Critical thinking for wise choices
By Lee Eung-tae
With the March 9, Korean presidential election just around the corner, news outlets are awash with accusations, speculations and prevarications. Influenced by all this, society has become increasingly polarized.
Candidates are being supported based on their transient reputations. Political parties are digging up both trivial and shameful acts of wrongdoing by candidates and their family members. Spotting any “faults” they can find, chewing them to bits like ravenous sharks.
A witch hunt starts, encouraging foul-mouthed abuse, and others join in. In the meantime, the candidates immediately flip-flop on their political positions or promises according to the latest opinion polls.
A “chameleon populist” will instantly alter his or her policies in order to prevent the slightest possibility of a decline in popularity. His or her so-called convictions are disregarded as is the unfeasibility of this new “creed.”
Therefore, we cannot afford to sit back as we have done previously. We have seen many leaders who seduced us at first with a plethora of sweet promises only to betray us subsequently. Quite a few once admired leaders have stepped or been pulled down in disgrace and some even lost their lives and shamed.
Indeed, the results of choosing the wrong leaders have been ― it's sad to say ― catastrophic. Their promises initially beguiled us but eventually turned out to be double-edged swords.
Without much foresight into their dire effects on our daily lives and the economy, some policies turned out to be tragic fiascoes: un-researched installations of solar panels on mountains, dams constructed and rivers dredged supposedly to ameliorate water scarcity, but actually causing serious destruction of local ecosystems. Hasty real estate policies lacking deep deliberation and consideration brought great confusion to the real estate market, robbing most youngsters of their dreams of getting married and living in their own homes. Not comprehensively thought out plans for controlling the spread of the coronavirus saw the effects of social distancing measures fall on many self-employed, who, lacking a proper social safety net, are now saddled with heavy levels of debt.
That said, I insist that we cannot coldly blame others because, in fact, we are the main culprits of this gloomy situation. We were the ones who voted for our leaders. Therefore, I assert that prospective voters should arm themselves with the weapon of critical thinking before the next election.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines critical thinking as, “the process of analyzing information in order to make a logical decision about the extent to which you believe something to be true or false.” It is not just about unthinkingly criticizing another's views, ideas or claims, but it is an intellectual ability crucial to master if we are to make informed decisions without being deceived or blinded by sweet political promises, poorly thought out proposals, distortions and even, potentially, outright lies.
We usually resort to the media for our daily news, and are vulnerable to media distortions. Often, we can only see what the media cover, how the media focuses on events, so our opinions can be woefully manipulated.
Therefore, it is essential for media consumers to assess any news coverage with critical thinking. Otherwise we will be overwhelmed by biases, speculations, seductive language or vituperative, but disingenuous arguments.
Of course the capacity for insightful critical thinking cannot be gained in a day. We need to acquire knowledge as well as to practice to better understand public pronouncements and complex issues. Moreover, we need to develop the habit of thinking critically about even the most trivial things we take for granted in order for this analytical process to become engrained. However hard it is to employ critical thinking, we need to keep in mind that our future will only be bright if ushered in by voters well versed in this precious habit.
Lee Eung-tae (eungtae@gmail.com) is a former high school teacher who taught English for 35 years.