Assault on Reason
“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.” - Bertrand Russell
Since 2001, the Bush regime has demonstrated that it’s less interested in openness and truth than any previous administration.
During the Republican presidential debate the candidates were asked if they believed in evolution. Evolution is not a matter of belief. It’s a matter of scientific theory.
On the other hand, religious dogma excludes skepticism and critical thinking. By using critical thinking, one either understands a scientific theory as a reasonable explanation of observations, or one disputes the theory on the basis of conflicting observations. Asking a candidates for president, if they believe in evolution is an assault on reason. It’s another example of Bush’s new political environment, which is dangerously hostile to reason, knowledge and facts.
Choosing the data, which supports a predetermined belief, while ignoring the existing data, which doesn’t support a desired outcome is called cherry-picking. It was cherry-picking of select information, which led to the disastrous invasion of Iraq and serves to underscore the importance of critical thinking.
When Bush launched his preemptive war in Iraq, more than 70% of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorists who caused 9-11. Unfortunately, many still have “faith” in Bush and ignore the facts.
In the long-term, this poses a threat to the very basis of American democracy. The ability of a well-informed citizenry to use critical thinking to hold our government accountable is the cornerstone of the democratic process.
We have little time to waste, because we are facing many challenges, from the climate crisis and war in Iraq to health care and social welfare. To solve these problems and move forward we need to reverse the damage done by the enemies of reason to our democracy.
We must explore why our public forum seems to welcome the enemies of reason. More importantly, we must focus on what can be done individually and collectively, to restore the rule of critical thinking to our democracy.
Robert Reich, secretary of labor in the Clinton administration wrote: "the greatest conflict of the 21st century is between; those who believe in science, reason and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through scripture and religious dogma."
Since 2001, the Bush regime has demonstrated that it’s less interested in openness and truth than any previous administration.
During the Republican presidential debate the candidates were asked if they believed in evolution. Evolution is not a matter of belief. It’s a matter of scientific theory.
On the other hand, religious dogma excludes skepticism and critical thinking. By using critical thinking, one either understands a scientific theory as a reasonable explanation of observations, or one disputes the theory on the basis of conflicting observations. Asking a candidates for president, if they believe in evolution is an assault on reason. It’s another example of Bush’s new political environment, which is dangerously hostile to reason, knowledge and facts.
Choosing the data, which supports a predetermined belief, while ignoring the existing data, which doesn’t support a desired outcome is called cherry-picking. It was cherry-picking of select information, which led to the disastrous invasion of Iraq and serves to underscore the importance of critical thinking.
When Bush launched his preemptive war in Iraq, more than 70% of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorists who caused 9-11. Unfortunately, many still have “faith” in Bush and ignore the facts.
In the long-term, this poses a threat to the very basis of American democracy. The ability of a well-informed citizenry to use critical thinking to hold our government accountable is the cornerstone of the democratic process.
We have little time to waste, because we are facing many challenges, from the climate crisis and war in Iraq to health care and social welfare. To solve these problems and move forward we need to reverse the damage done by the enemies of reason to our democracy.
We must explore why our public forum seems to welcome the enemies of reason. More importantly, we must focus on what can be done individually and collectively, to restore the rule of critical thinking to our democracy.
Robert Reich, secretary of labor in the Clinton administration wrote: "the greatest conflict of the 21st century is between; those who believe in science, reason and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through scripture and religious dogma."
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