Sure, but why stop there? Why not assume that "God" symbolically meant a really old guy with a beard who thought he knew it all, and liked bossing people around. And maybe Christ didn't really rise from the dead, but only woke up from a deep sleep, which he took after being crossed at a poker game. And maybe Christ sold really, really small portions and watered down the wine at his eatery, which was why he fed so many with so little. And the burning bush was really just a reference to an STD. And so on and so forth...it's all in the interpretation.
The first step to being a good thinker is to understand what the hell you are saying when you start the thread. The people of Texas are against Critical (marxist) Theory... not thinking. ironically this has been a thread about Free Thinker misunderstanding Critical Thinking. "Critical Theory" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory Critical theory is a school of thought that stresses the examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from knowledge across the social sciences and humanities. The term has two different meanings with different origins and histories: one originating in sociology and the other in literary criticism. This has led to the very literal use of 'critical theory' as an umbrella term to describe any theory founded upon critique. According to critical theorist Max Horkheimer a theory is critical in so far as it seeks "to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them" (Horkheimer 1982, 244). In a narrow sense, critical theory refers to a style of neo-Marxist philosophy of the "Frankfurt School", developed in Europe in the 1930s with a tendency to engage with the work of thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud.[1] Modern critical theory arose from a trajectory extending from the antipositivist sociology of Max Weber and Georg Simmel, the Marxist theory of Georg Lukács and Antonio Gramsci, toward the milieu associated with Frankfurt Institute of Social Research. Five "Frankfurt School" theorists were chiefly responsible for establishing critical theory as a specific strand of thought: Herbert Marcuse, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin, and, slightly later, Jürgen Habermas. With the latter, critical theory shed its roots in German idealism and moved closer to American pragmatism. The concern for a social "base and superstructure" is one of the few remaining Marxist concepts in much contemporary critical theory.[2] Whilst the critical theorists are usually defined as Marxist intellectuals[who?], their tendency to denounce so many Marxian elements has been attacked as 'revisionism' by stricter Marxists. Martin Jay suggests that the first generation of critical theory is best understood not as promoting any specific philosophical agenda or ideology, but rather as "a gadfly of other systems."[3]
Two different things, critical thinking and critical theory. I seriously doubt any high school student gets more than 15 minutes exposure to the latter during their entire four years.
I have to laugh at the article focusing on Texas. You do realize that "Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) programs aimed at Title 1 students in Grades 4 to 8 are not allowed in 32 other states. These (Outcome-Based Education) programs do NOT teach reading, writing, and math - but focus on "modifying" behavior - "it's OK if you don't want to learn today, maybe we will try again tomorrow when you feel better about learning" - the concept is to bring out "higher order thinking" in students by having conversations with them and NOT teaching skills that enable them to pass tests (and to read, write, or do math). It is interesting to note that HOTS is opposed by most teaching organizations and is not part of national CORE curriculum.
I am going to name my next education initiative "Thinking and Problem Solving" (TAPS). Basically the program is going to teach students how to sell drugs, and be pimps & prostitutes. When any politican is against the program... I am going to point out how horrible it is that the the uncaring politican is opposed to students "Thinking and Problem Solving" and that a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
I did some of that values clarification bullshit at The Medical College of X. It will remain nameless so as to not embarrass my Alma Mater. It turns into a big pushing of the Professors values upon the students then peer pressure to conform. It didn't take long before collectivist ideals and pseudo-altruism took over every discussion. For example by the end of the course everyone individually had to stand up and declare to the class why they were here ( at The College). Most people gave answers like "I'm here to help other people." etc etc. Lots of "I wanna save the world tripe" They were shocked when I quite bluntly said "I'm here to help improve myself and my skills. I enjoyed it for one reason only it was a no brainer class.I was quite busy with the other "real " coursework and working 24 hrs on the weekends. That first year I never went to bed before 1am, between work , class and lab time I calculated I spent 70hrs /week and that does not include studying.
This starts in grammar school in some places (e.g., California). Our children were coming home reciting the party line, supported by homework assignments that completely excluded the possibility of any opposing points of view. Our kids are in a private school now where subjects are taught by thoroughly examining opposing sides of controversial issues.
perhaps you should have read the first post. the republicans are against the "values clarification" which I call "garbage thought". Which is part of "Critical Theory" "TPM asked Elam what the intent of subcommittee had been in including the âKnowledge-Based Educationâ plank. âI think the intent is that the Republican Party is opposed to the values clarification method that serves the purpose of challenging students beliefs and undermine parental authority,â he said."
*shrug* so? Our beliefs do need to be challenged, parental authority is often (typically?) wrong. This is the history of science, of progress.
Let's discuss a typical Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) program assignment in New Jersey this year... "Identify which picture on the computer screen is Obama and sing a rap saying why he is good". Yeah... I guess the beliefs need to be challenged, parental authority is often (typically?) wrong. I am sure that that these 5th grade students, none of whom can read or write, were put on the road of progress & scientific achievement due to this HOTS assignment.