That's why teaching peole CRITICAL THINKING skills is even more important in the age of AI. Without these skills, people are often ill-equipped to know WHO to trust, WHAT to trust, how to separate FACT from FICTION, which narratives work against them (instead of for them), and more.
Many false 'belief systems' (including cultish thinking, etc.) and narratives propagate like mind-viruses precisely for this VERY SAME reason.
This 'lack of ability in critical thinking' is what leads Israelis to believe in narratives of 'Jewish Supremacy' just as it led many Nazis to believe in narratives of 'Aryan supremacy', and just as it CURRENTLY leads many Americans to believe in narratives of 'American supremacy/exceptionalism'.
I went to school for 8 years (Aged 5 to 13) and during that time I was fortunate to have two teachers who emphasised critical thinking (in 1965 and 1968). Is it possible that young people these days can go through their whole education without being shown how to see the narrative for what it is?
Yes, I fear for the future. Even billionaires and people in positions of power and authority lack adequate critical thinking skills. As an example of this, I present you with Donald Trump -> he is so moronic that he himself is aiding the destruction of the U.S. Empire through many of his actions and decisions (which he obviously doesn't realize). I'm not complaining...I recently heard a Chinese Government official say that 'Never interrupt your enemy when they are in the process of making mistakes and harming themselves'.
Unfortunately, too many people lack critical thinking skills. That is one reason for WHY our world is in the dystopian state that it is in currently. People often land up being their own enemies by supporting narratives that work against them (while thinking that these narratives work in their favor). An easy example of this is the 'narratives that Israelis hold' of 'Jewish supremacy'. Another example (from America) is that of 'White Supremacist' narratives.
Maybe this is the human condition. Maybe a more evolved humanoid species needs to come into existence after we (the homosapiens) annihilate ourselves with our technologies and pathologies.
I think the narratives of the power mongers and the gullibility of the general population have been the curse of humanity ever since we moved on from grunting and began to articulate ideas with spoken language. Those who could see through the trickery and treachery have usually been the outcasts of the group.
Chang, seems the last few months have sucked out the last vestiges of optimism you used to have about waking the masses up and making more people see reality and now you've slowly come to accept it might be far too late for the vast majority of humans especially westerners
Yes, it's always a balancing act between optimism and what I call realism (instead of pessimism).
But I am no expert on the issue, and while I like to hope, I can't but help tempering my 'hope' with the present unfolding of events (not to mention a deeper analysis of past events).
I believe the earth (i.e. planet) would be fine (and maybe even better) without the existence of humans (in their present evolutionary state).
My REAL HOPE is that somehow (I don't know the how part) homosapiens evolve (in many different ways) before they land up annihilating all life-forms on earth.
The way to evolve is to begin to connect back to spirituality and metaphysics and inner work rather than scientific materialism and realism that had been hand in hand with capitalism to lead us to this current end game of standing over an Abyss of our own making
I believe you said you're an atheist and I'm all for everyone choosing their path and living life their way but I genuinely respect you and I've come to admire you through our interractions on this platform ( despite our rocky start over andrew tate, do you recall that? 😅 ) and so I'll just make a plea to you one time to try and give spirituality a go
And not religion as I'm also not religious but True Spirituality without dogma or doctrine and essentially connecting with one's own innate divinity
I'm sure you're already on that path as you're too self aware and conscious not to have done intense inner work and inner acceptance of your Shadow and light side
All I ask is you become more open to the idea of a Spiritual World and Realms and that we humans are connected to something vastly greater and more infinite than this dreadful physical reality we have defaced.
If you can open yourself up to that Chang, I promise that you will enter a Realm of wonder that can't be placed into words but will be for you alone and the Universe to enjoy together and what humans are currently missing which is their severance away from the Divine Spark within us and why the world is in its current rotten state.
I hope you give this path a try if you haven't 🙂❤️
It’s not just “possible”—it’s already happened. We now have generations growing up unable to take their eyes off the little screen in front of them. They’ve been hoodwinked and mentally dulled by “the narrative,” delivered through psychological vehicles disguised as reality. The so-called education system has conscripted entire swaths of the population into mindless groupthink.
While in your world (and mine) genocide is evil, why?
I cannot imagine a more moral man than Chris Hedges. Listen as he lists the many genocides of the past. How easily men can be convinced that murder is God's Will.
>>"I cannot imagine a more moral man than Chris Hedges"
Morality is subjective (not objective). YOU may consider Chris Hedges to be the most moral person in the world (or history), but other people will worship their own heroes and their qualities (such as morality or others).
>>"Whose story do you want to tell?"
I don't want to tell any stories. I want people to think critically ABOUT stories (told by others and themselves) regardless of the author/spreader of stories (i.e. narratives).
Whose stories/facts/fictions? EVERYONE's (throughout history). Ask "WHAT skills do I need to believe/prove the veracity of stories (i.e. narratives)?"
Does not seem to be Chang's point. I imagine Hedges would agree with the need for critical thinking. Dehumanization of a people is a first step toward genocide. Israelis have been brainwashed for decades (77 years) that Palestinians are their enemy. Many facets to the history, such as the Eastern European Jew treating Arab Jews as second class or worse. After WW2, the British Jews didn't want the poor Eastern European Jews. There was a classist element within the diaspora. BTW, Netanyahu's name was Milekowski, as all of the Israeli PMs changed their European names to West Asia-sounding names.
I just caught the documentary The Bibi Files. Check it out if you get a chance. Helps understand what happened in Israel the last few years with the corruption investigation. And YIKES on Smotrich and Ben Givr.
DEFUND THE ISRAELI HOLOCAUST IN GAZA PALESTINE. LET GAZA LIVE. FREE PALESTINE. PEACE
When one demands "critical thinking" it most often means, "recite my narrative or else."
That is what Chang wants. His superiority complex in demeaning Hedges and Good accomplished nothing and is an example of Caitlin's fictional illness which he projects on others.
Like I've said before, those who have WEAK critical thinking skills (like yourself) often find ways to disparage critical thinking.
Thank you for acknowledging your incompetence in this area. (Of course, you'll twist this comment to mean that I am implying something about MY critical thinking abilities. No, this has nothing to do with me, it's ALL about you - or should I say "John Zwiebel"?)
Is THAT what you got out of my comment? Maybe read my comment again. My comment does not mention a single thing about Israelis or Palestinians or Genocide.
Subjective morality is the view that moral judgments are based on personal preferences, feelings, or opinions rather than on objective facts or universal principles. It implies that there is no absolute right or wrong, but rather that morality is relative to each individual or culture. It can be contrasted with objective morality, which holds that moral judgments are grounded in some external reality or rationality that transcends human subjectivity.
For most of us, our personal moral codes are shaped by factors like:
(1) Our upbringing and life experiences: The moral values instilled in us by our parents and communities often stick with us.
(2) Cultural influences: The society and culture we live in significantly impact our views on moral. issues. What is acceptable in one culture may be taboo in another.
(3) Personal values: Things like compassion, fairness, and harm reduction are common moral values, but we don’t all prioritize them the same way.
(4) Context: Moral judgments are often highly dependent on context. For example, killing another person is usually considered wrong, but not if done in self-defense or during war.
The subjective view stands in contrast to moral objectivism,, which holds that certain moral truths are universal and unchanging. However, subjective morality does not mean “anything goes.” Most of us share some basic moral intuitions and principles in common. But there is no consensus on many moral issues, and reasonable people can disagree.
If you want to know my moral stances on Israel/Palestine/Genocide, you can either ASK me or read my comments on Caitlin's substack instead of JUMPING to conclusions and ASSUMING things based on your 'inadequate critical thinking skills'. This isn't a vitriolic statement, it is an observational assessment based on your comments and responses.
I could not agree more my friend. I already see that happening and I don't blame them. I think it started when I was buying something with cash and the teller could not make change doing the simple math. I put that thought away as a one off, then it happened again : (
That's why teaching peole CRITICAL THINKING skills is even more important in the age of AI. Without these skills, people are often ill-equipped to know WHO to trust, WHAT to trust, how to separate FACT from FICTION, which narratives work against them (instead of for them), and more.
Many false 'belief systems' (including cultish thinking, etc.) and narratives propagate like mind-viruses precisely for this VERY SAME reason.
This 'lack of ability in critical thinking' is what leads Israelis to believe in narratives of 'Jewish Supremacy' just as it led many Nazis to believe in narratives of 'Aryan supremacy', and just as it CURRENTLY leads many Americans to believe in narratives of 'American supremacy/exceptionalism'.
I went to school for 8 years (Aged 5 to 13) and during that time I was fortunate to have two teachers who emphasised critical thinking (in 1965 and 1968). Is it possible that young people these days can go through their whole education without being shown how to see the narrative for what it is?
Yes, I fear for the future. Even billionaires and people in positions of power and authority lack adequate critical thinking skills. As an example of this, I present you with Donald Trump -> he is so moronic that he himself is aiding the destruction of the U.S. Empire through many of his actions and decisions (which he obviously doesn't realize). I'm not complaining...I recently heard a Chinese Government official say that 'Never interrupt your enemy when they are in the process of making mistakes and harming themselves'.
Unfortunately, too many people lack critical thinking skills. That is one reason for WHY our world is in the dystopian state that it is in currently. People often land up being their own enemies by supporting narratives that work against them (while thinking that these narratives work in their favor). An easy example of this is the 'narratives that Israelis hold' of 'Jewish supremacy'. Another example (from America) is that of 'White Supremacist' narratives.
Maybe this is the human condition. Maybe a more evolved humanoid species needs to come into existence after we (the homosapiens) annihilate ourselves with our technologies and pathologies.
I think the narratives of the power mongers and the gullibility of the general population have been the curse of humanity ever since we moved on from grunting and began to articulate ideas with spoken language. Those who could see through the trickery and treachery have usually been the outcasts of the group.
So very true, Step O’Rafferty!
Have I ever disagreed with you my friend. If I did, please ignore me
: )
Chang, seems the last few months have sucked out the last vestiges of optimism you used to have about waking the masses up and making more people see reality and now you've slowly come to accept it might be far too late for the vast majority of humans especially westerners
Am I on the right track?
Yes, it's always a balancing act between optimism and what I call realism (instead of pessimism).
But I am no expert on the issue, and while I like to hope, I can't but help tempering my 'hope' with the present unfolding of events (not to mention a deeper analysis of past events).
I believe the earth (i.e. planet) would be fine (and maybe even better) without the existence of humans (in their present evolutionary state).
My REAL HOPE is that somehow (I don't know the how part) homosapiens evolve (in many different ways) before they land up annihilating all life-forms on earth.
The way to evolve is to begin to connect back to spirituality and metaphysics and inner work rather than scientific materialism and realism that had been hand in hand with capitalism to lead us to this current end game of standing over an Abyss of our own making
I believe you said you're an atheist and I'm all for everyone choosing their path and living life their way but I genuinely respect you and I've come to admire you through our interractions on this platform ( despite our rocky start over andrew tate, do you recall that? 😅 ) and so I'll just make a plea to you one time to try and give spirituality a go
And not religion as I'm also not religious but True Spirituality without dogma or doctrine and essentially connecting with one's own innate divinity
I'm sure you're already on that path as you're too self aware and conscious not to have done intense inner work and inner acceptance of your Shadow and light side
All I ask is you become more open to the idea of a Spiritual World and Realms and that we humans are connected to something vastly greater and more infinite than this dreadful physical reality we have defaced.
If you can open yourself up to that Chang, I promise that you will enter a Realm of wonder that can't be placed into words but will be for you alone and the Universe to enjoy together and what humans are currently missing which is their severance away from the Divine Spark within us and why the world is in its current rotten state.
I hope you give this path a try if you haven't 🙂❤️
It’s not just “possible”—it’s already happened. We now have generations growing up unable to take their eyes off the little screen in front of them. They’ve been hoodwinked and mentally dulled by “the narrative,” delivered through psychological vehicles disguised as reality. The so-called education system has conscripted entire swaths of the population into mindless groupthink.
I agree with everything my friend Chang has said. I work with students all day.
Whose story do you want to tell?
Whose Facts?
Whose Fictions?
While in your world (and mine) genocide is evil, why?
I cannot imagine a more moral man than Chris Hedges. Listen as he lists the many genocides of the past. How easily men can be convinced that murder is God's Will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCgQ5pehHqg
>>"I cannot imagine a more moral man than Chris Hedges"
Morality is subjective (not objective). YOU may consider Chris Hedges to be the most moral person in the world (or history), but other people will worship their own heroes and their qualities (such as morality or others).
>>"Whose story do you want to tell?"
I don't want to tell any stories. I want people to think critically ABOUT stories (told by others and themselves) regardless of the author/spreader of stories (i.e. narratives).
Whose stories/facts/fictions? EVERYONE's (throughout history). Ask "WHAT skills do I need to believe/prove the veracity of stories (i.e. narratives)?"
"Morality is subjective"
Yep. The Israelis think genociding Palestinians is moral.
I didn't realize you supported that subjective position.
Does not seem to be Chang's point. I imagine Hedges would agree with the need for critical thinking. Dehumanization of a people is a first step toward genocide. Israelis have been brainwashed for decades (77 years) that Palestinians are their enemy. Many facets to the history, such as the Eastern European Jew treating Arab Jews as second class or worse. After WW2, the British Jews didn't want the poor Eastern European Jews. There was a classist element within the diaspora. BTW, Netanyahu's name was Milekowski, as all of the Israeli PMs changed their European names to West Asia-sounding names.
I just caught the documentary The Bibi Files. Check it out if you get a chance. Helps understand what happened in Israel the last few years with the corruption investigation. And YIKES on Smotrich and Ben Givr.
DEFUND THE ISRAELI HOLOCAUST IN GAZA PALESTINE. LET GAZA LIVE. FREE PALESTINE. PEACE
When one demands "critical thinking" it most often means, "recite my narrative or else."
That is what Chang wants. His superiority complex in demeaning Hedges and Good accomplished nothing and is an example of Caitlin's fictional illness which he projects on others.
Like I've said before, those who have WEAK critical thinking skills (like yourself) often find ways to disparage critical thinking.
Thank you for acknowledging your incompetence in this area. (Of course, you'll twist this comment to mean that I am implying something about MY critical thinking abilities. No, this has nothing to do with me, it's ALL about you - or should I say "John Zwiebel"?)
Is THAT what you got out of my comment? Maybe read my comment again. My comment does not mention a single thing about Israelis or Palestinians or Genocide.
Subjective morality is the view that moral judgments are based on personal preferences, feelings, or opinions rather than on objective facts or universal principles. It implies that there is no absolute right or wrong, but rather that morality is relative to each individual or culture. It can be contrasted with objective morality, which holds that moral judgments are grounded in some external reality or rationality that transcends human subjectivity.
For most of us, our personal moral codes are shaped by factors like:
(1) Our upbringing and life experiences: The moral values instilled in us by our parents and communities often stick with us.
(2) Cultural influences: The society and culture we live in significantly impact our views on moral. issues. What is acceptable in one culture may be taboo in another.
(3) Personal values: Things like compassion, fairness, and harm reduction are common moral values, but we don’t all prioritize them the same way.
(4) Context: Moral judgments are often highly dependent on context. For example, killing another person is usually considered wrong, but not if done in self-defense or during war.
The subjective view stands in contrast to moral objectivism,, which holds that certain moral truths are universal and unchanging. However, subjective morality does not mean “anything goes.” Most of us share some basic moral intuitions and principles in common. But there is no consensus on many moral issues, and reasonable people can disagree.
If you want to know my moral stances on Israel/Palestine/Genocide, you can either ASK me or read my comments on Caitlin's substack instead of JUMPING to conclusions and ASSUMING things based on your 'inadequate critical thinking skills'. This isn't a vitriolic statement, it is an observational assessment based on your comments and responses.
Hey, I get from your comments what I get from your comments.
Your inability to concisely, coherently and explicitly express yourself is not my problem.
>>"Hey, I get from your comments what I get from your comments."
Yes, and you get what you get because you LACK adequate critical thinking skills.
Very good points
I could not agree more my friend. I already see that happening and I don't blame them. I think it started when I was buying something with cash and the teller could not make change doing the simple math. I put that thought away as a one off, then it happened again : (