Impactful Inclusion Toolkit

ACTIVITY 17Devote Yourself to Critical Thinking

“Do not be guided by your dull eyes, nor by your resounding ears, but test all things with the power of your thinking alone”

—Parmenides

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Everyone arrived in this world with the blank slate of innocence. We had no labels or judgments for others, and our thoughts and actions were genuine. There were no preconceived notions or assumptions. We did not decide that we didn't like broccoli just by looking at it; we waited until we tasted it before deciding. When we were curious about something, we asked a thousand questions until the curiosity was satisfied, often to the exasperation of our parents. The kids next door were just the kids next door, and it didn't matter how much we differed as long as we had fun while together. As time passed, we adopted the beliefs and attitudes of our parents. The strength of our relationships with others thrived or died based on their approval. The more we mirrored them—good or bad—the more love and acceptance we received. Our world expanded when we began formalized education. Textbooks told us stories of early civilization and world history as well as taught us economics and government policy. We formed new opinions and beliefs and accepted them as fact. While we may have debated and challenged the information back then, it still informs our thinking and actions today.

Humanity believed that the earth was flat until approximately 300 B.C., when Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician, developed a ...