What One Thing Would You Change About The Staus Quo?

[LDAHL]

And/or temperament. In my humble experience, there are those, who can think critically, UNTIL something hits an emotion button. Others, don't have the skill set at all.


LOL. You want an epidemiologist, an economic advisor and a constitutional lawyer, to agree?

No, I just don’t think we need to treat the diktats from on high as the voice of God. The folks who would like to direct our lives are always claiming to speak with the authority of “the science”, when in fact they are just human beings making the best guesses they can. There is no safe time or best time to allow people out of their houses, there’s just a balancing of the various costs and risks. Treating an individual’s walk on the beach like a threat to civilization just makes a fetish of authority.

Personally, I think most people’s idea of critical thinking is a set of opinions that matches their own.

[catherine]

Personally, I think most people’s idea of critical thinking is a set of opinions that matches their own.

Critical thinking is the ability to discern the value and relevance of opinions as well as facts. More importantly, by definition it is the ability to detach from and challenge your own set of beliefs.

I like the 2nd of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings established by Zen Buddhist monk Thich Naht Hahn.

The Second Mindfulness Training: Non-Attachment to Views
Aware of the suffering created by attachment to views and wrong perceptions, we are determined to avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. We are committed to learning and practicing non-attachment to views and being open to others’ experiences and insights in order to benefit from the collective wisdom. We are aware that the knowledge we presently possess is not changeless, absolute truth. Insight is revealed through the practice of compassionate listening, deep looking, and letting go of notions rather than through the accumulation of intellectual knowledge. Truth is found in life, and we will observe life within and around us in every moment, ready to learn throughout our lives.

[razz]

Interesting discussion points TMS, Idahl and Cath. Good food for thought.

[JaneV2.0]

An individual's ability to think critically is independent of the life experience that informs them. This is even true in science, thank heavens. There will always be as many considered opinions as there are critical thinkers.

[Yppej]

No, I just don’t think we need to treat the diktats from on high as the voice of God. The folks who would like to direct our lives are always claiming to speak with the authority of “the science”, when in fact they are just human beings making the best guesses they can. There is no safe time or best time to allow people out of their houses, there’s just a balancing of the various costs and risks. Treating an individual’s walk on the beach like a threat to civilization just makes a fetish of authority.

Personally, I think most people’s idea of critical thinking is a set of opinions that matches their own.

I agree. My governor today extended restrictions statewide despite no new cases in Berkshire County. It is a fetish of authority to restrict people at little to no risk, but the state is gerrymandered so a disproportionatre share of state legislators live in Boston or its immediate suburbs, and the mayor of Boston squawks, so one size fits all stays in place.

[jp1]

If I could change one thing about the status quo I would have the president and vice president model the behavior recommended by epidemiologists and other doctors for helping to minimize the spread of a pandemic.

Since neither of them is going to likely do anything else particularly useful in dealing with this that would seem to be the least they could do.