NEED FOR CRITICAL THINKING

THE INTERIM-PRESIDENT OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY, YES HARVARD, BELIEVES THAT THE PRIMARY GOAL OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION IS CRITICAL THINKING. WHO COULD DISAGREE? UNFORTUNATELY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SINCE THE 1960' HAVE MADE A PROCRUSTEAN BARGAIN WITH STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS, TO CUT OFF THE ESSENTIAL LIMBS OF CRITICAL THINKING AS UNNECESSARY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS STUDENTS IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM FIT THE LIBERAL MOLD.

RATHER THAN STRIVE FOR HARD WORK, DATA AND SERIOUS THOUGHT, STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO COTTON TO EASY, POLITICALLY CORRECT COURSES. RATHER THAN MAKE HARD MORAL CHOICES ABOUT BEHAVIOR AND INTELLECTUAL PERFORMANCE, STUDENTS HAVE OPTED FOR THE CUSHY, RISKY, PARTY CIRCUIT.

NO LEVEL OF CRITICAL THINKING, MUCH LESS COMMON SENSE THINKING, HAVE HIGHER HALLS OF LEARNING TURNED OUT. INCREASING NUMBERS OF PRESIDENTS, JUDGES, POLITICIANS, LAWYERS, CEO'S AND MOVERS AND SHAKERS HAVE MATRICULATED AND GRADUATED OVER THE DECADES, BUT WHAT HAS TIME WROUGHT?

LAWYERS AND JUDGES NOW CLAIM THAT LETHAL INJECTION FOR MURDERERS MAY CONSTITUTE CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT. A MAYOR MISTAKENLY BELIEVES THAT IF THE ECONOMY IS GOOD, CRIME GOES DOWN EVEN THOUGH STATISTICS SHOW THAT CRIME HAS HAD ITS BIGGEST INCREASE SINCE 1991. A MAYOR THINKS NOTHING OF BRAGGING THAT TAXPAYERS "INVESTED 4 BILLION IN CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR OF CITY SCHOOLS" WITHOUT ADMITTING THAT THIS MONEY CAME RIGHT OUT OF THE POCKETS OF UNSUSPECTING TAXPAYERS. RESEARCH FACILITIES DECREE THAT BOTH HUNGER AND OBESITY OCCUR IN AMERICA AT RECORD LEVELS. AL GORE THINKS GLOBAL WORMING HAS REACHED CRITICAL MASS IRREGARDLESS OF CRITICAL STUDIES ACKNOWLEDGING CLIMATE CHANGES OVER THE MILLENNIA. RELIGIOUS CAUSES LIKE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, POVERTY REDUCTION AND INCREASED TAXES FOR EDUCATION AND WELFARE DEFY COMMON SENSE, A DERIVITIVE OF CRITICAL THINKING.

THESE FEW EXAMPLES SHOW THAT LIBERAL THINKERS THINK WITH A DELUSIONAL WORLD VIEW TOTALLY DOMINATED BY THEIR AGENDAS. SINCE THE 60'S CULTURAL REVOLUTION, CRITICAL THOUGHT (AND HARD, OBJECTIVE DATA AND ANALYSIS) HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TABLE OF PRIORITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. THE TABLE IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND PRIMARY GRADES GETS EMPTIER AND EMPTIER TOO.

A PRESCIENT AUTHOR WROTE A BOOK APTLY TITLED, "SLOUCHING TOWARD GOMORRHA". WE ALL GET THE IMPLIED PICTURE AND MESSAGE THAT LOOSE, UNDISCIPLINED THINKING AND MORALITY ARE NOT WORTH A DIPLOMA.