How Do We Teach Children To Develop Their Own Opinions?

[The Pink Panther]

This has always been a common dilemma both nowadays and even back then. Kids will often learn how to develop opinions by basically parroting their parent's opinions. They commonly think that their parents are always right and apply their approach to life to their life, but in some cases (it depends), it can't always be that way, but then again that's just an opinion of mine. Sometimes when a parent projects their ideologies on their child, it could be some sort of propaganda indoctrination type stuff too, so I have a question I'd like to propose.

So how do we teach a child to think for themselves? Is there an ideal way we should condition children to think, that being our own? Would you be okay with your child adopting different opinions on what historical/political/religious events, stories, or ideas mean to them? We could also ask when the proper time it would be to teach a child to think too and if we SHOULD teach a child to develop their own thoughts and opinions on things, if you'd like, but I don't want to get anymore autistic than that.

 

[AverageAnimeWatcher]

Well, generally speaking, that's what puberty rebelliousness is for. Which is the time you think your parents are always wrong and stupid. And it's completely normal.

Your average kid, as in a preteen kid, won't have deep opinions about religion, or the meaning of life. It's not that kids are being "indoctrinated", is that they truly don't care that much so they just copy their parents. Probably the most "complex" opinion you will get from them is if the latest episode of ben 10 was "cool" or "lame", and that pizza is totally better than broccoli.

If you don't get in the way, everyone eventually gets to form their own opinions. No need to "teach it".

 

[wylfım]

Home school, return to the classics, and abolish government mandates on education.
Don't want to sound too conspiratorial (it's all true though, read this) but the public schools in the US were founded on the Prussian model, designed for instilling obedience and subservience into the proles, and there was even a very high-up in education (in the US government) who said so publicly.
William Torey Harris (United States Commissioner of Education In office September 12, 1889 – June 30, 1906):
""Ninety-nine [students] out of a hundred are automata, careful to walk in prescribed paths, careful to follow the prescribed custom. This is not an accident but the result of substantial education, which, scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual.""

 

[The Pink Panther]

Home school, return to the classics, and abolish government mandates on education.
Don't want to sound too conspiratorial (it's all true though) but the public schools in the US were founded on the Prussian model, designed for instilling obedience and subservience into the proles, and there was even a very high-up in education (in the US government) who said so publicly. (will edit with name).

A fellow reader of John Taylor Gatto, hmmmm?

 

[Recoil]

I think that a fair amount of our morality is derived from our sense of beauty, and to that end I would make sure the child experiences lots of good art & music and then articulates to you why he likes or dislikes it.

 

[Y2K Baby]

You don't.

 

[wylfım]

A fellow reader of John Taylor Gatto, hmmmm?

I've never heard of him actually, lol thanks for telling me, I'll add him to my reading list. You pick stuff up on the dark depths of the internet— a lot of """ludicrous""" conspiracy theories have a scary amount of truth to them. And once you realize the power of narratives to control thought, it naturally leads you to wonder how the modern narratives are used to influence the common people.

 

[The Pink Panther]

You don't.

YOU DON'T SAY

 

[Samoyed]

You don't.

How to critical think:
1) think
2) ???

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

Kids will develop opinions on their own, just fine.

The trick is how you respond to their opinions, no matter how misguided or absurd; and perhaps far more importantly, when it's appropriate to express them.

They're also looking for validation by even expressing an opinion, but they're also not seeking reeducation.

 

[InvertedDickEnthusiast]

By making them watch John Oliver and quizzing them after on why that's what's acceptable to believe.

But seriously I think you'd do better making them read a lot from a young age, I think it does a lot to develop curiosity.

 

[wylfım]

By making them watch John Oliver and quizzing them after on why that's what's acceptable to believe.

But seriously I think you'd do better making them read a lot from a young age, I think it does a lot to develop curiosity.

It was the saddest thing to try having discussions with people at my school and realize they had absolutely no sense of historical perspective. All of their political and moral views were axiomatic mores they absorbed from the popular culture, they didn't even realize that people could (and did) think differently in the past.
So yeah, mandatory reading of works from every period, and without putting a "modernist" lens on it.

 

[The Pink Panther]

It was the saddest thing to try having discussions with people at my school and realize they had absolutely no sense of historical perspective. All of their political and moral views were axiomatic mores they absorbed from the popular culture, they didn't even realize that people could (and did) think differently in the past.
So yeah, mandatory reading of works from every period, and without putting a "modernist" lens on it.

This is the problem with most internet atheists with how they perceive the bible.

They don't consider that the moral quota was different back then from now.

 

[wylfım]

This is the problem with most internet atheists with how they perceive the bible.

They don't consider that the moral quota was different back then from now.

Reading Greek plays in 12th grade; having discussions on how they're sexist.
No more needs to be said.

(to be fair the class was actually very neutral compared to what I presume colleges are like today, but the implicit bias creeps in everywhere)

 

[The Pink Panther]

Reading Greek plays in 12th grade; having discussions on how they're sexist.
No more needs to be said.

(to be fair the class was actually very neutral compared to what I presume colleges are like today, but the implicit bias creeps in everywhere)

Just like me in 9th grade talking about how Juliet dominates her relationship with Romeo and how she's a strong female figure for dominating over her man.....

Spoiler: Slight Powerlevel Punchline

at an all-boys catholic school.

 

[Red Hood]

I feel like big brain parenting would be to try to instill values the opposite of what you really believe so when they inevitably rebel it will all be to the benefit of your agenda.

 

[Marco Fucko]

You know that pregnancy thing where women make their fetuses listen to Mozart?
Sneak up on her when she's asleep and replace Mozart with punk music.

 

[The Pink Panther]

I feel like big brain parenting would be to try to instill values the opposite of what you really believe so when they inevitably rebel it will all be to the benefit of your agenda.

Long-game niggas.

 

[Maltninja]

YOU DON'T SAY

They're not wrong, though. As long as they feel able to speak, and get a reasonable reply, they'll be fine. Frankly, this is one of the easier aspects of parenting.

 

[Terrorist]

r/atheism all day every day