Not to get to wordy here, but I saw an article on critical thinking, and realized that that is one of the traits I admire in people. There are many more traits that also are high on the list, like kindness, quirkyness, etc. but save those for later. What is critical thinking? Well, when we say about a new idea, "I'm ## years old, I ought to know my mind by now, so this is my final answer on that!" This is not critical thinking. (although I feel that way many times) Even if your views of things are stong and well developed, you should be willing to think again. Here is a clip from the paper I read: Critical Thinking: Peter A. Facione, Santa Clara University .

The approaches to life and living in general which characterize critical thinking include:
* inquisitiveness with regard to a wide range of issues,
* concern to become and remain well-informed,
* alertness to opportunities to use critical thinking,
* trust in the processes of reasoned inquiry,
* self-confidence in one's own abilities to reason,
* open-mindedness regarding divergent world views,
* flexibility in considering alternatives and opinions,
* understanding of the opinions of other people,
* fair-mindedness in appraising reasoning,
* honesty in facing one's own biases, prejudices,stereotypes, or egocentric tendencies,
* prudence in suspending, making or altering judgments,
* willingness to reconsider and revise views where honest reflection suggests that change is warranted.

Someone strongly disposed toward critical thinking would probably agree with statements like these:
*I hate talk shows where people just state their opinions but never give any reasons at all.
*Figuring out what people really mean by what they say is important to me."
*I always do better in jobs where I'm expected to think things out for myself.
*I hold off making decisions until I've thought through my options.
*Rather than relying on someone else's notes, I prefer to read the material myself.
*I try to see the merit in another's opinion, even if I reject it later.
*Even if a problem is tougher than I expected, I'll keep working on it.
*Making intelligent decisions is more important than winning arguments.

A person with weak critical thinking dispositions would probably disagree with the statements above but be likely to agree with these:
*I prefer jobs where the supervisor says exactly what to do and exactly how to do it.
*No matter how complex the problem, you can bet there will be a simple solution.
*I don't waste time looking things up.
*I hate when teachers discuss problems instead of just giving the answers.
*If my belief is truly sincere, evidence to the contrary is irrelevant.

A follow-up to a rant of mine a while ago concerning the government software efforts to scan the private email and web activities of citizens. Actually in place years ago, so called 'Carnivore' artificial intelligence software looked for word and phrases, combinations that "they" deemed criminal-like. This effort was given legs by 9-11. Who could disagree when we had the terrorists to fight? Ashcroft was certainly not worried about stepping on civil rights. Well, people did and do disagree! The bureaucrats have at least been alerted that we want privacy on the internet, and they have softened the software. They say.