The End Of Critical Thinking?

[geowizard]

Adolph Hitler exploited this phenomenon;

Sociologists have studied how one person speaking to a crowd of "listeners", listening to a charismatic leader can direct them (the masses) into conforming to believable diabolical behavior. Institutions, religion among them, function on control by "conformity".

It happens in society without a single voice driving the masses. It is a subtle, collective overpowering voice that drives the masses.

There is a compelling unseen yet overpowering voice today, that is driving AI:

There's nothing inherently "wrong" with AI at the moment. However nefarious evil powers could possibly drive AI (noting AI has no moral compass or understanding of "good and evil" in a humanitarian system) to modify behavior in a direction driven by a deliberate motive!

I would cite the crusades, mega-churches, and others that are on the surface, well intended, however "self serving" entities. The food industry is another "self serving" entity - driven by and driving market forces.

- Geowizard

 

[geowizard]

Benjamin Franklin controlled the press!

In the beginning of our democracy, Benjamin Franklin understood the power of "speaking" to the masses with "news and propaganda". He controlled the press in Philadelphia!

Benjamin Franklin won the Revolutionary war single-handedly by sailing to France and getting the French on our side against the British. "He said, "My enemies enemy is my friend"!

- Geowizard

 

[blauer]

For myself the bottom line is, what we do with all this education either from a school room or from life's class room ! Yep, you could be a victim of stupidity OR you could take advantage of learning and apply it to your own situation that is in your face staring at you ! Hopefully your education has taught you to solve or unwind these situations to your advantage ! Yep life can be a handful if your NOT prepared for it ! BUT then again if your up to it , the challenge can be very rewarding ! It's up to each person's desire to get ahead in life or to sit back and wait for someone else to wipe your b--t ! I choose to fix it myself ! You say " well how is that working for you?" well not as good as I would want it BUT I did my best in most case's and feel good about it and I didn't wait for someone to come along and wipe me ! AI is a tool for us to figure out and apply safeguards to prevent a runaway virus that could ruin it for us all ! And Foreign Country's could and probably will hack into this technology to sabotage it for everyone for their own welfare! It's up to us to put in place safe gaurds to help prevent this ! AI is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we need to secure it for EVERYONE to benefit from it ! AI is here and it isn't going away anytime soon ! We need to learn from it and GROW with it !

Another paragraph hater. F the period.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Another paragraph hater. F the period.

Please remember we do not have grammar police here.....

 

[3RDLIFE]

Please remember we do not have grammar police here.....

We may have a volunteer

 

[blauer]

Chapter one: Language

I you can't use basic sentence and paragraph structure in a reply to a critical thinking thread, then don't even bother, Well, there you have it!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Chapter one: Language

I you can't use basic sentence and paragraph structure in a reply to a critical thinking thread, then don't even bother, Well, there you have it!

You do not tell any member not to post, only a moderator or admin can tell a member not to post.

i will do you one better....

Chapter Two....Warnings

2nd Warning, We DO NOT HAVE GRAMMAR POLICE ON Treasurenet......
(Hope this one is clear, I want give a 3rd warning..)
"Well, there you have it!"

 

[geowizard]

Leading by example, a second warning shows suspended judgement;

"The essence of critical thinking is suspended judgment, combined with active inquiry to understand a problem before rushing to a solution.

John Dewey’s View

• Suspended Judgment: In his 1910 book How We Think, philosopher John Dewey defined the core of critical thinking as a deliberate pause or delay in decision-making.
• Inquiry First: Instead of relying on fast, default instincts or unexamined guesses, you pause to investigate the true nature of the problem.
• Tested Proof: This pause turns a quick guess into a well-tested, proven conclusion.

Why Judgment Matters

• Weighing Criteria: Critical thinking means making reasoned judgments using clear evidence, logic, and appropriate standards rather than raw emotion.
• Checking Sources: It requires you to judge the credibility of sources, recognize unstated assumptions, and spot logical flaws.
• Resisting Bias: It helps you step back, look at multiple angles, and overcome personal or social prejudices.

Well done, Sir!

- Geowizard

 

[geowizard]

General George Patton;

For anyone wanting another example of "Suspended Judgement", look no further than General George Patton!

In every situation, when the General should have said, "Get a rope!", he instead suspended judgement.

YouTube has too many examples to list. Check 'em out.

- Geowizard

 

[geowizard]

The AI response;

In keeping with the fact that AI is a "robust search engine" and not a "conscious thinker", let us look at the AI response to the query of "Examples of famous persons known to use Suspended Judgement".

The response:

"Suspended judgment is the practice of pausing your immediate conclusions or biases to actively seek out more evidence before making a final decision. As pioneering educator John Dewey famously noted, "The essence of critical thinking is suspended judgment; the essence of this suspense is inquiry to determine the nature of the problem before proceeding."

Many of history’s most renowned leaders, scientists, and philosophers relied on suspended judgment to break past conventional dogmas and make transformative discoveries.

1. Charles Darwin (The Origin of Species)

When Charles Darwin formulated his theories on natural selection, he knew they would clash with the deeply entrenched religious and scientific beliefs of Victorian society. Instead of rushing to publish, Darwin suspended judgment on his own conclusions for nearly 20 years. He used this prolonged period of inquiry to relentlessly collect evidence, cross-examine data, and anticipate counter-arguments, ensuring his final thesis was nearly bulletproof when unveiled.

2. Bertrand Russell (Philosophical Skepticism)

The 20th-century logician and philosopher Bertrand Russell strongly advocated against the dangers of premature certainty. He famously advised that individuals should "not to feel absolutely certain of anything." Russell practiced what he preached by treating political and social viewpoints as hypotheses rather than fundamental dogmas, maintaining an intellectual stance where assumptions could always be re-evaluated as new information arose.

3. Albert Einstein (Challenging Classical Physics)

Albert Einstein revolutionized physics precisely because he was able to suspend judgment regarding the absolute nature of time and space—concepts that classical Newtonian physics took completely for granted. By stepping away from these rigid assumptions and letting mathematical evidence guide his thinking, he developed the Theory of General Relativity.

4. Abraham Lincoln (The Team of Rivals)

In political leadership, Abraham Lincoln demonstrated extreme cognitive flexibility. Rather than making snap decisions based on personal biases or political alignments, he populated his cabinet with his harshest political critics—a strategy famously dubbed his "Team of Rivals." Lincoln regularly suspended his own initial impulses, choosing instead to thoroughly weigh conflicting perspectives, deliberate over evidence, and plan multiple steps ahead before acting.

5. Socrates (The Socratic Method)

The foundation of Western philosophy rests on Socrates, who routinely operated from a baseline of suspended judgment. Known for declaring that his wisdom lay in knowing that he knew nothing, he approached intellectual inquiries without predefined conclusions. Through the Socratic Method, he used structured, open-ended questioning to expose flaws in common assumptions and let the truth emerge organically."

- Geowizard

 

[russau]

Another paragraph hater. F the period.

Well thanks for the wet blanket ! your comment ,makes me feel welcome as all heck ! And a good day to you !

 

[geowizard]

Critical thinking is about asking the right question;

Is AI a misnomer?

I am not qualified to answer this question, so;

I asked Google AI, "Is AI a misnomer?"

Editorial Note: Please take the following "with a grain of salt." It shows the product of AI does not support the common misunderstanding of AI.

The idiom "take this with a grain of salt" means that you should view a piece of information or advice with skepticism, doubt, or caution, rather than believing it completely at face value.

The reply from the AI query:

"Yes, many computer scientists, linguists, and researchers consider "artificial intelligence" (AI) to be a misnomer.

Why the Term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ Is Misleading | IE Insights

The term artificial intelligence furthers misconceptions about the discipline's capabilities, origins, and nature, writes Pablo Sanguinetti.

www.ie.edu

Artificial intelligence isn’t - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391644663_Words_are_Important_The_Misnomer_of_'Artificial_Intelligence'_Unmasking_Biases_and_Advocating_for_a_Functional_Terminology

Why It Is Considered a Misnomer

• Lacks Human Cognition: Real intelligence involves consciousness, subjective experience, common-sense reasoning, and genuine comprehension. Current systems have none of these.

AI Misunderstood: Clearing Up Misconceptions

Explore the misconceptions surrounding AI, its evolution, and the importance of understanding its real capabilities beyond the "magical" label

jasonlei.com

• It is Applied Statistics: Most modern systems function through massive-scale statistical analysis, high-speed pattern matching, and probability calculations over vast datasets.

“AI” is a misnomer. There's no ability to reason. Its just pattern matching | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

Why Artificial Intelligence is a misnomer | LSE British Politics

Does the way we talk about AI enhance or impede our understanding of AI and its capacities, both now and in the future?

blogs.lse.ac.uk

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X26001314

• Anthropomorphism: The label encourages people to project human traits, feelings, and agency onto software code, creating false expectations of how reliable or "thinking" the machine actually is.

• Historical Origins: The term was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project largely as a catchy label to attract research funding and separate the discipline from cybernetics. Even back then, critics warned it was an over-hyped label.



Better Alternative Terms

Experts often suggest more accurate technical descriptors depending on the context:

• Machine Learning (ML) or Deep Learning (DL): Describes the specific algorithmic training methods used.

• Computational Statistics or Predictive Analytics: Reflects the underlying mathematical crunching of data rather than thinking.

Narrow AI / Computer Models: Captures that the system is built to execute specific, bounded tasks (like text prediction or image recognition) rather than general thought."

Added content:



- Geowizard

 

[mrwiskers]

For a video critical of AI, it was obviously made by AI. That aside, it makes excellent points. Many many years ago I would listen to a radio personality who was vocally alluring but often wrong in the details of the topics of discussion. People who did not recognize these errors in arguments called themselves "dittoheads," which I found to be a hilarious self-deprecating admission that they could not think for themselves. The chairs in an echo chamber are exceptionally comfortable, and though the radio personality is gone, social media has created a vastly larger echo chamber that can hold far more head-nodders than ever before.

I have long wished for a required high school class on critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, the most influential people prefer head-nodders to thinkers and would never allow it.

I agree with your sentiments, Carl. A problem with critical thinking being taught in the public "education" system is, that, this system is influenced by the Rockefeller Foundation. John Rockefeller famously said:..."I want a nation or workers, not thinkers."... (Just capable enough to run the machines, but, unable to think for themselves) ... Today, we (some of us) can see the result of his wishes ...

 

[geowizard]

mrwiskers said,

"I agree with your sentiments, Carl. A problem with critical thinking being taught in the public "education" system is, that, this system is influenced by the Rockefeller Foundation. John Rockefeller famously said:..."I want a nation or workers, not thinkers."... (Just capable enough to run the machines, but, unable to think for themselves) ... Today, we (some of us) can see the result of his wishes ..."

Debunking a myth with AI

"The quote "I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers" is an unverified and widely circulated internet myth rather than a documented statement by John D. Rockefeller.

Fact-Checking the Quote

• No historical record: Fact-checking organizations (including Snopes) and historians have found no speech, letter, interview, or writing where John D. Rockefeller ever said or wrote this phrase.

Origin: The phrase was not popularized until modern times—appearing in 21st-century media and conspiracy-theory literature (such as Jim Marrs' 2008 film One Nation Under Siege and 2010 book The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy).

Similar historical sentiments: Critics sometimes tie the idea to 19th-century social or industrial commentary (like an 1849 editorial by Irish social critic William Cooke Taylor) or to statements by Rockefeller's educational advisors like Frederick T. Gates, who helped shape the General Education Board.

Rockefeller's actual stance: Rockefeller actually supported higher education and advised students that education should "better fit a man for life's work," often encouraging college courses or business training rather than discouraging intellect.

Why the Myth Persists

• Industrial schooling critique: The quote is frequently used as a rhetorical device to criticize modern, standardized public education models.

• The General Education Board: Rockefeller founded the General Education Board in 1902 and donated millions to shape American schooling, which critics argue prioritized industrial-era standardization and discipline."

There are too many citations to list here.

- Geowizard

 

[mrwiskers]

mrwiskers said,

"I agree with your sentiments, Carl. A problem with critical thinking being taught in the public "education" system is, that, this system is influenced by the Rockefeller Foundation. John Rockefeller famously said:..."I want a nation or workers, not thinkers."... (Just capable enough to run the machines, but, unable to think for themselves) ... Today, we (some of us) can see the result of his wishes ..."

Debunking a myth with AI

"The quote "I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers" is an unverified and widely circulated internet myth rather than a documented statement by John D. Rockefeller.

Fact-Checking the Quote

• No historical record: Fact-checking organizations (including Snopes) and historians have found no speech, letter, interview, or writing where John D. Rockefeller ever said or wrote this phrase.

Origin: The phrase was not popularized until modern times—appearing in 21st-century media and conspiracy-theory literature (such as Jim Marrs' 2008 film One Nation Under Siege and 2010 book The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy).

Similar historical sentiments: Critics sometimes tie the idea to 19th-century social or industrial commentary (like an 1849 editorial by Irish social critic William Cooke Taylor) or to statements by Rockefeller's educational advisors like Frederick T. Gates, who helped shape the General Education Board.

Rockefeller's actual stance: Rockefeller actually supported higher education and advised students that education should "better fit a man for life's work," often encouraging college courses or business training rather than discouraging intellect.

Why the Myth Persists

• Industrial schooling critique: The quote is frequently used as a rhetorical device to criticize modern, standardized public education models.

• The General Education Board: Rockefeller founded the General Education Board in 1902 and donated millions to shape American schooling, which critics argue prioritized industrial-era standardization and discipline."

There are too many citations to list here.

- Geowizard

 

[geowizard]

The result of public education;

The result of education on the subject of "critical thinking" from the view of a student and educator, I would share that critical thinking can be a two edged sword. Some MDs' and PhD types having more advanced knowledge and far superior thought, resent being subjected to question. Professionals can and are often seen going online nowadays for a quick update using AI. Yesterday, we waited for periodicals or white papers to be published and delivered by snail mail.

"Because of" critical thinking, data centers and having access to AI, we as a culture are getting smarter!

I know some of this is controversial but data centers make possible the compilation of complete bodies of knowledge we didn't have access to yesterday!

My website,

http://www.wellog.com

is an example of early AI, 25 years ago. I developed online learning in the form of a "webinar"! The content became searchable with Yahoo. Today, the information highway has almost no limit. It grows every day from contributions made on every subject by millions of content creators and publishers. We can get an instant refresh of new knowledge from one minute to the next!

- Geowizard

 

[newnan man]

The result of public education;

The result of education on the subject of "critical thinking" from the view of a student and educator, I would share that critical thinking can be a two edged sword. Some MDs' and PhD types having more advanced knowledge and far superior thought, resent being subjected to question. Professionals can and are often seen going online nowadays for a quick update using AI. Yesterday, we waited for periodicals or white papers to be published and delivered by snail mail.

"Because of" critical thinking, data centers and having access to AI, we as a culture are getting smarter!

I know some of this is controversial but data centers make possible the compilation of complete bodies of knowledge we didn't have access to yesterday!

My website,

http://www.wellog.com

is an example of early AI, 25 years ago. I developed online learning in the form of a "webinar"! The content became searchable with Yahoo. Today, the information highway has almost no limit. It grows every day from contributions made on every subject by millions of content creators and publishers. We can get an instant refresh of new knowledge from one minute to the next!

- Geowizard

Interesting but how do we know everything that is posted is accurate? I have searched websites and videos related to my trade and skill set. A fair amount of what was posted as fact/proper procedure was incorrect or incomplete.

 

[geowizard]

AI accuracy rates vary widely depending on the domain and task, ranging from over 90% in specialized image or finance data tasks down to 52% to 84% for general medical diagnostics or open-ended chatbot factual queries.

- Geowizard

 

[Assembler]

Interesting but how do we know everything that is posted is accurate? I have searched websites and videos related to my trade and skill set. A fair amount of what was posted as fact/proper procedure was incorrect or incomplete.

Perhaps with 52% completeness / correctness factor is the real goal here with machine learning in many general fields except specific pattern recognition?

It takes one in a given field background to be able to see this firsthand whereas the general population takes it as accepted fact........LOL.