Why does the Texas Republican Party OPENLY oppose the teaching of critical thinking skills to children?

They probably weren't taught critical thinking themselves.

The stated position is close to meaningless. It opposes only programs that pretend to teach critical thinking, but which have the purpose of undermining parental authority. No such programs have ever been proposed, of course.

As a native Texan, however, I know that the Texas Republican Party covertly opposes teaching critical thinking skills to children. Doing so would not be in the best interests of the Texas Republican Party, which counts on the majority of Texans to vote contrary to their own best interest.

Edited to add: In an interview in June, Republican Party of Texas Communications Director Chris Elam was not sure what the Education Subcommittee was trying to say. “I think the intent is that the Republican Party is opposed to the values clarification method that serves the purpose of challenging students beliefs and undermine parental authority,” he said.

Seems to me it's OBE that they are opposed to. When OBE is called those other things, but are not actually, that's the kind of educational fraud they oppose.

"We oppose <bunch of things> that are simply a relabeling of OBE". Critical thinking skills do not need to be OBE.

That's what I get from simply reading the statement.

Forgive me.

/Orthodox

What is apposed is the fact thew want to tell YOUR children they are ignorant and what their parents are teaching them and or have taught them is a lie and they must go along with the Government programming,....that is called Socialism and Communism......it's not free thinking, it's brainwashing and demand YOu follow what the government deems is right not what is actually right....

Learn what you talking about before spouting off your ignrance....and that is NOT just in Texas they are and have been doing these nonsense in public school systems for years and it's just getting to be more open and not being hid anymore !!!

Like the so callede evolution evidence every public school teaches as a fact with NO facts gven and or Real science being performed ? That is exactly what Hitker did in Germany, he demanded students be taught the New World Order..HIS...and anyone who oppossed it was killed and their children brainwashed into believing they were a superior race...You see what happened to Hitler and Germany didn't you ? Or is that one of your Critical thinking skills your taught to Disbelieve ??? that has been and is Obamas message as well...No wonder hank Jr referred to him as a Hitler....the only difference in them is skin color !!!

this is indeed sad, very sad. good thing im moving to australia :). but anyway look on the bright side buddy, the world is becoming more and more secular with every generation, i believe in 50 years all of the overly religious zelouts in america and in most other countries will have died off, and a new generation of free thinkers will rise up as our (the atheists) legacy. be proud man, be proud.

Obviously they're aware of how dangerous Critical Thinking is ;)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai3jG...

I saw this a few years ago - it's about Critical Thinking...

The best answer I ever saw was Duckphup:

“I think that it is really a matter of 'critical thinking' ability. Religion simply cannot withstand the glaring light of critical thought... it just evaporates... poof. It's very simple, really... even though it's taken me a very long time to figure this out. I have been guilty of 'projecting'... 'anthropmorphizing'. I used to think that 'critical thinking' was an innate human ability. I thought that since I did it, then everybody could do it... and DID do it.

I was badly mistaken. Critical thinking is NOT an innate human ability. It must be LEARNED... and in order to learn it, you must have the capacity... the potential... to learn it. Unfortunately, it seems that most (around 85%) of the adult population of the USA does not even know what critical thinking IS... much less actually know how to actually DO it. Part of the problem has to do with the US public education system... it is designed to create 'employees'... not 'thinkers'. It is even possible to get an advanced college degree... even a degree in one of the 'fuzzy' sciences... and STILL have not heard of 'critical thinking'. Unless you have an advanced degree in one of the 'hard' sciences, it is very unlikely that you will possess any critical thinking skills. In other words, apart from the 'hard' sciences, anyone who manages to acquire critical thinking skills does so IN SPITE OF their schooling... not BECAUSE of it. The rest of the problem seems to be related to intelligence. There have been around 40 studies over the past 80 years which revel a statistically significant INVERSE correlation between intelligence and religiosity... in ofher words, the LESS intelligent a person is, the MORE likely that person is to harbor supernatural (religious) beliefs. Conversely, the MORE intelligent a person is, the LESS likely that person is to harbor religious beliefs. From my observations, the CAPACITY (potential) for learning critical thinking skills does not even EXIST until you get up around an IQ of 125 or so.

While it took me decades to figure this out, religious leaders have been aware it for centuries. The Luther quotes serve as an example of this... but he certainly was not alone in this view:

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but... more frequently than not... struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." ~ Martin Luther

Religious 'shepherds' KNOW that their 'flock' (sheeple) are scientifically ignorant and incapable of critical thinking. They KNOW that they find 'scientific' sources' to be intimidating and incomprehensible. These puppet-masters KNOW that their flock (victims) will seek their 'knowledge' from 'trusted' sources... the very-same puppet-masters. When the sheeple hear things like 'scientists claim that humans and apes shared a common ancestor, in the distant past', they experience 'cognitive dissonance'... this information is in conflict with the 'truth' that they have believed for their whole lives. So... where do they go to resolve this cognitive dissonance?... Scientists?... NO! They go to their 'trusted' sources... the sources who KNOW that they have been taught WHAT to think... they have not been taught HOW to think. Sources who KNOW that they can lie, obfuscate, misrepresent with impunity... with absolutely NO RISK that their minions will seek out independent, peer-reviewed corroborating information.

Where this nonsense comes from is an INDUSTRY (Christianity) whose BUSINESS it is to create whole generations of adults who are, at once, gullibile, irrational, willfully ignorant, self-deluded, intellectually dishonest, droolingly stupid and hypocritical... and willing to tithe 10% for having their cognitive dissonance held in check through regular doses of holy bullshit.

They do their jobs very well indeed.

Here's the key thing to understand... a 'truism'...

1) religious 'belief'... the internalized certainty that specified myths, superstitions and fairy-tales are congruent with 'reality' CANNOT WITHSTAND the glaring light of 'critical thinking'.

2) over 85% of adult Americans profess religious 'belief'

3) THEREFORE, at least 85% of adult Americans have not applied critical thinking to their religious 'beliefs'.

It's not ALL critical thinking skills...just those that you listed which undermine parental authority. How would you like it if your state's school taught your children to speak in tongues?

You can think critically without ever thinking about religion or politics.

It is certainly not in the best interests of those promoting religion.

I use to live there with the "Haves" and the "Have mores". What a mess.

the easier to control you, my dear