We Are Thinkers

What makes our species, humans, different from all others on our planet? We possess a much more developed ability to think critically. We have the ability to reason.

This ability allows us to solve complex problems and to create new ideas. It allows us to theorize about our world and to test those theories. It provides us with a framework for exploring our universe.

Failure to utilize this ability diminishes us. When we abandon our own ability to reason, in favor of “group think” or merely adhering to a set of ideas that someone else has written down, without question, we have abdicated our responsibility for our own life.

For me, this is the root of most of the problems in our world. Many people blindly adhere to the tenants of a religion, a political party, a special interest group or a government. They stop questioning. They become particles swept along in the wave of society.

Truth is the casualty. We can only solve problems when we are dealing with the truth of a situation. When people are not thinking critically, truth is obscured by dogma. No progress is possible because agendas are being served, not sustainable solutions.

In the end, we will either think, or perish.