ANSWERS: 15
  • think!
  • Most of the time, when a student is being given this choice, it is actually a choice of believing the beliefs of his society or thinking like the teacher.
  • think for yourself , and teachers should teach you that.
  • Think for himself. In a democracy, everybody is a part of society, and society changes even when people act and think in their everyday life, not only when the politicians decide something. A society/democracy shall always question itself, if not it may be great danger.
  • That's a very good question! My self I feel they should be allowed to both learn and think for them selves and adopt the beliefs they want to. One similar thing to me is about teaching children about religion in school. They are not allowed to come to a conclusion from experience, instead they are almost forced to adopt the usual main stream belief systems..
  • The student needs to be taught to think for himself and the beliefs of his society and which of those beliefs are pretty much required to be adopted to function successfully in that society and which are up to the individual. If he has been taught to think he is free to prune the required list as he sees fit.
  • Well of course everyone should be encouraged to do critical thinking. The trouble is, almost everyone who comes into contact with the student has some vested interest in producing conformity... parents want the kid to grow up with their world view, likewise do teachers and preachers and coaches and even peers. So who is supposed to teach this critical thinking, if everyone wants their views to be adopted uncritically? I think adults working with kids need to cultivate "secret radical status". A secret radical is someone who looks normal on the outside, but when you get to know them it turns out they actually have some pretty unusual approaches to life. The external normalcy keeps them from setting off the Freak Detectors at the entrance to the school or church or whatever. That allows them to get past the Borg's defenses, where they can make friends with the young people and sow their seeds of sedition: "think for yourself", "challenge authority", "don't accept what you've been told just because everyone says it", etc. I don't think critical thinking will ever be a major part of the curriculum in society... by it's nature, society tends to want to elicit conformance -- conforming individuals are much better for the stability and continuity of the social structure. People who advocate critical thinking make the system nervous, they'll never be the majority. But, they can make peace with the majority and slip in their message behind closed doors, between the lines, and in the joyful playfulness of a good friendship with a young person.
  • Think for himself, not all the rules of society are good. Killing and discriminating against Jews in Europe was a "rule of society" in WWII, now what would you do? Follow these rules and get hung after the Nuremberg Trials? Or THINK and USE YOUR OWN BRAIN, and refrain from such prejudice and even HELP people in need.
  • Viceroy got it right, evry man should think for himself. Can you believe I had a teacher once say, "It's my board and my chalk, you will learn it as I say." But God bless teachers cause I can read, write and think!
  • Students should be taught to think for themselves. The problem lies in the fact that this is rarely done. Society and the governing body both have a vested interest in keeping their populace stupid and happy, because a stupid and happy population doesn't cause trouble. The founders of the U.S. of A. foresaw this problem and hoped (in vain) to avoid it... "God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ... And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." - Thomas Jefferson, November 1787 from a letter to William S. Smith. As you can easily see in the U.S. today, the fears of Jefferson have come to pass. Hope this helps.
  • The ironic thing is that what used to be the "counter-culture" is now the orthodoxy in our university's and it is now rebellious to embrace traditional western civilization in our society (especially in our schools). The former intellectual revolutionaries are now at the helm and they stifle critical thinking and dissent through such social pressures as political correctness. The object of any education worth its salt is truth and students should be given the tools to recognize truth and b.s. wherever found.
    • Victorine
      You are simply wrong about what goes on in universities (note correct spelling). By far the majority of the classes still teach traditional western civilization and critical thinking. Mine certainly do. You've fallen for a popular conservative narrative that doesn't align with the facts.
  • Of course students should be taught critical and analytical thinking, which is what "thinking for yourself" is all about. Mindlessly adopting the majority view isn't a sign of intelligence. However, there are some things we all SHOULD accept. These include things like laws and ethics that help ensure everyone's safety and security. You don't have to accept them uncritically -- debating and discussing the reasons for them should be encouraged -- but no one should be allowed to decide that, say, shoplifting or rape is OK just because he'd like to do it even though society at large disapproves.
  • The only people who would benefit from society members being reduced to "sheep" are the politicians and religious figures in powers who manipulate people into believing everything they are told. Unfortunately this is all to common in society in religious institutions, government institutions, schools, etc. Obviously people should be though critical thinking and to think for themselves. It would solve a few problems occurring in society today.
  • Schools are for questioning everything, so stay in school. Aka, think for himself. Though that doesn't work so well with how memory retention at something like only 1/8th.
  • I don't really think those are mutually exclusive. Especially since it's the society usually providing the education for the students.

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