In theory, it should mean actually examining stuff critically for what it is ... but nope. Lately I hear "I'm a critical thinker" so often from right wing neo-fascists that contradict themselves every other sentence on every issue that now if I hear someone bring up critical thinking, I immediately have to question if the person is a fascist.
- they/them
plural system in Seattle, WA (b. 1974)
lots of fictives from lots of media, some horses, some dragons, I dunno. the Pnictogen Wing is poorly mapped.
host: Mx. Kris Dreemurr (they/them)
chief messenger and usual front: Mx. Chara or Χαρά (they/them)
other members:
Mx. Frisk, historian (they/them)
Monophylos Fortikos, unicorn (he/him)
Kel the Purple, smol derg (xe/xem)
Pim the Dragon, Kel's sister (she/her)
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in reply to @Tavi's post:
It's gotten that way with just about every intellectual phrase which they perceive as important and abstruse-sounding. "I'm a first-principles thinker," that's another one I've seen. ~Chara
I mean... I don't know anyone who would describe themselves as "a critical thinker" even college educated people so yeah that's a definite red flag
Like people who learned actual critical thinking skills don't label themselves as such because that's a weird descriptor to apply to yourself.
[deleted]
Pretty sure we're on the same page. My frustration is that the phrase did and does have meaning in the academic contexts you're pointing out, and a very useful meaning.
The context I'm seeing the phrase misused is more in online spaces where it's combined with other takes like at the time I was frustrated and writing this, someone was trying to tell me he was a critical thinker for ignoring the threats of politicians to take away rights from minority groups and focusing only on tax issues... while also ignoring facts he didn't want to believe about tax issues. Much implying that anyone who believed politicians really would do things like take away rights from trans people because they promised to wasn't enough of a 'critical thinker' to see that as implausible.