By David Hegg
If I have counted correctly, I have written almost 800 columns for The Signal. For several years, I have been privileged to put my opinions in print and enter them into the marketplace of ideas. As I sit at my computer writing, I seldom think about how my opinions land on the hearts and minds of those who take the time to read them. It isn’t that I don’t care about what others think, because I do. That’s essentially why I write: to influence the thoughts of others.
But I am always mindful that this is an opinion column. I am not writing a research paper or a legal brief. This isn’t a sermon or some other form of proclamation designed to present arguments backed by careful attention to authoritative sources. And while opinion columns may influence thought, change minds, and even stimulate action on the part of the readers, they still only represent the author’s opinions, presented without the benefit of supporting documentation, authority, or precedent.
So, what is the purpose of opinion? Simply put, it is to get people thinking in ways that will foster conversations that matter. It once was the case that, from the earliest age, children were taught critical thinking skills. They were trained according to the classical educational model: grammar, logic, rhetoric. Together, these were known as the Trivium.
As the word suggests, grammar pertains to the elementary things of any subject. If the subject were language, grammar consisted of learning the letters, the way words were put together, sentence structure, etc. If the subject were math, it meant learning the numbers, their relationships, and the basic structure of mathematics.
Next came logic. This section took what was learned in grammar and put it to use. It taught how the elemental things could be put together to solve problems, and was the primary place where critical thinking came into play. Specific uses of the basics – grammar – wouldn’t work, and these inconsistencies were recognized and addressed in logic. In so doing, students were taught not only to know, but also to think critically about how what they knew could best be used. Along the way, they also learned to recognize those patterns that didn’t work. These were considered against logic, and reckoned as foolish and even dangerous. The last section of the Trivium was rhetoric. In this stage of learning, the students were instructed on how to take the grammar and the logic and use them to teach or persuade others.
My interest here is in the middle section of logic. Because we have moved away from this classical model of early instruction, many today cannot formulate logical thought patterns and are even less able to critique the thought patterns of others. This puts them at risk of accepting and adopting harmful ideas and conclusions. They lack the discernment mechanism that can be so helpful in spotting error, refuting it, and turning more profitably to those ideas that are internally consistent or logical.
The marketplace of opinion is one of the few places left where we can practice critical thinking. Fortunately, we have many arenas for this. Taking in the news or following talk radio is a great example. It is a good learning experience to listen to the many pundits on both sides of the intellectual battle to sharpen my ability to discern truth from error. Do their arguments stand up? Are they substituting robust language, sentiment, and emotion for actual evidence and logical conclusions? Does their conclusion follow from their arguments? Are they being irenic and properly representing their opponents? All of these used to be questions posed to school children as they were carefully taught to think logically.
Today, much of education has gone down another path, and generations are being released into society with little or no ability to take in arguments, synthesize their substance, recognize their weaknesses, and discern what is truthful from what is masquerading as such. Little wonder our political process has deteriorated into a contest of sound bites and photo ops.
We’re quickly losing our ability as a society to think critically, to evaluate truth claims, and recognize when we’re being lied to. This column is but one grain of sand on the seashore attempting to offer opinions that can serve as an exercise in critical thinking, regardless of whether you agree with me. That’s not the point. What matters is that you think, discern and do so logically. What matters is that we start thinking deeply about what truth looks like and how we believe life should be lived. If we don’t, we’ll continue watching in disbelief as nonsense and error become the staples of public discourse.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
