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https://joanwestenberg.medium.com/the-death-of-critical-thinking-will-kill-us-long-before-ai-781fdd23cc7c>
"We have witnessed a multi-generational decline in reading comprehension. We
read less, retain less of what we read, and struggle to engage in critical
analysis. And if this trend continues, we risk undermining the very foundations
of our society.
In the bite-sized content and viral media age, too many of us have lost — or
are losing — the focus and patience for lengthy, complex texts. We skim and
scan instead of closely reading. Our attention spans have shrunk to mere
seconds. While technology has enabled the wide dissemination of information, it
has also fragmented our thinking. We are overwhelmed by noise and
sensationalism.
Clickbait headlines and social media posts appeal to our emotions rather than
intellect, making us susceptible to misinformation. We share articles without
reading them, simply reacting to provocative titles and abstracts. The context,
nuance, and accuracy no longer matter. Objective truth has become secondary to
subjective feelings and base impulses.
Without reading comprehension, we cannot thoughtfully process information and
make reasoned decisions. We lose the ability to thoroughly analyse issues,
think critically, understand different perspectives, spot logical fallacies,
and weigh evidence. Our opinions get shaped by alarmist rhetoric and
confirmation bias rather than facts. We consume information, but we do not
truly digest it. This erodes the very foundations of a healthy democracy — an
educated populace.
It may be overly simplistic to say that people have lost reading comprehension
skills entirely. More accurately — we have forgotten how to apply close reading
to modern media. We still retain the basic cognitive abilities but we
don’tleverage them. We react to politically charged YouTube videos instead of
watching, scrutinising and questioning them.
We scan online posts to find viewpoints confirming our biases instead of
considering different perspectives. We allow our thinking to be influenced by
loud voices on social media rather than reasoned discourse. We have become
intellectually lazy, failing to exercise our critical faculties.
Reading is more than a utilitarian skill. It exposes us to new ideas, cultures,
and experiences. Books allow us to imagine other lives, expanding our
worldviews. Deep, thoughtful reading exercises our mental capacities. It
develops focus, analytical skills, and abstract thinking. Reading builds
empathy and compassion. Through stories, we gain emotional insights into the
human condition. An erosion of critical reading hinders cognitive growth and
emotional intelligence."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
