Formal Essay #1: Education and Self-Examination

Originally Written: 15 September 2008
“The world is in need of annoying, troublesome, Socratic-like thinkers who will keep us from intellectual and spiritual slumbers brought on by lethargy, hyperstimulation, self-satisfaction, or simple discouragement over the magnitude and complexity of the challenges that have been set before us” (Morowitz 7). This quote, from a paper by Professor Harold J. Morowitz of George Mason University, serves to summarize the reasons why the University of the Pacific believes that critical thinking is the most important purpose of undergraduate education. UOP wants to send its students out into the world not only prepared with the skills necessary for their vocation, but also with a set of skills needed in order to be productive, acutely aware members of society, not just passive global citizens. UOP hopes that its students will challenge ideas in an intellectual way, not just accepting any one thing for truth, but also proving to one's self why it is the truth. As shown through several pieces of writing throughout Chapter One of the Pacific Seminar One What is a Good Society? text, and the articles Purposes and Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion by Derek Bok and John Stuart Mill in particular, UOP values critical thinking above all else in regard to undergraduate education.
Derek Bok stresses eight principle purposes of undergraduate education in his writing, including critical thinking skills. In his work, Purposes, Bok, a former President of Harvard University, states that “a student should always be free to question principles of behavior both in and out of class, no matter how correct they may seem” (Bok 12). In other words, a university should seek to cajole its students, through argument and intellectual demonstrations, as to why policies or widely held beliefs are right. Students should not simply accept them because they’re rules, but understand why, and agree or disagree with them. They should challenge whatever it is that is being presented, and prove to themselves what is right, and what is wrong (Bok 13). If the University of the Pacific didn’t believe this, why would its faculty select a reading such as this for its students to read? It begs students to question, and incites an individual to inquire. “An ability to recognize and define problems clearly”, to identify biases and relevant information pertaining to all sides, to “perceive as many plausible solutions as possible, and to exercise good judgment in choosing the best of these alternatives after considering the evidence” is vital in Bok’s opinion, as well as in the opinion of UOP (Bok 15). Furthermore, Bok continues by saying that students should also have a basic knowledge of statistics, probability, and math, as well as an idea of their common applications, to aid them in sifting through problems and situations that require these abilities (Bok 15). It should also be mentioned, however, that the ability to think critically also aids in the realization of the other purposes of higher education as identified by Bok, namely Moral Reasoning, Preparing Citizens, Living in A More Global Society, and Preparing for Work. Bok himself even states that “these aims…interact and overlap in many important ways” (Bok 22). Perhaps this is why the University of the Pacific holds the ability to think critically in such high esteem when it comes to the students who pass through its institution. However, another writer also shares this emphasis on the ability to think critically.
In addition to Bok, John Stuart Mill also makes an effective argument for the importance of critical thinking. In Mill’s Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion, he argues that “Judgment is given to men that they may use it” (Mill 27). He says that no opinion should be silenced. Instead, everyone should share their opinions so that the rest of society can benefit from them, or at least the conversation that leads to their dismissal. He conveys the fact that when people are silenced into not sharing their opinion, society is “deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error” (Mill 26). This more clearly defined realization of the truth comes about when members of society think critically in order to arrive at a logical answer or stance. This is why it is imperative that universities make their students’ ability to think critically one of their top priorities, and is perhaps the reason that UOP has done so. In addition, Mill plainly asserts that constantly adjusting your own opinions and points of view by comparing them to those of others is a good habit to get into. Not only does it reevaluate and possibly reassert your own beliefs, it challenges others and forces both parties to think critically, looking for gaps in logic.
In conclusion, the ability to think critically is valued above all else when it comes to the undergraduate education provided by the University of the Pacific. UOP, among many other academic institutions, believes that this proficiency is absolutely essential in developing people who will become more than just the average, everyday resident. UOP wants to cultivate members of society who will be adept at making decisions and profoundly cognizant of what is going on in the world around them. These people will be more productive and will create a positive effect on society as a whole.





Works Cited
Becker, Jeffrey, ed. Pacific Seminar 1 What is a Good Society?. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2008.
Bok, Derek. “Purposes.” Becker 8-24.
Mill, John Stuart. “Of Thought and Discussion.” Becker 25-38.
Morowitz, Harold J. “Prison of Socrates.” Becker 5-7.