I've seen them call themselves that and "free thinkers" but they all just seem to wanna discuss how mainstream media lies and the benefits of living in a white supremacist ethno-nationalist dictatorship.
There is a deep irony in people using labels like “critical thinker” or “independent thinker” to brand their intellectual or philosophical superiority who clearly do not actually understand what those things even mean.
On the one hand, “independent thinkers” can reach the same conclusion as each other- they simply do so independently. Of course- if one is getting information from politically biased sources with editorial content like many modern talk “news” programs or online news and social media- if one is standing in an echo chamber of social media bubbles etc- their conclusions are not independent thought, they have been led to a conclusion.
Then we have the “critical thinkers” who… well- some could argue actual critical thought- and critical thought includes the gathering and communicating of ideas, it includes room for assumptions and such- but…. It’s actually a process with two important factors- identifying and attempting to solve a problem, and the establishment of significance. More than anything else I think these two places are where the majority of people who might be said to be somewhat correct in self labeling as a critical thinker end up off the rails- unless the problem is personal insecurity or trauma and the solution they chose was looking for a scape goat Vs. Dealing with their issues within themselves.
But here is where it all falls down.
Critical thinking does not imply a logical, correct, or even reasonable conclusion. Saying one is a “critical thinker” is like saying they are a martial artist. Ok. Do you have 30 years experience or just started last week? Have you ever been in a fight? A competition? Were you able to “win”? What “martial art” even? And being an independent thinker is a bit like saying you’ll take a separate car from everyone else- it just means you have the freedom to go where you want at your pace- it doesn’t mean you won’t get lost or end up driving into a lake- it just means you’ll get the where you’re going on your own and it may or may not end up being the same place as everyone else.
That is literally the core purpose of a debate- can you imagine an organized and earnest debate where two parties debated an issue and one said: “clearly my argument is correct because I’m a critical thinker…” that’s like a bake off where a contest says: “they already lost because I used an oven!” Derp. Yeah. That’s- generally expected in baking. And you probably aren’t an “independent thinker” because you probably didn’t actually gather any data yourself or verify anything for yourself- you just at best sources a bunch of stuff and more likely read a bunch of other peoples opinions and came to the same conclusion. You didn’t interview anyone and ask questions- you followed an interview by someone else and went off the questions they asked- likely questions asked purposefully and edited purposefully to impart an inherent bias to the interpretation. Going back to the kitchen it’s like saying you are a baker because you put sprinkles on the cake you bought pre made.
I actually read the whole thing. An in-depth analysis, as always. I don't know what your academic background is, but it is nice to have someone here who tries to look at things objectively, and who doesn't cave in to bad faith criticism.
I appreciate both your patience and kind words. Asides from a general appreciation of frogs and high quality frog related content, I find you to be witty, generally quite humorous, insightful, well spoken, and I enjoy your perspectives on things when offered.
As far as academia goes, as a simple turnip farmer I studied mostly off the land and the farmers almanac. Everything else I have learned has come from old scraps that are sometimes churned up when I plow and till the fields as these lands were once the ancestral home for the TV guide warehouses. I became literate by self teaching English solving puzzles on the backs of cereal boxes left on my doorstep by the old Widow Johnston at the next farm over.
On the one hand, “independent thinkers” can reach the same conclusion as each other- they simply do so independently. Of course- if one is getting information from politically biased sources with editorial content like many modern talk “news” programs or online news and social media- if one is standing in an echo chamber of social media bubbles etc- their conclusions are not independent thought, they have been led to a conclusion.
Critical thinking does not imply a logical, correct, or even reasonable conclusion. Saying one is a “critical thinker” is like saying they are a martial artist. Ok. Do you have 30 years experience or just started last week? Have you ever been in a fight? A competition? Were you able to “win”? What “martial art” even? And being an independent thinker is a bit like saying you’ll take a separate car from everyone else- it just means you have the freedom to go where you want at your pace- it doesn’t mean you won’t get lost or end up driving into a lake- it just means you’ll get the where you’re going on your own and it may or may not end up being the same place as everyone else.
As far as academia goes, as a simple turnip farmer I studied mostly off the land and the farmers almanac. Everything else I have learned has come from old scraps that are sometimes churned up when I plow and till the fields as these lands were once the ancestral home for the TV guide warehouses. I became literate by self teaching English solving puzzles on the backs of cereal boxes left on my doorstep by the old Widow Johnston at the next farm over.