Critical Thinking: Do We Stop Thinking When Information Is Presented By An Authority Figure?

When one wants to find out about something there is a strong chance that they will look for someone who has an understanding of what they want of know. They could believe that the most important thing is to find someone who has the right qualifications.
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And once this has taken place, they will be able to listen to what they have to say. It is then as if one needs to tick off a box, and once this box has been ticked, they will be able to open their mind.

Closed

Therefore, unless one is able to find someone who has the right qualifications, their mind is not going to open.  Based on this, it could be said that one needs someone to give them the all clear.

This would then show that one is not going to think for themselves and that they want someone else to do it for them. One way of looking at this would be to say that one has a sensible approach.

For Example

If one had a physical problem, it will be important for them to get the right diagnosis, and once they know what is wrong with them, it will allow them to get the right support. The alternative might be for one to ask a friend and to end up being given the wrong advice.

By paying a visit to health care practitioner, they will be with someone who knows what they are talking about. And the reason they know this is because they have the right qualifications.

The Next Step

So when one’s appointment has come to an end, they will be able to walk away knowing that they have received the right advice. What they do to their body is likely to be the result of what they have been told to do.

However, while this approach could be seen as the right one when it comes to physical problems, it doesn’t mean that it is always the best option. It could be said that in most cases, the best approach will be for one to think for themselves.

Half and Half

Now, this is not to say that one shouldn’t pay attention to what other people have to say; what it means is that they should take the time to reflect on what they hear from others. One is then playing an actively role in their life as opposed to allowing other people to define it for them.

For one thing, human beings are not infallible, and this means that there are times when they get things wrong. They can then be completely convinced that they are right, but this could be far from the truth.

Deception

Along with this, there are also people in the world who have an ulterior motive, and this means that they don’t have other people’s best interests at heart. The image they present is then not in alignment with their true agenda.

When one is in a position where they only pay attention to people that have the right qualifications, they could believe that it is only normal people who are out to deceive others. The people who haven’t got the right credentials are then going to be the ones that need to be watched.

Wide Open

Through being this way, one can question (or ignore) what is expressed by someone who is not qualified to say what they are saying, and they can accept everything that is expressed by someone who is. One could say that as these people know what they are talking about, there is no reason for them to question (or ignore) what they present.

What will add to this is that there are likely to be plenty of people around them who have the same approach. So as it is human nature to look towards others when it comes to how to behave in any given moment, it could be said that it is to be expected that one won’t feel the need to change their behaviour.

Authority Figures

One is then doing what other people are doing and they will continue to look towards authority figures to inform them on anything and everything. It could be said that the reason one sees authority figures as having all the answers is because of what took place during their early years and their time in the education system.

During these years, one would have been taught up trust other peoples judgement and to overlook their own. They might not have even been shown how to think for themselves; with the focus being on what to think and not how to think.

Worthless

And through placing these people on a pedestal, it can then be normal for one to dismiss the information that is presented by people who don’t have the ‘right’ qualifications. What they offer can be seen as having no value, and while they could believe that this is the best option, there are going to be times when they will be liming themselves.

While these people won’t have initials after their name, for instance, what they will have is the freedom to form their own conclusions. Whereas when it comes to the people who are part of the system, they often have less control, and they may also lack the ability to think for themselves.

Approval

At the beginning of their lives, they may have had to jump through all kinds of hoops in order to get to where they are. But through doing the right thing, they would have been able to rise to a position of authority.

Yet even though they have been able to rise up, it doesn’t mean that their hands are not tied. This is because there is a strong chance that they still have to please others people, and if they don’t do or say the right thing, they could soon lose their position.

There is also the chance that being in a position of power allows them to compensate for their own lack of self worth. Being seen as someone who has all the answers is then something that stops them from having to embrace how they truly feel.

Conclusion

What this emphasis is how important it is for one to think for themselves, and through doing this; it will be a lot easier for them to make the right decisions. If they don’t do this, they will be setting themselves up to be taken advantage of.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/