Do you think critical thinking still exists?

[AppleGirl68]

Do you think critical thinking still exists in the majority of people or do you think that most people now just have everything spoon fed to them and don't even ask questions?  Has society been so dumbed down that people have lost the ability to really think things through and to question things?

[Denie]

If you're looking at society as a whole, I would have to agree that it certainly seems like people have become so used to being spoon-fed information that they have lost the will to think for themselves. I do believe, however, that there are some individuals who see past all that and are able to make up their own minds about what their reality is, and that any one of us could do that if we so desired.

[Zach]

Yes, definitely. It's not rare really. Maybe it depends on where you live, but where I live, almost everyone still makes use of critical thinking. I definitely do, and sometimes I'm a little too critical/skeptical. Some societies might lack people who think critically due to the fact that they depend on others, and I don't think that's very good.

[Postitgirl]

I don't think that people have lost the ability to really think things through. I do think that critical thinking has fallen out of vogue. It is not admired and encouraged on a societal level like it was at certain times in the past. (Of course, even at times when it was "all the rage," it was not necessarily recommended for everybody...generally, just people who like-minded, I suspect.)

During the 1960s, questioning authority was a big thing,  as was standing up for your rights or deconstructing the patriarchal paradigm. Throughout the Victorian Age, with the rise of science, technology, and industry, as well as the middle-class and capitalism, critical thinking had its own momentum, despite the fact that is probably wasn't looked upon with much favor by the ruling classes. It was admired because it was useful and effective; it lead to great philosophical debates, scientific discoveries, technological innovation, etc.  

It seems to me that there are a few things in today's world that have changed enough that they tend to conspire against critical thinking and what good reputation and encouragement it had in the past. For one thing (at least, in the United States), I think the general populace feels like it has most things figured out, and the things that they don't understand are things that don't tend to affect them (noticeably), are far too complicated, and are completely beyond our reach (e.g., financially, educationally, intellectually), like how a computer actually works, quantum physics, anti-matter, etc. Thus, there may be less of a perceived payoff associated with critical thinking. There may also be less motivation to think critically because the stakes don't seem as high as they did in the past when there was a greater degree of social inequality and social programs such as food stamps and Medicare did not exist. Unfortunately, these influences and their effects have been magnified by the recent tendency to "teach to the test" that the whole No Child Left Behind engendered. One result of this is that critical thinking is no longer taught/practiced as much below the college level where it would be more likely to to become a habitual way of thinking about things for a much larger portion of the population (given that many people never get to the college level).

So, while we undoubtedly still have the capacity to do critical thinking (and many people, of course, do think critically), I do believe that it is not as valued, admired, encouraged, sought after as a trait/ability at this time as is has been at points in the past and, sadly (maybe even dangerously), it is formally taught less and practiced less, which may translate into a lessened ability to do it naturally and well.

Short answer: It does seem like there has been somewhat of a drop in the amount of critical thinking that is going on in general. (I can almost hear my 15 year-old daughter saying, "Critical thinking? That is sooo '90s, Mom!")

[MsCarrotCake]

I don't think society has really "dumbed down". Critical thinking  still exists, yes, but I think people are just afraid to think critically and express themselves in a critical way. Humans tend to dislike negative feedback and see critical feedback often as something negative, as it implies there's something "wrong". People want to please others, which is why they may not ask their critical question or give critical feedback.