I strongly disagree with the proponents of the claim that 'Critical Thinking' is induced by race.
I also find it completely illogical for anyone to state that the people of any race are intellectually superior to that of another.
Intelligence is something that ALL humans are expected to display.
But this might only be understood when it involves the biological assessment of MAN(or wise wise man) as regards his nature.
So people often use this word to describe the ability to do something extraordinary by applying mental strength.
And we have seen the demonstration of this ability by so many people in different ways.
The most common areas where people often get to be attributed with this ability is science, philosophy,and to an extent,arts.
These fields have experienced the most extraordinary forms of advancement in the past century and they are still getting the world's attention today.
We also know that these fields have been in existence for thousands of years.
So how do we explain the massive progress that has been made in these fields?
Is it due to the intellectual superiority of the people of any race?
Now,when you consider the history of the countries of different continents you might get convinced by the claims that involve the inferiority or superiority of these countries depending on where you are getting your information from.
But history can't determine the intellectual superiority or inferiority of different races.
The reason why certain races have produced the most astounding performers in various fields is simply because of the value that is placed on the field by the most powerful people in the countries where you can find the people of such races.
And this is due to the political system of such countries.
These countries don't really have the smartest people on earth,which is actually impossible to determine considering the fact that no data can ever give an accurate account of such,but they make it necessary for their brightest minds to get identified no matter the cost.
Priorities are hardly misplaced or conflicting so these countries know their limits.
They know they can't be good at everything and they also know that they are not meant to be the best at everything.
And there is one thing that they know they can't be extremely good at,which is making the best out of their citizens through education.
Since no race can actually claim to be intellectually superior,no country can claim to be intellectually superior based on the identity of its citizens as regards race.
But a country can prove that it has more intellectuals when the education sector of its economy is systematically outstanding.
No improvement can be made by a country if the bright minds in such country are suffering.
And you can't determine the number of bright minds you have in your country.
All humans are not science geniuses but science geniuses just like geniuses in other fields have to be discovered before the 'genius in them' depreciates.
No race is solely responsible for technological advancements.
If the development of technology is down to the intellectual capacity of the people of any race,it won't advance.
So we can ascribe developments in science, philosophy and arts to the educational progress of nations that include people of diverse races.
Education must be allowed to function effectively.
It doesn't have to be done according to what seems like the best pattern.
Rather,it must be done with the consideration of all factors including the students, teachers,school managements, the government and the society.
If we keep attributing intellectual success to people because of their racial identities,we will end up nowhere.
I believe "The smartness of another bothers the dumber" and "You can never do what you can never learn and you can never learn what you can never do".
Also, education is meant to function undisturbed.
Religious extremism, poverty,overpopulation, racism,white supremacist ideologies,lack of inspiration, lack of encouragement,etc can affect any system of education in different ways.
Lastly,no country should be seen as anything close to near-perfect and no one is born or made a genius.
The former suggests that he or she is not capable of displaying a lack of mastery while the latter suggests that he or she is not capable of displaying mastery unless he or she follows certain instructions.
Both cases are improbable considering the significance of time and chance.
Geniuses are discovered when the 'genius in them' becomes useful to the society.
I would like to invite XxSabrinaXx,Buudatum,Lord Reed,Frosbel, and every other player of Q&A to contribute to this topic.

I invite every other user of Nairaland to this thread.

if there's one factor diminishing critical thinking especially in Africa it's religion

Stupid thread,O.P go drink sniper

Wadewaltz:
Stupid thread,O.P go drink sniper

You're actually a compound fool.

DeSepiero:

You're actually a compound fool.

Sissy,HELL is other pipo

Between 1917 to 1991, the Soviet Union took chess seriously and it was their own way of showing that their system works. They would politic chess, spend money on their players and punish them if they lost. Guess what? the Russians dominated chess during that period and were the best in the world. They produced many world champions and chess giants like Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik, the magical Mikhail Tal, the impenetrable Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov etc. They dominated chess except for a three year period (1972-1975) where the great Bobby Fischer was king and the USSR treated their chess superstars as national heroes and were given celebrity status. I guess you are right when you wrote that if a society places so much value on an intellectual endeavour, they are usually good at it. Asian parents place so much emphasis on academic excellence in the field of maths, physics, engineering and medicine. Little wonder they are out performing others. The Chinese go through a lot in training their gymnasts right from an early age and take their gymnastics seriously. No wonder they win a lot of gold medals.

BronzeMajik:
if there's one factor diminishing critical thinking especially in Africa it's religion

Before religion came, what was our critical thinking culture like? You think the art consulting oracles on what to feed chicken to make them lay eggs more often is critical thinking?
The white men who demystified the role of protein and other nutrients in chicken reproduction are largely Christians or religious people. Michael Faraday for example was not Malik Fasanmi or Mumini Falola.

Martinez39:
Between 1917 to 1991, the Soviet Union took chess seriously and it was their own way of showing that their system works. They would politic chess, spend money on their players and punish them if they lost. Guess what? the Russians dominated chess during that period and were the best in the world. They produced many world champions and chess giants like Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik, the magical Mikhail Tal, the impenetrable Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov etc. They dominated chess except for a three year period (1972-1975) where the great Bobby Fischer was king and the USSR treated their chess superstars as national heroes and were given celebrity status. I guess you are right when you wrote that if a society places so much value on an intellectual endeavour, they are usually good at it. Asian parents place so much emphasis on academic excellence in the field of maths, physics, engineering and medicine. Little wonder they are out performing others. The Chinese go through a lot in training their gymnasts right from an early age and take their gymnastics seriously. No wonder they win a lot of gold medals.

Well, while I agree with you to a large extent, I like to think of what you are communicating as the role of perspiration or hardwork.
There is also a place for talent/talent discovery and inspiration.

Wadewaltz:
Stupid thread,O.P go drink sniper

Lack of critical thinking is worrying you.

CodeTemplar:
Well, while I agree with you to a large extent, I like to think of what you are communicating as the role of perspiration or hardwork.
There is also a place for talent/talent discovery and inspiration.

True sha. Most talented players come from South America and Jews tend to have a large IQ. In fact all the chess giants, including Bobby Fischer, were Jewish.

CodeTemplar:
Before religion came, what was our critical thinking culture like? You think the art consulting oracles on what to feed chicken to make them lay eggs more often is critical thinking?
The white men who demystified the role of protein and other nutrients in chicken reproduction are largely Christians or religious people. Michael Faraday for example was not Malik Fasanmi or Mumini Falola.

Very ignorant comment.

It took critical thinking to build Benin City, a city that had streetlights 300 years before London, and was compared at its 15th century peak to Amsterdam and Lisbon.

A city that had multi-storey buildings, underground drainage, and was surrounded by a rampart and wall that is rated the second largest human construction on earth after the Great Wall of China.

That took critical thinking.

It took critical thinking to create the world famous Ife Bronzes, the Benin Bronzes, and the Igbo-Ukwu Bronzes, all considered by experts worldwide to be at the very top echelon of human artistic accomplishments.

I could go on..

I really hope the govt will reintroduce the study of AFRICAN HISTORY to our schools so we stop seeing embarrassing posts like yours on NL.

Rossikki:


Very ignorant comment.

It took critical thinking to build Benin City, a city that had streetlights 300 years before London, and was compared at its 15th century peak to Amsterdam and Lisbon.

A city that had multi-storey buildings, underground drainage, and was surrounded by a rampart and wall that is rated the second largest human construction on earth after the Great Wall of China.

That took critical thinking.

It took critical thinking to create the world famous Ife Bronzes, the Benin Bronzes, and the Igbo-Ukwu Bronzes, all considered by experts worldwide to be at the very top echelon of human artistic accomplishments.

I could go on..

I really hope the govt will reintroduce the study of AFRICAN HISTORY to our schools so we stop seeing embarrassing posts like yours on NL.

And why is this critical thinking not maintaining it?

Critical thinking to me is invention of electricity, light bulbs, trains, roads, surgery, and the likes and not some pepper soup ingredients god.

CodeTemplar:
Lack of critical thinking is worrying me.

FIXED

CodeTemplar:
And why is this critical thinking not maintaining it?

Critical thinking to me is invention of electricity, light bulbs, trains, roads, surgery, and the likes and not some pepper soup ingredients god.

You're like a baby who washes only his belly when asked to bathe. Can't see beyond your immediate experience.

Critical thinking is not limited to the creation only of modern technology.

Before the industrial revolution of the 18th century, there was critical thinking. Sophisticated political, economic, and social systems were developed. Trade systems and protocols were developed. International shipping was developed. Well planned cities with glorious architecture, including pyramids, tunnels, and monuments, were developed. Magnificent works of art were developed. All of that required CRITICAL THINKING. It required the knowledge and use of mathematics, geometry, astronomy, geography, law, philosophy, engineering, architecture, and other disciplines to create the civilizations of the ancient world, many of which existed right here in Africa.

Without all that Critical Thinking - wrought development, there could be no modern world, and there would have been no industrial revolution.

Humans have lived on earth for a minimum of 50,000 years, and you are trying to say that it was only in the last 200 years of ''western'' civilization that critical thinking started, with the ''white man''?

Do you realise there is evidence of high technology existing thousands of years ago? When the ''white man'' was still in his caves? Have you heard of the Baghdad battery? A WORKING battery that was dated to 2000 years ago? There is pretty convincing evidence that the ancient Egyptians - ancient blacks - used electricity. And no one till today can explain how on earth they built those mighty pyramids.

Even suggestions of ancient flight persist. Heard of the Vimanas described in ancient Hindu texts dating thousands of years? These are flying craft described with stunning accuracy, and meeting today's standards and specifications for aerodynamics.

So shed your colonial complex and embrace the fact that 'critical thinking' is as old as humanity itself, and is not limited to ''white people''.

BronzeMajik:
if there's one factor diminishing critical thinking especially in Africa it's religion

Not really. It’s easier for a well fed man to think about inventions that would help his community and perhaps the world at large. Now that is the problem with the black race. 80% of black people are hungry, hence they only think about themselves. Hunger is the enemy, not religion. Haven't you notice hungry people take religion more serious? Think.

Rossikki:


You're like a baby who washes only his belly when asked to bathe. Can't see beyond your immediate experience.

Critical thinking is not limited to the creation only of modern technology.

Before the industrial revolution of the 18th century, there was critical thinking. Sophisticated political, economic, and social systems were developed. Trade systems and protocols were developed. International shipping was developed. Well planned cities with glorious architecture, including pyramids, tunnels, and monuments, were developed. Magnificent works of art were developed. All of that required CRITICAL THINKING. It required the knowledge and use of mathematics, geometry, astronomy, geography, law, philosophy, engineering, architecture, and other disciplines to create the civilizations of the ancient world, many of which existed right here in Africa.

Without all that Critical Thinking - wrought development, there could be no modern world, and there would have been no industrial revolution.

Humans have lived on earth for a minimum of 50,000 years, and you are trying to say that it was only in the last 200 years of ''western'' civilization that critical thinking started, with the ''white man''?

Do you realise there is evidence of high technology existing thousands of years ago? When the ''white man'' was still in his caves? Have you heard of the Baghdad battery? A WORKING battery that was dated to 2000 years ago? There is pretty convincing evidence that the ancient Egyptians - ancient blacks - used electricity. And no one till today can explain how on earth they built those mighty pyramids.

Even suggestions of ancient flight persist. Heard of the Vimanas described in ancient Hindu texts dating thousands of years? These are flying craft described with stunning accuracy, and meeting today's standards and specifications for aerodynamics.

So shed your colonial complex and embrace the fact that 'critical thinking' is as old as humanity itself, and is not limited to ''white people''.

So what has stopped us from using this critical thinking to forge ahead since the 15th century?

You like to associate the present failures we see to some phantom past civilization that can't stand test of time. Why are we still using manual farm tools largely when hunger is killing people? Why can't we maintain roads, industrialize? or you think importing milk from new Zealand and Holland to seal in sachets in Lagos and Ogun is industrialization?

It would seem so, seeing as all black-dominated countries are shitty. Even those outside of Africa.

But all humans will eventually trace their origin back to a Africa.

The only significant difference between "white" and "black" is the degree of melanin in the skin. As such, there is only one race. The human race.

Whites aren't more intelligent, neither are blacks less intelligent.

The evolution of people with less melanin in their skin is as a result of adaptability.

There was a time when all humans were dark-skinned.

There was a time when the ancient Romans were regarded as the light of civilization and the people we know now as English were considered barbarians.

If only the tribes in Africa had been allowed to evolve their own civilization without interference...

Then maybe instead of the ingestion of chemicals, treating symptoms instead of the disease itself, we in Africa would have evolved a better plant based, human-friendly alternative medicine just like the Chinese have acupuncture.

If only there wasn't colonization...

Then maybe we would have our students studying metaphysics instead of physics.

Maybe we would have evolved spiritually, using thought transference and telepathy instead of mobile phones that radiate harmful substances.

Maybe we would have learnt the art of materialising and dematerializing in an instance instead of suffering road accidents and air mishaps.

Maybe we would have hammered into our skulls the ideals of human brotherliness and the real reason why we are on earth instead of the crass materialism and the "pepper dem" mentality we currently suffer from as evident on social media.

It is obvious the human race is failing and you can link this to the increase in technology.

Man has an idea of artificial intelligence, what does he do? He makes sex dolls.

Man has an idea of atoms and nano particles and what does he do? He makes atomic bombs and nerve gas.

Africans follow along because we are attracted by the next shiny thing to come from the west.


New phones, new cars, new movies, new designer labels, objectification of women, materialism etc all to distract us from our real purpose on earth and the fact that we are gods as we rush to make more money to but more stuffs that give momentary pleasure before we are distracted again with a new "improved" version of the current toy we have.


In the blink of an eye, we are either dead, or we are 70 years old and too tired to figure out what this life is all about anyway.


No, the whites' technology hasn't made man better, just distracted.

Our biggest problem is inferiority complex.

You could render most races on the face of the earth useless if you could convince them they are inferior.

If I were the president of this country I will censor (with backing from the law) a lot of contents from most of the foreign news and social media. They are our major source of low self-esteem.
Tribalism, hate speech and racism will be severely dealt with. There is absolutely no reason why this vices should be allowed to exist.
I will develop a unifying language as our country's official language instead of English or Arabic.

Our local companies will be given priority. I apply the stick & carrot approach on the companies—They will be guaranteed strong patronage. whereas those that make substandard products will be sanctioned.

I will make sure every product that exists abroad is produced by local companies. Examples, Vehicle - vehicle manufacturers, Satellites - space companies , Robots - robotic companies, The salaries & welfare payment of our citizens will be deliberately & drastically increased to enable them patronize the local products and live a quality life.
I will encourage our local investors to develop our own Facebook , YouTube, whatapp, Twitter.
As a president, I will have my main account on these social media and interact more with the citizens from there.

All human traits are genetically defined or predefined. Environment determines expressibility of all human traits.

capitalzero:
All human traits are genetically defined or predefined. Environment determines expressibility of all human traits.

.

DeSepiero:

You're actually a compound fool.

compound is a nice way, he is a universal fool