How do you teach a person HOW TO THINK rather than just teaching him WHAT to think...?

Question

as in indoctrination.

Answer 1

i dont know if u can actually teach that =\

Answer 2

In elementary school kids arent really asked to think about the issues they are learning very much. Why not? Because they dont have the facts yet. You have to lay a foundation of facts before anyone can really have the ability to analyze those facts. Starting in high school and then continuing into college you are then asked to apply the facts you have learned and analyze what those facts mean and how they shape our lives and the past.
You cant learn calculus if you dont know the multiplication tables. How do most kids learn the multiplication table, flashcards and memorization?

When a child is older you have them look at the facts they have learned and challenge them to think what those facts really add up to.

But the fact is that there is some basic indoctrination that everyone must go thru when learning anything.

We are all influenced by how we were raised. There is no possible way to get around the fact that we all have our biases.
And coming to a conclusion after they have been taught how to think doesnt mean the person is indoctrinated or closeminded. Too many times people accuse other people of being brainwashed or closeminded just because they wont agree with what they are putting out.

Answer 3

Are you sure you want that? It'll just mean trouble later on.

But if you're sure, I'd suggest you read or tell the person a story, from the news, from a book or just made up. Then retell the story from a completely different viewpoint, so that a different conclusion is likely to be reached. The "good" guys aren't so good, the "bad" guys not so bad, that sort of thing. Do it regularly.

Keep an eye out for different versions of public and historic events. Compare the "Fox News" version with the "Democracy Now!" version. Read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". When you discover something you didn't know about what "everybody knows", share it. Get in the habit of wondering out loud, "I wonder what they AREN'T saying?" when you hear someone making a public statement.

If you can manage it, sit in on a few jury trials. They'll show you there's more than one side to every issue. Take a logic class, or at least read a book on it. Most people have no idea how to construct an actual logical argument. Then apply it to your assumptions about life and the world, just to see if you're thinking clearly. I know, you're teaching someone else, but it's best if you yourself are already good at it.

One of my most challenging Sunday school lessons was explaining the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites in the book of Joshua. The students were concerned about the Canaanites, who didn't fare too well. I couldn't honestly say they didn't "count" in God's eyes. So I simply explained that this was not their story.

That started me wondering what the "other" stories were. Many are lost to history, but some survive. For example, in 2 Kings there is a story of the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians. The Bible says it was broken when a divinely delivered disease cut the Assyrian army down and sent them packing. But Assyrian records explain that the Judahites finally paid their tribute.

It's not a matter of cynicism but common sense. People have common needs: food, shelter, sleep, love, justice, etc. When these are ignored, something dishonest is happening. And people always have sensible reasons for what they do, even the "bad" guys. Ignorance and fear may distort their thinking but they are not crazy. In order to overcome the reluctance to harm other people, whether through war, economic oppression or discrimination, it is necessary to dehumanize the "enemy" somehow, making them alien and unrespectable. It happens over and over. A thinking person will notice that.

Avoid making assumptions. Stop saying something "is" unless you absolutely know. Say it "appears to be" instead and see what happens. People who are unshakably certain about everything they know and do make the greatest mistakes and take the longest to learn.

Answer 4

To do that, you have to ask him open-ended questions, and you have to be willing to bite your tongue when he gives an answer you don't agree with. If you teach people of any age in an atmosphere where they think they have to reach a concensus, then they won't be thinking for themselves; they'll just go with the majority.

You also have to present a variety of options and points of view, and you can't say which one is the "right" one, or you've defeated your own purpose.

More than anything, I believe you must encourage reading books on a variety of points of view, even if you disagree with some of them. Most people have at least some idea of when they're being presented with only half the story.

Answer 5

Try to teach the person how to research things, with the Internet open with all the knowledge out here there's no room to be ignorant., I've researched religion and the cults and you would be surprised of what religion does not tell you about their doctrines, where they came from... be a helper, there's a old saying that if i go fishing and give you the fish .... but if i teach you how to fish you will be able to feed yourself.

Answer 6

There are a lot of methods but mainly.
We can talk about the ones which we are and we aren't aware of. For the last one we can say that can give to the other person some advantage. A big one on our lives. So we have to be very carreful.

Take good care!

Answer 7

Antony Flew has a book called "How to Think Straight." There's also "A Rulebook for Arguments" by Anthony Weston. Greg Koukl, from Stand to Reason, has a CD series on "Clear Thinking."

Answer 8

You teach a person how to think by teaching them how to find the answers to their own questions instead of answering their every question for them.

Answer 9

It depends greatly on the individual. Some people are just naturally more thoughtful than others. And children are more likely to respond to changes in thought patterns whereas adults tend to be more 'set in their ways'. Experiment with different subjects, find the ones that interest the individual with which you are dealing.

Answer 10

You can't teach another person how to think. Each person is an individual and has their own thought process. Everyone has their own I.Q. and some people are able to grasp knowledge and others can't. You can teach religion or anything else and it is up to their own brain how to process the information you give to them.

Answer 11

i dont get your question.

If you teach a person what to think it doesnt really matter how they think. Right? Like for instance the phelps family, it doesnt matter how they think because the answers are.... wait. I dont know, because they are freaking crazy and their kids think the same way they do, and what they do, or is that the same thing? I would have to study psychology more to understand that.