What the hell happened to critical thinking?
Today, critical thinking is lacking everywhere, especially in social media. Even some politicians encourage their voters not to think critical, but to be loyal. “Please do not question, only repeat!” (That’s not a real quote btw).
I think this is one of the biggest reasons for the rapid rise of the far right and more broadly, why we experience a world like today.
I feel trapped by the current political climate (as do many, I suspect) and I’m stumped when it comes to the big question: what can I do?
First, I try to make sense of the problem myself. I think, I write. Then, I draw. I ask questions. I talk. I read. And then I make a comic.
I wanted to have something tangible to show people, not just tell them, why escaping the illusion of a caged mind matters. Although most of us know how it feels to have your mind blown by a perspective you hadn’t on the radar, most of us struggle to accept that we all are affected by a caged mind in some areas of our life.
It sounds a bit cliché, but if you want to break free, start with the limits of your own perception.
When I posted this comic on Reddit, a commenter said it reminded him of this quote by Eliezer Yudkowsky, which hits the spot.
Our mental frameworks for understanding the world often differ from reality itself. It's easy to mistake the map that we hold in our minds for the actual territory it's representing. Recognizing the difference between the map and the territory is crucial for clear thinking, open-mindedness, and avoiding biases.
This is exactly what I want to point out with this comic, therefore I want to leave you with this:
Make sense of the world! Try to understand it by critically questioning it around you, but question it well. It’s not about rejecting information when the truth is inconvenient or not fitting inside our world beliefs. It’s about understanding the difference between scepticism and denial. Consider many perspectives, seek and point out biases, ask for evidence rather just believing what feels true. Be open to change.
But most importantly, beware of the voices, that misuse the idea of “thinking for yourself” to justify rejecting inconvenient truths.