qualities. Be well. Look on the bright side and do favor reason. Note: Parts of this essay first appeared here on February 11 and 14, 2001 in a Don's Report entitled, "Critical Thinking." (Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MENTAL DOMAIN under the skill area of effective decisions. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)
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