Supporting the current thing

Critical thinking, thinking for yourself, and not accepting what you're supposed to believe are values to which we only pay lip service.

Perversely, in the era of a multitude of information sources and easy access to detailed statistics, it has become the norm to accept what governments and the corporate media tell us at face value without question:

Single-use plastic bags are bad for the environment. Green energy can support 8 billion people and has a smaller environmental impact than other forms of energy. Masks work to slow down (or stop!) the spread of Covid. Carbs should be at the bottom of the healthy food pyramid. Russia launched an unprovoked war against Ukraine. A $15 minimum wage helps all workers. Organic food is more nutritious, better for your health, and sustainable. Democratic governments represent the people under their jurisdiction, and it aims to help and protect them.

How not to be a dummy

You could verify most statements we're told daily and see more clearly by searching, reading, watching, and listening. Some will prove to be outright lies, some are more nuanced, and some might be accepted as accurate after doing one's due diligence.

Indeed, you cannot become an expert overnight in the domains needed to assess some of those questions. However, we don't have to become one to counter the directed bullshit or discern when somebody claims things that cannot be known with certainty.

The range of knowledge from being utterly ignorant to world-class expertise is vast, and moving away from the bottom end of the scale has a lot of value.

The Only Acceptable Opinion

Why? Because if you choose to stay a dummy, you're much more likely to accept the "one true opinion" and thus support harsh measures against and be aggressive towards the out-group. You'll also become a sucker for the governing elite, which is bad enough on its own.

Suppose you believe the Covid vaccines stop the spread and pose no threat whatsoever to those receiving them (even if they are small kids). In that case, you're more likely to support firing those who don't choose to take up the shots from their workplaces and reducing their quality of life in other ways.

Suppose you believe citizens are responsible for their government. In that case, you'll support making all Russians responsible for Putin's aggression against Ukraine, even if they never voted for the dictator.

Suppose you accept that fossil fuels are the devil's deed and must be replaced by renewables. You'll risk making the lives of hundreds of millions in the world's most populous and least developed parts more miserable.

What makes an intellectual?

Spending time and effort on getting to the bottom of a claim (often delivered as a fact) can have several outcomes.

The claim may be false or only valid in specific contexts.

More often, a claim might be true for some people but not others. "The risk of getting Covid and having serious consequences is bigger than the risk of having complications from the vaccine." is an excellent example of such a statement. However, since politics is based on tribalism, such nuance is always missing from the official opinion that we're supposed to accept and endorse.

Doing your research and thinking is hard. You may miss important details and points of view or rely on a source of dubious value, one whose affiliations you don't know.

Still, even relying on imperfect information and having limited time for research, striving to be more knowledgeable to form your opinion is a noble goal and the defining value of intellectuals. If you simply accept a point of view at face value, you'll stay an ignoramus or, much worse, a zealot.

It's also possible that you completely change your opinion in the process, proving that the effort is worthwhile. Like scientific experiments, your theory must survive the encounter with the real world. If reality proves your hold belief wrong, it's your belief that should change.

The roots of tolerance

If you stay curious, want to find things out for yourself, and don't blindly follow what you're told to think, you'll become more tolerant toward other points of view.

Very few things are black and white, and you learn that quickly and repeatedly when you look deeper. You'll be exposed to different points of view, priorities, and concerns. It's a cliche, but we're all different, and what might be an imperative for some might be taboo for others – and possibly a "don't care" for most.

So instead of putting the latest ring around your Facebook avatar, throw away your TV, ignore the mainstream media, and start to think for yourself.