40 CHAPTER 1
*hoax: something intended to fool people, a trick or lie.
**gullible: easily fooled or cheated.
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claim by many alleged experts—or they are made by human beings as a hoax.*
Which explanation is simpler? Obviously, the hoax rationalization is the simplest,
and it turned out to be correct for the crop circles that appeared in England in the
late 1970s and 1980s: David Bower and Doug Chorley, two British men, confessed
to creating the crop circles as a prank, thought up in a barroom and meant to
make fun of people who believe in alien visitations (Nickell, 1995; M. Ridley, 2002;
Schnabel, 1994).
- Critical thinking requires an open mind. Although it is good to be a little skeptical,
people should not close their minds to things that are truly possible. At the same time,
it’s good for people to have open minds but not so open that they are gullible** and
apt to believe anything. Critical thinking requires a delicate balance between skepticism
and willingness to consider possibilities—even possibilities that contradict previous
judgments or beliefs. For example, scientists have yet to find any convincing evidence
that there was once life on Mars. That doesn’t mean that scientists totally dismiss the
idea, just that there is no convincing evidence yet. I don’t believe that there are Mar-
tians on Mars, but if I were shown convincing evidence, I would have to be willing to
change my thinking—as difficult as that might be.
Questions for Further Discussion
- How might critical thinking be applied to the issue of global climate change?
- Why do you think some people (even very smart people) sometimes avoid thinking
critically about issues such as politics, the existence of ESP, or the supernatural?
Watch the Video Critical Thinking
