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What is skepticism for the students? To accepting what they are taught passively is of course not skepticism, but it is a necessary process to accumulate knowledge. To question what they are taught is not a real skepticism for students, it is only a beginning. To be truly skeptical, one needs essential knowledge and proper approaches to doubt and inquire, in other words, to question and manage to answer the questions. Skepticism is a methodology, in which we not only question but also seek for the answers. This is the beneficial skepticism students should master.
As the speaker indicates, there seem only two possible attitudes for the students to take: accepted it passively or question whatever they are taught. However, I will argue that there is another stance: to doubt and more importantly to inquire. For the knowledge will not augment for those who only question not answer, or at least try to answer. The skepticism will be beneficial and effective only when one responds to the questions and this is true to the students.
Therefore, the educator should teach the students how to become effective skeptics. Being skeptical is a demanding job. As mentioned above, one has to be equipped with certain essential knowledge to support it. Therefore, for the students without necessary knowledge, such as those in primary schools, they should focus on what they are taught more than questioning it. With sufficient knowledge, students should be encouraged to learn how to question and how to answer the questions, actually that is the way we sort out the mistake and fallacy.
Most of us share a belief that one of the significant purposes of education is providing the educated with the ability of critical thinking. And I contend the skepticism is a necessary condition for it. Skepticism plays a vital role in verifying the learned knowledge and discovering the potential mistakes from the learning. To be skeptical, one should firstly question the claim constructively, then seek solid evidence and conduct warranted reasoning to prove or disprove it. A frequently heard claim is like the saying that we only use ten percent of our brain. A skeptic will not accept it readily. Instead, he or she will ask what does the ten percent means, how to measure it, and is there a limit for the human beings to explore the brain. Then he will search for the source through various ways, probably including the internet, the library and the paper of relevant scientists. In the end, he reaches a temporal conclusion about it until there is new and further evidence which suggests otherwise. Therefore, being skeptical is far more than questioning. The most important procedure is searching evidence and conducting reasoning. Only in this way can we obtain new knowledge and kick off the fallacies.
Admittedly, it is noticeable that skepticism can bring disadvantages if used inappropriately. One does not necessarily bring skepticism to everything. Skepticism is necessary in learning new knowledge, particularly in the field of science and technology. But when it comes to other realms, such as religion, it often brings troubles rather than advantages. Since the religion, by its nature, calls for one commits to the claims that need no proof and cannot be proved. It is just a wrong way to apply skepticism to the self-evident matter.
Students can benefit from the skepticism with proper method and they should be encouraged to develop it, use it and enrich it. The skepticism is an approach to the truth, a barrier against manipulation and more importantly, a valuable treasure needing continuous effort to obtain. Equipped with the spirit of skepticism, the students can develop a sharpen sight and perception, which are both beneficial in the learning and the later social life. |
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