Beware the Self-evident

“Beware the ‘self-evident’” or “The importance of ‘critical thinking’”

Most people do not think for themselves. They prefer to have other people do their thinking for them.

Perhaps this is the result of being raised to “listen to their parents (or teachers, clergy, elders, fill in the blank)”…. whereas they develop the habit of conceding to whatever authority figure whose knowledge they consider superior to their own.

It may also involve laziness: one less thing to do, as it seems that other people are more than willing to do it for you.

It is actually also rewarding (in the short term), as thinking things through can often get in the way of satisfying whims, such as passing quick judgments on others, or indulging in behavior that provides short term pleasure, without having to ponder the long term consequences.

A few other people are somewhat aware of this, and are more than willing to take advantage of this situation, knowing that swaying opinions is relatively easy with sheep who are just looking for some person or set of ideas to follow. These people could be dictators, or other power seekers, or advertisers, who cannot help but seize what they consider an excellent opportunity. Ironically, even these parties are only somewhat aware….as they are not actually thinking things all the way through either, otherwise they would realize that exploitation, while providing short-term gain, will ultimately be detrimental to themselves as well.

At this point, it is probably helpful to define what I mean by “thinking”. Our waking moments are filled with “thoughts”, however what I am referring to is the asking and answering of questions such as:

“What is this?”
“What does it mean?”
“What are the short term and long term consequences of taking a specific action (or not doing so)?”
“How do I know X is actually true? (Or not)?

In other words, I am referring to the full use of the unique human faculty of utilizing our intellect to the extent of our individual ability. (Which is how human beings survive and achieve happiness)

None of us is omniscient or even anywhere close to being fully knowledgeable in the countless subjects that we will need to deal with in our lifetimes, and, while we will consult with others who have specialized knowledge on a regular basis, this is quite different from simply accepting those views uncritically. (letting so called experts do our thinking for us.)

One of the methods by which exploiters do the exploiting is by giving you part of the truth that appears to be “self-evident” counting on the fact, that this will be enough to gain your support, because it just seems too counterintuitive to challenge, and possibly very unpopular as well.
On this last point (popularity), I should add that another powerful motivation for “group-think” is to “fit in”. While this has been criticized as “second handed thinking”, which I agree with, I believe there is an evolutionary explanation as to why this behavior appears to be so ingrained.
In primitive times, being part of the “tribe” (safety in numbers, division of labour, relative safety from hostile tribes or predators, ability to hunt as a group), the reality of being ostracized from the tribe was very likely to be a life and death issue. Witch doctors and tyrannical “chiefs” took good advantage of this to their own short-term advantage. This does not justify groupthink, but for me it makes it more understandable that thinking for yourself can involve resisting powerful evolutionary influences.

Getting back to the partial “self-evident” truth strategy used to exploit you, some examples of what has been considered to be above questioning include:

“The common good”
“Helping the poor”
“Peace is better than war”
“Being green”
“You have a ‘right’ to a basic standard of living”
“Religion is morality”

All of the above have been the “ends” that have justified many of history’s bloodiest atrocities (the means), not to mention simply depriving people of legitimate human rights. Top of the list “the common good”, I believe is the one that often encompasses all the others and millions upon millions have had their rights taken away, including their right to life, with this as a justification.

Whether “self-evident” equals “true” depends on context…..

The common good is a value, but it cannot justify the sacrifice of even one individual, so ask yourself if you also agree with human sacrifice before you accept this wholesale.
Helping the poor is also a value, but it does not represent an obligation or a duty, or a justification to take by force from one to give to another. Proper charity must be voluntary, so again, ask yourself if you also agree with the use of force.
Peace IS definitely better than war, but appeasing a tiger when you have your head in his mouth, is not really a great option. Threrefore, also ask yourself, if you agree that it is proper to deprive someone of the right to self-defense.
Being green (whatever that actually means), in the context of not polluting unnecessarily is also a proper value, but it does not justify restricting life giving and life saving technology to do so.
Having a “right to a basic standard of living” is a contradiction in terms. We have a right to take action, but not a right to outcomes, because a right to any “outcome value” must, by definition, take away the right of whoever actually produces that value, making that person a slave.
While religion may (or may not) have started out as a form of philosophy that did deal with ethical concerns, and it is an attempt by many to reach for the highest within themselves, it has shown to have countless contradictions and has resulted in a myriad of atrocities throughout history and still today. It is, at best, misguided, and at worse, a tool to simply achieve power over others.
Ethics involves rational self-interest in which individuals recognize logically, that living in harmony with one’s fellow men, respecting everyone’s proper rights, especially the right to fully develop and practice the virtue of productivity to everyone’s own individual ability is obviously desirable. Productivity benefits the producer, which is his rightful motive, but also, by definition, benefits everyone else, so that a rational code of morality creates no conflicts between anyone.
These are just a handful of examples, and a fuller explanation of each is beyond the scope of a brief blog entry. However, I’m hoping I’ve given the reader something to “think for themselves” about.
I will end by paraphrasing Mark Twain’s quote…”if you find yourself, agreeing with the majority, it’s time to questions your beliefs.”

Thanks for reading.