The
Thinkers Way
continued from Page One
Stage 1: The Garden of Eden
People in the Garden of Eden stage of thinking tend to see the
world in black and white, right and wrong. How do they determine
what is right, what to believe? The “authorities” tell
them. Just as in the biblical Garden of Eden, knowledge is absolute
and unchanging, but it is in the sole possession of the authorities.
Ordinary people can never determine the truth for themselves;
they must rely on the experts. If someone disagrees with what
they have been told by their authorities, then that person must
be wrong. There is no possibility of compromise or negotiation.
Why are some people able to go
beyond Stage 1 thinking while others remain more or less
stuck there throughout their lives? Part of the answer lies
in how diverse their environment is. When people live in
predominantly homogeneous environments, surrounded by people
who think and believe the same way, it is much easier to
maintain the artificially uniform worldview of the Garden
of Eden thinking. However, when people are exposed to diverse
experiences that challenge them with competing perspectives,
it is much more difficult to maintain the unquestioned faith
in authoritarian dictates of Stage 1 thinking.
However, simply providing people
with diverse experiences does not guarantee that they will
be stimulated to question and transcend the limited confines
of Stage 1 thinking. We need to have the emotional willingness
to open ourselves to new possibilities and the intellectual
ability to see issues from different perspectives. Very often
people are so emotionally entangled in their point of view
that they are simple unwilling to question its truth, and
so the power of their emotional needs inhibits the potential
illumination of their reasoning abilities. Additionally,
many people have not developed the flexibility of thinking
needed to extricate themselves from their own point of view
and look at issues from different perspectives. To become
a Stage 2 thinker, both of these conditions must be met:
the emotional willingness and the cognitive ability to be
open-minded.
Stage 2: Anything Goes
Once one has rejected the dogmatic, authoritarian framework
of Stage 1, the temptation in Stage 2 is to go to the opposite
extreme and believe that anything goes. The reasoning goes
something like this: If authorities are not infallible
and we can’t trust their expertise, then no one point
of view is ultimately any better than any other. You have
your opinion, I have my opinion, and there is no way to
determine which is better. In Stage 1 the authorities could
resolve such disputes, but if their opinion is on the same
level as yours and mine, then there is no rational way
to resolve differences.
When we think things through, it’s obvious that the Stage 2 Anything Goes
level of thinking simply doesn’t work because it leads to absurd conclusions
that run counter to our deeply felt conviction that some beliefs are better
than other beliefs. So while Stage 2 may represent a slight advance over Stage
1 in sophistication and complexity, it’s clear to a reflective and discerning
eye that a further advance to Stage 3 is necessary.
Stage 3: Thinking Critically
The two opposite perspectives of Stages 1 and 2 find their synthesis in Stage
3: Thinking Critically. When people achieve this level of understanding they
recognize that some viewpoints are better than other viewpoints, not simply
because authorities say so, but because there are compelling reasons to support
these viewpoints. At the same time, people in this stage are open-minded toward
other viewpoints, especially those that disagree with theirs. They recognize
that there are often a number of legitimate perspectives on complex issues,
and they accept the validity of these perspectives to the extent that they
are supported by persuasive reasons and evidence.
A Stage 3 thinker recognizes that the world is a complex, ambiguous, and evolving
place, and that our thinking has to be deep, open-minded, and flexible if we
are to understand it and make intelligent decisions. But while people in the
Thinking Critically stage are actively open to different perspectives, they
also commit themselves to definite points of view, and are confident in explaining
the reasons and evidence that have led them to their conclusions. Be aware
that being open-minded is not the same thing as being intellectually wishy-washy.
In addition to having clearly defined views, critical thinkers are always willing
to listen to people who disagree with them, and, in fact, actively seek out
opposing viewpoints, because they know that this is the only way to achieve
the clearest, most insightful, most firmly grounded understanding. They also
recognize that their views may evolve over time as they learn more.
Becoming a Stage 3 thinker is certainly a worthy goal, and it is the only way
to adequately answer Socrates’ challenge to examine our lives thoughtfully
and honestly. But to live a life of reflection and action, of open-mindedness
and commitment, of purpose and fulfillment, is not a simple endeavor. It requires
the full development of our intellectual abilities and positive traits of character,
a lifelong journey.
Selected excerpts from: The Thinker’s
Way, 8 Steps to a Richer Life by John Chaffee, 1998 New York , Little, Brown
and Company, Pages 38 to 43
