When we are capable of thinking, being curious, and instead we completely delegate thinking to “experts” or “authorities”.
Imagine when people believed that earth was flat or witches had to be burned alive.
Most experts and authorities at that time supported such things and intellectual lazy people by default also repeated the narrative.
Is easy to let go of being curious and avoid learning new things about ourselves and the world we live in. However, by doing so, it will dull our minds and weaken us within.
Let us look at situations when we can become intellectually lazy by not questioning or being curious:
- We are not curious about who we are
- We do not regularly question our own beliefs and assumptions
- We are not curious on learning new things that is not related to our career
- We do not question our spiritual or religious or political groups
- We do not question experts/authorities (medical, financial, educational …)
- We believe in what we read or hear on our favorite communication channels
Observe your decision process and process of arriving at your opinions for the next couple of days.
How many of your decisions are based on feedback of experts who you are not familiar with or know about?
How many of your opinions do not rely on your personal experiences or are not researched by you?
Copyright .2021 by Shervin Hojat
As my knowledge grows, I have changed my opinion of many things. It seems like I find the results of a new research study almost every day that disproves what I thought earlier. And although I am a bad judge of psychological profiles, have, while open to most people, developed a crap detector when it comes to trusting sociopaths and their deceiving ways.
In a college speech course, I learned that one could speak or write against something good in a way that you would get people to believe you. Rhetoric and unscientifically based articles can be used to promote bad ideas… Keep learning and tried to avoid getting taken by the clever.
Ron
I never cease to be amazed by people who meekly accept the words of newspaper and other social media’s without question...perhaps it’s the effect of social conditioning... however, with information all around us and everywhere, we can investigate ‘stuff’ of whatever type for ourselves now...A patient if he’s interested or curious... will know more about his illness or disease than the doctor will...if he is informed he can more easily decide which options for treatment he prefers and are right for him as an individual..,,.
I started questioning my religious upbringing in my early teens, which led me to leave it behind and follow my own spiritual truths...
Some people seem to be happy with being instructed what to think...and justify it by saying they listen to ‘experts’...but experts often disagree...so keeping intellectually ‘on the ball’ and directing our own futures by exploration and research, in my opinion much more exciting...!
I also think it keeps us brain healthy, and we become more interesting people...plus it’s lots of Fun!
Diana...