When Schools Teach Young People What to Think Instead of How to Think

My fellow West Point graduate John Dube, Class of 1983, recently shared a lengthy Facebook post written by Mike Rowe. Most people know Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs and from the work he has done promoting skilled labor, personal responsibility, and common sense. After reading what John shared, I decided I probably ought to follow Mike on Facebook myself.

What caught my attention was not only the political subject Mike was discussing. What really fascinated me was the way thousands of people responded to what he wrote.

Mike said he had received around 7,600 comments. Many of the people commenting were apparently in such a hurry to correct him that they never stopped long enough to understand his original point. They accused him of confusing socialism with communism even though he had already explained that he understood the difference. Others called him MAGA, fascist, McCarthyist, politically compromised, or whatever other label happened to come to mind.

Instead of addressing the argument he actually made, they responded to an argument they imagined he had made.

Mike patiently answered several of them and kept bringing the discussion back to his original words. He pointed out that he was quoting people who had used communist language to describe themselves. He was not simply throwing the word communist at everyone with whom he disagreed.

Agree with Mike Rowe or disagree with him. That is not really the larger point.

The larger point is that people do not seem to read anymore.

They see a name. They see a political word. They see something that irritates them. Then they jump into the conversation and begin emotionally bloviating without first taking the time to understand what was actually said.

I see the same thing all the time.

It happens when I discuss politics. It happens when I discuss racism. It happens when I discuss religion, biblical prophecy, Israel, the church, Donald Trump, or almost any other controversial subject.

People often do not listen in order to understand. They listen just long enough to decide which emotional response they are going to fire back.

That causes me to ask a serious question.

Where has critical thinking gone in the United States of America?

Did You Even Read What Was Written?

Critical thinking should begin with something very basic.

Before you disagree with another person, you should at least be able to explain what that person said.

You do not have to agree with the argument. You do not have to like the speaker. You do not have to accept the conclusion. But you should be able to restate the argument honestly before attacking it.

That means reading the whole thing.

It means understanding the context.

It means defining the terms being used.

It means separating facts from opinions.

It means asking whether the evidence supports the conclusion.

It also means being honest enough to admit that you may have misunderstood something.

This should be basic education, but it appears to be disappearing.

Instead of dealing with the actual argument, people often create a weaker version of it and then attack that. We used to call that a straw man argument. Today, it seems to be the preferred method of political conversation.

Mike Rowe referred to certain people who were using socialist or communist language to describe their own political beliefs. Many of his critics responded as if he had accused every Democrat in the country of being a communist.

Those are not the same claims.

Anyone who reads carefully should understand the difference.

The problem is that careful reading itself seems to be dying.

Reading is not simply recognizing words on a page. Reading requires comprehension. It means following the argument, understanding qualifications, recognizing context, and determining what the writer actually meant.

When reading comprehension breaks down, public reasoning breaks down right along with it.

We Cannot Think Critically Without Knowing History

Critical thinking also requires some understanding of history.

If you do not know history, you cannot recognize an old ideology when it returns wearing a new suit and using new language.

You cannot compare political promises with what happened when similar promises were made in the past.

You cannot understand why the Constitution limits government power, separates that power between branches, protects private property, guarantees freedom of speech, and allows even unpopular opinions to be expressed.

A free republic cannot survive forever when its citizens do not understand the republic.

Words such as socialism, communism, fascism, capitalism, democracy, freedom, justice, oppression, and constitutional government have actual meanings. They also have histories.

Too many people today use those words as emotional clubs.

Fascist often means somebody I do not like.

Communist often means somebody who supports a government program.

Racist often means somebody who disagrees with my explanation of a racial issue.

Christian nationalist often means a Christian who believes biblical principles should influence public morality.

MAGA extremist often means anybody who refuses to condemn Donald Trump in exactly the language his opponents demand.

When important words lose their definitions, honest discussion becomes nearly impossible.

You cannot have a serious debate when everybody is using the same words to mean completely different things.

What Happened to the American Educational System?

I want to be very clear about something.

There are many excellent teachers in the United States. They work long hours. They spend their own money on classroom materials. They care about their students. Many of them are fighting the same problems I am discussing in this article.

This is not an accusation against every teacher, principal, school district, or college professor.

The problem is larger than that.

The American educational system has been hijacked in too many places by agenda driven people who seem more interested in producing ideological agreement than independent thought.

Education is supposed to give young people the tools they need to examine competing ideas.

Students should be taught to read primary sources. They should study history. They should learn logic. They should learn how to debate. They should know how to identify propaganda and recognize a fallacy. They should learn how to defend a conclusion and how to change that conclusion when the evidence proves them wrong.

Instead, too many schools and universities appear to begin with an approved political or social conclusion and then build the lesson around leading students toward it.

That is not education.

That is indoctrination.

Education says, “Here are the arguments. Examine the evidence and decide what you believe.”

Indoctrination says, “Here is the approved conclusion. Repeat it back to us.”

Education welcomes honest questions.

Indoctrination treats honest questions as a threat.

Education teaches students to examine their own assumptions.

Indoctrination teaches them to challenge everybody except those who share the approved ideology.

Education produces free citizens.

Indoctrination produces activists who repeat slogans they may not even understand.

I believe young Americans are increasingly being taught what to think instead of how to think.

That is dangerous in any society. It is especially dangerous in a constitutional republic.

Social Media Pours Gasoline on the Fire

Social media did not create this problem, but it certainly made it worse.

Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms reward quick reactions. They reward outrage, sarcasm, mockery, anger, and certainty.

A calm and thoughtful response does not travel as quickly as an insult.

A careful explanation rarely receives as much attention as a personal attack.

Many people do not read the entire article. They read the headline. Sometimes they do not even read the headline carefully. They see a picture, recognize a name, spot one politically charged word, and start typing.

The purpose is no longer to understand the subject.

The purpose is to demonstrate loyalty to the tribe.

Every political tribe seems to have its approved heroes, approved villains, approved victims, approved vocabulary, and approved conclusions.

Once the tribe labels somebody an enemy, its members feel no obligation to consider what that person actually said.

He voted for Trump, so ignore him.

She voted for a Democrat, so she hates America.

He questioned a racial argument, so he must be racist.

She challenged a doctrine taught by her church, so she must have abandoned Christianity.

This is emotional tribalism combined with intellectual laziness.

An educated person should resist that impulse.

An educated person should ask some basic questions.

What was actually claimed?

What evidence was offered?

Is the source reliable?

Is something important being left out?

Am I applying the same standard to my own political side?

Could I possibly be wrong?

That last question is especially important.

Could I be wrong?

It takes humility to ask that question, and humility seems to be in short supply today.

This Is Also a Spiritual Problem

For Christians, this is not simply an educational problem or a political problem.

It is a spiritual problem.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

2 Timothy 3:1–5, KJV

Read that passage and then spend an hour reading political comments on Facebook.

Paul describes people who are proud, boastful, headstrong, high minded, and false accusers.

That sounds remarkably familiar.

A proud person does not listen because he believes he already knows everything worth knowing.

A boastful person does not argue to discover truth. He argues to display his own superiority.

A headstrong person cannot be corrected.

A false accuser assigns evil motives without evidence.

A high minded person treats disagreement as proof that the other person is stupid, wicked, ignorant, racist, fascist, communist, or whatever label will end the conversation.

This is not merely bad behavior.

It is a condition of the human heart.

When people love themselves more than they love truth, they stop listening. They stop learning. They stop testing their own beliefs. They become emotionally attached to being right.

Many Americans, including many Christians, no longer examine an argument to determine whether it is true.

They examine the speaker to determine whether he belongs to their tribe.

That is not biblical discernment.

Scripture Commands Us to Think

Biblical faith is not blind faith.

The Bible does not command Christians to believe every preacher, politician, professor, television commentator, or social media personality who happens to say something we like.

Paul wrote:

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV

That is a biblical command to examine what we hear.

Test the teaching against Scripture.

Test the political claim against the evidence.

Test the accusation against the facts.

Test the news report against other sources.

Test your emotions against the truth.

The people of Berea were praised in the Book of Acts because they received the teaching of Paul and Silas with an open mind, but then searched the Scriptures daily to determine whether those things were true.

They listened, but they also verified.

They did not reject the message because it was unfamiliar. They also did not accept it blindly because the speaker sounded convincing.

That is biblical critical thinking.

Christians should be among the most careful thinkers in society because we claim to care about truth.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

If we claim to follow the Truth, we should not be satisfied with slogans, rumors, emotional accusations, selective facts, or political propaganda.

We should want to know what is true even when the truth makes us uncomfortable.

We should want to know what is true even when it proves our favorite politician wrong.

We should want to know what is true even when it exposes a problem in our own church, political party, or personal beliefs.

Truth is not determined by which side said it.

Truth Does Not Belong to a Political Party

A Democrat can tell the truth.

A Republican can tell the truth.

A liberal can identify a genuine injustice.

A conservative can identify a genuine threat.

A Christian can be mistaken.

An atheist can accurately identify hypocrisy in a church.

Critical thinking requires us to examine the claim rather than simply judging the person making it.

We must also apply the same standards to our own side that we apply to our opponents.

If we condemn dishonesty when a Democrat lies but excuse dishonesty when a Republican lies, we are not defending truth. We are defending a political team.

If we condemn corruption in one administration but ignore it in another, we are not acting from principle.

If we demand evidence from our opponents but accept rumors from our friends, we are not thinking critically.

Christians should be especially careful about this.

Our first loyalty is to Jesus Christ, not to the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, Donald Trump, any political movement, or any earthly nation.

That does not mean Christians should stay out of politics. It means that our political involvement should be guided by biblical truth and moral consistency.

We should not abandon truth merely because admitting it might help the other side.

What Schools Should Be Teaching

America does not need schools that manufacture identical political opinions.

America needs schools that produce educated young men and women who know how to think.

Students should learn logic, rhetoric, history, civics, economics, literature, mathematics, and science.

They should read people with whom they agree and people with whom they disagree.

They should be taught how to identify propaganda.

They should know the difference between a primary source and somebody’s opinion about a primary source.

They should learn how statistics can be used honestly and how they can be manipulated.

They should learn to recognize straw man arguments, false choices, appeals to emotion, personal attacks, and unsupported accusations.

They should understand that being offended does not prove that another person is wrong.

They should learn that disagreement is not violence.

They should learn that asking questions is not hatred.

They should learn that changing your mind after examining new evidence is not weakness. It is intellectual honesty.

Students should also be taught that freedom of speech protects ideas they dislike, not merely ideas they approve of.

The purpose of education should not be to protect students from every uncomfortable thought.

The purpose should be to prepare them to confront difficult ideas intelligently.

Parents and Churches Have a Responsibility Too

We cannot place all the blame on schools.

Parents have a responsibility to know what their children are being taught.

They should talk to their children about history, government, faith, morality, and current events. They should encourage them to read entire books and articles instead of relying on short videos, headlines, and social media posts.

Parents should teach children how to disagree without hating one another.

They should also demonstrate that behavior themselves.

Churches have an equally important responsibility.

A church that tells its congregation what to believe without teaching people how to study the Bible produces spiritually vulnerable Christians.

Those Christians can be easily led by a charismatic preacher, a political personality, a prosperity teacher, a false prophet, or anyone else who knows how to manipulate emotion.

Pastors should teach believers how to study Scripture in context.

They should encourage questions.

They should explain why the church believes what it believes.

They should prepare Christians to recognize false doctrine instead of merely telling them to trust the person standing behind the pulpit.

A faith that cannot survive honest questions is not a strong faith.

A Free Nation Requires Free Minds

The American educational system has been hijacked in too many places by agenda driven people who want to teach young minds what to think instead of how to think.

Again, I am not saying that every teacher is guilty of this. Many good teachers are doing everything they can to resist it.

But the larger direction of too many educational institutions is undeniable.

The results are visible all around us.

People cannot accurately explain an opposing argument.

Political labels have lost their meanings.

Historical ignorance leaves young people vulnerable to failed ideologies.

Emotional outrage replaces evidence.

Tribal loyalty replaces moral consistency.

Personal accusations replace honest debate.

Pride replaces the humility necessary to learn.

A constitutional republic depends upon citizens who are capable of governing themselves.

Self government requires judgment.

Judgment requires knowledge.

Knowledge requires education.

And true education requires the freedom to ask questions, examine evidence, challenge assumptions, and reach conclusions without being forced into an approved ideological box.

When schools fail to cultivate those habits, the entire nation becomes easier to manipulate.

Mike Rowe’s Facebook exchange may appear to be just another political argument on social media.

I believe it is something more.

It is a small but revealing picture of a nation whose people increasingly react before they read, accuse before they understand, and condemn before they investigate.

The answer is not to silence disagreement.

The answer is to restore the habits that make meaningful disagreement possible.

Read carefully.

Listen honestly.

Define your terms.

Examine the evidence.

Test every claim.

Apply the same standards to your own side.

And remain humble enough to admit that you may be wrong.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

That is sound biblical instruction.

It is also the foundation of an educated and free people.