Critical Thinking

I happened across a great passage about critical thinking and thought I’d share. It’s in a Christopher Anvil short, about aliens bearing gifts.

“I seldom watch television. I get my news from the papers, where I can take it in at my own pace, and pick out the bones, instead of swallowing it all whole. No, I don’t trust the Shaloux. What’s their motive? Why do they offer us this ‘life-serum’? What do they get out of it?”

“Open-mind! Everybody’s supposed to have an ‘open mind’. Humbug! Open it far enough, and who knows what will come in? The whole thing’s a trap. Leave the door open, to prove you trust everyone. Then the thieves can strip the house and put a knife in you while you sleep.”

Cautiously, he began to read the paper, conscious of the article’s bias, opening his mind just a little slit at a time to bash the unwelcome ideas over the head as they entered: Washington — Miliram Diastat, the benevolent (How the devil do they know he’s benevolent?) plenipotentiary (Hogwash. He may be just a messenger boy.) of the Shaloux Interstellar (They could come from Mars, for all we know.) Federation, met with the President today, and in solemn rapport (What’s “rapport” really mean? Maybe it’s hypnotism.) concluded the mind-exchange (Or brainwashing) which is a precondition for entry into (defeat by) the Federation. Mr. Diastat (Why call him “Mr.”? The damned things are neuter.) assured reporters afterward that all had gone well (For the Shalouxs, that is.) in the mind-exchange (brain-washing). He said (It said), raising his (its) hands (extremities of upper tentacles) to heaven (over its head–that is, over the end of the thing with teeth in it.), that our peoples will be joined as one (eaten up) with (by) theirs, in a final ceremony next year. At that time, travel throughout the vast extent (They claim it’s vast.) of the Federation will be free to all (Economically impossible.), and Earth’s excess-population problem will be solved (Everybody will be killed.), while at the same time (never) personal immortality will have been granted by universal (Humbug. There must be some people with sense enough to keep out.) inoculation with the serum (slow poison).

This passage seems to me to really exemplify the kind of thinking which should be applied to most things, to be honest.

-D

Stirling 132

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