Comment The lack of good moral values (Score 1) 1087
If you are thinking I will be defending the traditional, religious-oriented, values, you are wrong. Actually, I think the traditional values, while valid in many cases, really don't help people see the big picture in terms of what is important for the society as a whole.
The traditional values, some of them codified as religious laws, pretty much evolved the same way Humans evolved and they are, thus, the memes that survived the test of time. But are they the best values? I don't think so.
Many of these values, closly connected to religious doctrines, are irrational by nature. People accept them because they think they were written by some kind of god or because they were simply taught this way. But this is not good enough!
The values itself should be questioned and the authority of those who proclaim them too. Blindly accepting moral values is no different than blindly accepting any other kind of lie or delusion. What we need, more than anything, are people able to think for themselves and not be easely influenced by some more radical propositions. What we really need is the ability to think critically. What we really need is critical thinking!
Most Americans are not critical thinkers. (I am Portuguese and, unfortunately, the situation is not much different in Portugal.) If they were, many would not be accepting the religious "truths" with so much ease, like creationism, for instance. And if you are not able to think critically, you are not able to justify WHY your ideas, your values, are better than some NAZI ideas or values.
But critical thinking, as important as it is, is not an end in itself. Critical thinking is only a tool. You need something else. And no, it's not some kind of god. If you use the "god's will" argument, first you have to justify the very existance of that god and why you should listen to it. And if you cannot do that (and you really can't!) you are teaching your kids to not question their own ideas, including their possible NAZI ideas, for example.
What you need to teach to your kids is something that is even more universal than religious values. What you need to teach your kids is that one has to considerer other people's interests if one is to expect to have their own interests considered as well. In the end, it is really this simple.
The traditional values, some of them codified as religious laws, pretty much evolved the same way Humans evolved and they are, thus, the memes that survived the test of time. But are they the best values? I don't think so.
Many of these values, closly connected to religious doctrines, are irrational by nature. People accept them because they think they were written by some kind of god or because they were simply taught this way. But this is not good enough!
The values itself should be questioned and the authority of those who proclaim them too. Blindly accepting moral values is no different than blindly accepting any other kind of lie or delusion. What we need, more than anything, are people able to think for themselves and not be easely influenced by some more radical propositions. What we really need is the ability to think critically. What we really need is critical thinking!
Most Americans are not critical thinkers. (I am Portuguese and, unfortunately, the situation is not much different in Portugal.) If they were, many would not be accepting the religious "truths" with so much ease, like creationism, for instance. And if you are not able to think critically, you are not able to justify WHY your ideas, your values, are better than some NAZI ideas or values.
But critical thinking, as important as it is, is not an end in itself. Critical thinking is only a tool. You need something else. And no, it's not some kind of god. If you use the "god's will" argument, first you have to justify the very existance of that god and why you should listen to it. And if you cannot do that (and you really can't!) you are teaching your kids to not question their own ideas, including their possible NAZI ideas, for example.
What you need to teach to your kids is something that is even more universal than religious values. What you need to teach your kids is that one has to considerer other people's interests if one is to expect to have their own interests considered as well. In the end, it is really this simple.
