Reason: Confidence In or Fear Of?

Reason: Confidence In or Fear Of?

Eureka, I now understand!

This morning I happened to turn on the TV at exactly 6 AM and my TV was tuned to Public Television and a program labeled Critical Thinking had just begun. The thirty minute program consisted of short answers by about a dozen individuals to the question "What is critical thinking"? The individuals questioned varied from judges, school teachers, lawyers, college professors, writers, etc.; all of whom one might expect to be knowledgeable about the subject of critical thinking.

One interviewee said that to convince anyone to change their mind about anything I must first comprehend their fear of changing their mind. I thought about this for a few minutes and like a cartoon character, a light bulb appeared above my head. Here was the answer to the question I have been pondering for decades

Perhaps the most important thing we must comprehend about human nature is that humans fear a loss of self determination; humans fear that reason will inhibit their self-determination.My understanding convinces me that most people fear the effects of reason. Many people fear reason just as a Catholic child fears conscience. Many people fear that reason will deprive them of self determination and certainty. Such a fear can be assuaged only by developing a confidence in reason.

Do you agree with my understanding or do you fear that I have lost my reason?