The Thinking Citizen
An oxymoron or an existential imperative?
Last week I wrote how I came to be fascinated by human thinking- creative, critical and relational. I also fessed up to my own preference for open and free societies (liberal democracies) with their emphasis on freedom of thought and speech. That I no longer believe that democracy is necessarily the best system (even if I want it for myself) will be the topic of another essay. I also ended the last essay with what I called “my first boring idea”. A government ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’ is utterly dependent upon…. the PEOPLE. Not the elite. Not saints, saviors, oligarchs, wise men, or warriors. PEOPLE.
Once we accept this, then it stands to reason that the effectiveness of democracies shouldn’t be contingent on the steady availability of brilliant, moral, or wise leaders. In monarchies, theocracies and dictatorships the people have no choice and can only pray that they will be ruled by benign and half-way intelligent despots. We, in liberal democracies, however, have a choice- we can elect representatives, Congresswomen, Senators, Presidents, and Prime Ministers that are sincere, competent, and trustworthy. If, on the other hand, we elect charming dullards, smooth-talking charlatans, or closet authoritarians we have no one else to blame. From this it follows that the fates of liberal democracies are wholly dependent upon their citizens.
So then, what should we require of THE PEOPLE- our much-vaunted citizens of a democracy on whom our collective freedoms and rights are utterly dependent upon? While some countries have citizenship tests for new immigrants, those born within its borders are almost always given a free pass and are eligible to vote upon becoming adults. This is tantamount to the DMV saying that if you are a resident of Texas or Massachusetts, and over sixteen years of age, you can drive an automobile. Driving test be damned.
Developing and nurturing a competent citizenry is an ambitious project. It should ideally preoccupy the minds and energies of human rights activists and civil society, while governments and institutions should be prioritizing it just as they do economy, military- and minority rights. Without a competent citizenry democracy itself will be trivialized, corrupted and abused- leaving it in the hands of those who are most able to manipulate the system. Over the next few months, I will address the mechanics and challenges of developing a competent citizenry. In this essay I will only suggest that the entitlement to vote or participate in civic matters:
Doesn’t require a citizen to be moral or virtuous (even if some nations deny convicted felons the right to vote). Even if states were to begin testing for amorphous qualities such as morality or virtue, that would only increase the chances of corruption within the system.
Presupposes that citizens have the skills and disposition to think critically and make objective decisions. Given that our best and brightest led us to Enron, the sub-prime crisis, and the systematic destruction of US manufacturing (to mention only three acts of exemplary brilliance), attempting to raise our collective IQ could be more ambitious than establishing a colony on Mars.
Presupposes that citizens are able to take decisions in the interest of the common good- even if that requires foregoing personal advantage. This is something that even collectivist societies, bound by well-defined norms of duty, struggled with. Highly individualist societies trapped into narrow group identities seem wholly incapable of it.
Here’s another way to put it- our survival as citizens of free and open societies is totally dependent upon the 3.3 lbs. (1300-1400 grams) of gray matter between our ears. Unless a critical mass (you, me, our friends, lovers, neighbors, enemies, distant relatives- everyone except your pet dog) learns to skillfully manipulate this mass of fat, neurons and glial cells, we are best off being ruled by monarchs, the clergy or even despots. This is why when students ask me what can be done about Orban, Putin, Trump, Hindu nationalism or Illiberal Islam, I always say that our only shot at preserving democracy is an intelligent (and selfless) citizenry.
This brings me to my second boring idea: If you want to protect your democracy- teach your children (and neighbors) how to THINK. That’s it.
“Everything we know, believe, want, fear, and hope for, our thinking tells us. It follows, then, that the quality of our thinking is the primary determinant of the quality of our lives.” Richard Paul
The brain is reportedly the most complex instrument in the known universe. And yet we accord it even less respect than the stomach- consuming junk food (anger, hatred, gossip, drama), allowing it to get bloated and gassy (24/7 news, conspiracy theories, prejudices), and avoiding exercise (borrowed opinions, succumbing to groupthink). Given my intimacy with people’s thinking (and a glance at the daily headlines) allows me to state with some confidence that the state of the human mind is dire. If I were an epidemiologist, I would call it a public health crisis- a plague has been unleashed upon our minds.
For a species that chooses to call itself Homo Sapiens (wise people), we are extraordinarily thick headed. We are not even smart enough to figure out that our most potent tool is the brain- the one that controls everything else. It would be like the Brazilian team not fielding Pele in the World Cup because they don’t know how to make use him. It is dumb to not take advantage of your strongest suit (or player). The fact is that most people, even the highly educated, tend to park their brains on the bench, unless forced to use it. At the most basic level, people use their brains in one of two ways RECALL mode (to remember) or REACT mode (to respond). Needless to say, both can be accomplished without breaking a sweat. Reducing the human mind to these two simple tasks is the equivalent of driving an exquisitely engineered Lamborghini in only two gears- Seventh and Reverse.
Join me every Sunday as I write about the pitfalls of mediocre thinking and the many societal and political conspiracies against (higher order) thinking. Most importantly come learn develop best practices with me so can drive your Lamborghini mind with skill and panache.
Buckle up.