My son Joe is nineteen years old. He is currently attending a Music College near London studying for a BA in Professional Musicianship (Guitar).
Joe has an innate empathy that is remarkable in one so young, and he has been known to surprise me with the questions he asks. It's a nice problem to have. He sent me the following message on the Book of Face, a site that is not without criticism but also one that does have the facility to help distant family members maintain positive relationships.
The question was this:
Joe
Hey Dad, how are you?
I'm doing well at the moment, and uni has been exciting. Out of interest, and related to something I've been thinking about, what are your views on how critical thinking can be introduced into mainstream thinking in all areas of politics and society?
Basically a society that is aware. I know that there are many who are pushing for a more inspiring education system, I'm one of them. I would like to hear any opinions you have
My attempt to reply is below the fold
Getting a question like that from your son is a mixture of pride, that one of your own is not only so aware at so tender an age, but that he would also think to ask, and anxiety at providing an intelligible answer.
Steve
Blimey Joe ... Not one for the "easy question", are you?
The first thing I would say is that only one who is aware of their surroundings, and has empathy for others, would even ask such a question.
The "masses" are a little more difficult. Their thinking, such as it is, is conditioned by their perceptions and their own feelings of identity. That is, you can't readily argue against prejudice with facts, because in that type of conversation, facts run a poor second to opinion.
I have a favourite saying "The beauty of science and maths is that they are true, whether you believe it or not".
The other thing working against anyone seeking true social justice and mobility is the simple fact that most people, although not all, live their lives entirely within the social strata they are born into. Expectations are conditioned by their own experience, and that of the people around them. Generally, folk just do not, for example, up and move continents
So you are asking people to think outside of their own experience, and that is a very difficult thing to do if you have been brought up to believe that, as your Dad was a plumber, you can do no more than own a small store selling plumbing equipment. To that kid, the thought of becoming Prime Minister, or the Dalai Lama, or the Poet Laureate is anathemic, when what he wants is simply to make sure he is never merely a plumber's mate.
You are right to suggest that education is the key. Education does more than prepare you to pass tests in isolation from the real world. Education opens the mind, and prepares it to consider that which previously was unthinkable. Good teachers carry the potential for all of our futures, yet they are treated very badly and can become cynical.
On an individual level the best thing you can do is show people by example. Another expression that I think holds an essential truth is "Don't tell me what you think, show me what you do and I'll tell you what you think".
From the earliest of ages, I believe children should be taught how to explore their world, and be given help not simply in understanding it, but helped also to ask the questions they have. That encourages people to think about problems, and find solutions.
Does any of that make sense?
Dad.
I felt that I had only scratched the very surface with that reply, and I am more than happy to have an extended conversation with him that encompasses many topics, over many years. At the same time, kids are sponges and able to absorb vastly more than one person can give, so I also sent him this message:
Steve
I can, by the way, get you a lot more answers, and a lot more to think about if you would like me to. I know some people who are way smarter than me
He answered that he would be happy to hear anyone's thoughts on the subject so I throw the floor open to anyone who has a comment to make.
Help me to help my son, and thanks for the bandwidth.
ps ... I have made Joe an account so that he may choose to reply himself, or not. If you get a response, or tip from Twiglet, you are talking directly to him.
Twiglet ... Twiglets are crisp wheat-based snacks with a "distinctive knobbly shape" similar to that of a small twig, originating in the United Kingdom.
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