Beyond Feelings

22 PART ONE The Context
Are interested in other
people’s ideas and so are
willing to read and listen attentively,
even when they tend to
disagree with the other person.
Recognize that extreme views
(whether conservative or
liberal) are seldom correct,
so they avoid them, practice
fairmindedness, and seek
a balanced view.
Practice restraint, controlling
their feelings rather than being
controlled by them, and thinking
before acting.
As the desirable qualities suggest, critical thinking depends on mental
discipline. Effective thinkers exert control over their mental life, direct
their thoughts rather than being directed by them, and withhold their
endorsement of any idea—even their own—until they have tested and
confirmed it. John Dewey equated this mental discipline with freedom.
That is, he argued that people who do not have it are not free persons but
slaves to whim or circumstance:
If a man’s actions are not guided by thoughtful conclusions, then they
are guided by inconsiderate impulse, unbalanced appetite, caprice, or
the circumstances of the moment. To cultivate unhindered, unreflective
external activity is to foster enslavement, for it leaves the person at the
mercy of appetite, sense, and circumstance. 8
The Role of Intuition
Are preoccupied with themselves
and their own opinions
and so are unwilling to pay
attention to others’ views. At
the first sign of disagreement,
they tend to think, “How can
I refute this?”
Ignore the need for balance
and give preference to views
that support their established
views.
Tend to follow their feelings
and act impulsively.
Intuition is commonly defined as immediate perception or comprehension
of something—that is, sensing or understanding something
without the use of reasoning. Some everyday experiences seem to support
this definition. You may have met a stranger and instantly “known”
that you would be partners for life. When a car salesman told you
that the price he was quoting you was his final, rock-bottom price,
your intuition may have told you he was lying. On the first day of a
particular course, you may have had a strong sense that you would not
do well in it.
Some important discoveries seem to have occurred instantaneously.
For example, the German chemist Kekule found the solution to a difficult
chemical problem intuitively. He was very tired when he slipped into a