" And terror like a frost
Shall halt the flood of thinking"
W.H.Auden
"We all operate with various"mental maps" of reality and one of the most important things that critical thinking can teach us is that there is a difference between our maps (of the world) and the underlying reality they describe.If we fail to grasp this deceptively simple point,we can all
too easily end up identifyong our own culture's way of looking at reality with the only possible way of looking at reality.History suggests that the results of such a misidentification can be disastrous.As the German philosopher,Karl Jaspers observed:
" Man has an urge to consider his own life form the only true one,to feel every existence that does not resemble his own to be a reproach,and to hate it.From this arises the disposition to enforce one's own way of life upon everyone else,as far as possible to model the whole world upon it."
Since none of us can aspire to an omniscient,God's eye view of the world,I think it is best to say that reality is not so much something that is given as something that is constructed.However,I would also say that the business of constructing reality out of our own limited,fallible and sometimes jaundiced experience is an essentially moral task.From the fact that no one can be said to"know" what the world is like in any ultimate sense,it does not follow that any map is as good as any other.For example,a map that is based on nothing more than a kaleidoscope of fleeting images,sound bites and gut reactions can hardly be described as a good map.Probably the single most effective way of moving towards a richer,more insightful,and generally more inclusive understanding of the world is to look at it from a variety of different perspectives.No easy task,admittedly;but this,presumably,was one of the motivating ideas behind the development of international education.
Language is another powerful knowledge filter,which does not so much passively describe as actively structure our experience of the world.Every day,a growing army of political activists,media consultants and spin doctors seek to mould our perceptions through a stream of persuasive definitions,painted words and urgent narratives.To illustrate the power of language,consider the question of whether you should describe political groups that resort to violence as terrorists or freedom fighters.
When confronted with complex and unsettling global events,there is always the danger that we simply retreat into the comforting myths and prejudices of our own cultural background.In the foregoing discussion,I have suggested that since thought is a crucial determinant of action,any such intellectual retreat is likely to encourage intolerance and fanaticism.Unless we are aware of the various ways in which our belief systems can be distorted and are occasionally willing to examine them,we are unlikely to rise above our own cultural prejudices and move towards a more inclusive understanding of humanity.My hope and belief is that international education in general and critical thinking in particular can make a modest but significant contribution to making the world a safer and more tolerant place.
Shall halt the flood of thinking"
W.H.Auden
"We all operate with various"mental maps" of reality and one of the most important things that critical thinking can teach us is that there is a difference between our maps (of the world) and the underlying reality they describe.If we fail to grasp this deceptively simple point,we can all
too easily end up identifyong our own culture's way of looking at reality with the only possible way of looking at reality.History suggests that the results of such a misidentification can be disastrous.As the German philosopher,Karl Jaspers observed:
" Man has an urge to consider his own life form the only true one,to feel every existence that does not resemble his own to be a reproach,and to hate it.From this arises the disposition to enforce one's own way of life upon everyone else,as far as possible to model the whole world upon it."
Since none of us can aspire to an omniscient,God's eye view of the world,I think it is best to say that reality is not so much something that is given as something that is constructed.However,I would also say that the business of constructing reality out of our own limited,fallible and sometimes jaundiced experience is an essentially moral task.From the fact that no one can be said to"know" what the world is like in any ultimate sense,it does not follow that any map is as good as any other.For example,a map that is based on nothing more than a kaleidoscope of fleeting images,sound bites and gut reactions can hardly be described as a good map.Probably the single most effective way of moving towards a richer,more insightful,and generally more inclusive understanding of the world is to look at it from a variety of different perspectives.No easy task,admittedly;but this,presumably,was one of the motivating ideas behind the development of international education.
Language is another powerful knowledge filter,which does not so much passively describe as actively structure our experience of the world.Every day,a growing army of political activists,media consultants and spin doctors seek to mould our perceptions through a stream of persuasive definitions,painted words and urgent narratives.To illustrate the power of language,consider the question of whether you should describe political groups that resort to violence as terrorists or freedom fighters.
When confronted with complex and unsettling global events,there is always the danger that we simply retreat into the comforting myths and prejudices of our own cultural background.In the foregoing discussion,I have suggested that since thought is a crucial determinant of action,any such intellectual retreat is likely to encourage intolerance and fanaticism.Unless we are aware of the various ways in which our belief systems can be distorted and are occasionally willing to examine them,we are unlikely to rise above our own cultural prejudices and move towards a more inclusive understanding of humanity.My hope and belief is that international education in general and critical thinking in particular can make a modest but significant contribution to making the world a safer and more tolerant place.
