critical thinking
The S/N Gap: Psychological Types and Political Communication
Here in the midst of another Presidential election season – or more precisely, on the upslope of another phase in the seemingly permanent wave-cycle of electoral politics – we are hearing a lot about the techniques of effective, or ineffective, political communication. The fate of candidates, parties, nations, seems to hinge on who best manages the alchemy of words and images; finds the right blend of theme, gesture, and utterance; marries the power of language with the aspirations of an audience; and, in today’s fashionable parlance, “frames” the issues in the most advantageous way.
America’s Fascination with Personality
The Commonweal Institute’s Uncommon Denominator has lamented our society's increasing dependence on images and the rise of domestic fundamentalism, and, as a response to these anti-democratic trends, called for a renewed emphasis on critical thinking in the public educational system: "The qualities of thought we wish to promote should be promoted among younger students . . . such that they enter their adult years already better equipped to make good decisions for their lives, and to understand the forces and processes that shape their world."
Critical Thinking -- Critical Indeed!
Perhaps the greatest legacy of the Western Enlightenment has been the elevation of individual reason and judgment over dogma and received wisdom. The celebration of independent thought -- not to mention independent thought itself -- has played a central role in the rise of both secular government and religious ecumenicalism; in the steady expansion of liberty and civil rights; in the major scientific and economic advances of the last 500 years; and in the philosophical underpinnings of all these achievements.
The Aesthetics of Conservatism
"Aesthetic" is probably not the first word that springs to mind in a discussion of modern American conservatism. Dick Armey, aesthetic? Deregulation, aesthetic? How can that be? Aren't conservatives unresponsive to art, hostile to the artistic community?
