Critical thinking and the would-be criminal

But it is reasonable to assume that making informed choices often springs from a personal culture of being naturally inclined to weigh or balance the nuances of an issue, and this “skill” or tendency is often sown and cultivated by a mode of teaching which encourages students to ask questions about, and to respond to, the world in which they live.

So that if classroom culture in this country encourages critical thinking on a wide scale as a way of making good choices, does it not stand to reason that many of the poor choices related to criminal behaviour which seem to defy all logic, good sense and civilized behaviour will be significantly mitigated? But this call for a critical approach in the classroom is jumping the gun somewhat because “classroom performance” is often not a “priority” for many in this country as it is expected to be in modern, progressive societies.

For example, it is not uncommon that in some instances, especially in depressed situations, the traditional report card loses significance once “take” from the “drop” is coming in on a continuing basis, and in the wider society, education as means to personal advancement often gives way to the benefits of the “who you know” syndrome often associated with the benefits from party loyalty in the politics.

So who really cares about earning a recognised degree when your cup runneth over without it? It’s a feature of this society that in many instances people can showcase wealth or boast of plum positions in the workplace without possessing the commensurate education and training that should accompany same.

What I am trying to advance as an argument is that even as we search desperately for long-term solutions to crime and that education through critical thinking can be key in this, there is so much to distract from using this mechanism because of the way it is subordinated to other means, questionable as they may be on moral, ethical and even legal grounds, to personal advancement.

It seems as if for many education does not “pay,” and crime, to include corrupt and unethical practice, does. But crime, when all is said and done, is a matter of personal choice, and even as other conventional strategies will help, a way has to be found to create a society in which would-be criminals would ask questions about the choices they make.

And with the moral and ethical questions which such questioning naturally generates, can we not hope for more informed choices from those not so inclined and that in the future we will see some relief from this crime situation which now engulfs us? Critical thinking in the classroom is a must for the future.

DR ERROL BENJAMIN docbenj742@outlook .com