But if thought is to become the possession of many, not the privilege of the few, we must have done with fear. It is fear that holds men back — fear lest their cherished beliefs should prove delusions, fear lest the institutions by which they live should prove harmful, fear lest they themselves should prove less worthy of respect than they have supposed themselves to be.
~ Bertrand Russell (Principles of Social Reconstruction)
What does this quote by noted philosopher, mathematician, and philanthropist Bertrand Russell mean to you? Do you agree or disagree with Russell? In this response, answer those two questions, and discussion why it is important to do away with fear in Critical Thinking.
Don't forget to respond to at least one of your peers.
71 comments:
From my understanding, philosopher Russell states that most people are afraid of being different. Being different makes they feel outcast from the society. Therefore, they like to be normal and tend to follow the mainstream. That prevents them from thinking in different perspectives. I basically agree with him. This fear affects people in two ways. On one hand, people are afraid of expressing their different thoughts. On the other hand, they don’t like to accept others’ new ideas. Whereas, it is the new and different ideas makes human society develop. That is why Russell said “it is fear that holds men back.”
If we say critical thinking is to observe the problem comprehensively and then make our own judgment, we have to be open mind. The fear that Russell introduced to us makes people follow the others without thinking. In other word, their minds are closed. Obviously, it is the opposite of critical thinking. Therefore, it is “important to do away with fear in Critical Thinking.”
From Philosopher Bertrand Russell, Fear play a major role in people's downfalls not succeed I mean with fear people are not able to speak out their mind and give their own opinions, they are afraid of how people will think about them or will take them. I do agree with him because it's fear that holds people back.
In order to be succesful we should do away with fear especially in critical thinking because everyone see things on a different perspective.We are also supposed to put ourselves in somebody's else shoe, argue and think critically on a two pespective view and we can not do all these with fear.
According to the quote from Bertrand Russell, people fear to be wrong and to be separated from other people. They are afraid of living lonely in society. Since things often have two different sides, some people agree one and the other have counter opinions. The side which less people agree with may cause people fear. For example, in the test, most people said "yes" to one question and you were the only said "no". You may feel fear to argue with them why you chose "no".
We should do away with fear in critical thinking because fear leads us stop thinking. If we don't think deeply, we will never improve ourselves. If we stop thinking, our lives seems to be less worthy.
The quote by Bertrand Russell means that fear holds people back from doing the things that they want to do in life. As a whole i believe that fear is our deepest fear. Being scared to do what you want makes you believe an outcome that you cannot argue on. in different words you are being persuaded to believe in what you dont due to fear.
As a result i do agree with him. i agree with Russell because fear is what holds me back at times and i believe different outcomes. Being fearless leads to being successful and taking a chance/risk helps you in the end.
Hello Fan Wu,
Your response is very well written. I enjoyed reading it. In it you state: "If we say critical thinking is to observe the problem comprehensively and then make our own judgment, we have to be open mind. The fear that Russell introduced to us makes people follow the others without thinking. In other word, their minds are closed."
If a person follows someone else without thinking how is his or her mind closed? Can you provide an example here?
Ms. Wanzo
Hello Jane,
Your response is very sound reasoning. Like Fan Wu, you believe that people must do with away with fear in order to succeed. How would you recommend a person do that? What steps would you advise them to take?
Hello Devonte,
Thank you for your well written, personal response. I don't think you are the only person who ever suffers from fear. What matters is that you overcome it, wouldn't you agree? Or maybe just press on in spite of it?
I believe the quote from Bertrand Russell "What is there to Fear?" is stating that fear is the barrier to success, happiness, and exploration. My favorite line in the quote is "it is fear that holds men back-fear lest their cherish beliefs should prove delusions". Here I think he's saying that without believing in yourself and giving over to fear will leave you in a world conjured up in your mind, leaving little room for true happiness and prosperity.
If we are afraid to move forward or take risk because of fear of failure we'll end up with only regrets. One thing that I didn't hear in this quote is that fear will not exist. Feeling fear is one thing, giving over to it and allowing it to control our actions is what will hold us back.
Fear is real, I believe that in certain situations it is a normal human response. However, I believe that it can be controlled and managed so that it is not our guide in life. I'm not a religious person but I believe in God and He is my foundation that I can refer to when I'm feeling fearful. I think we have to have a solid belief system, that may be different for everyone but I believe it's important. I also think that if fear is a major component in your life you should research and try to understand why. I don't think we are born fearful, I believe it's taught. If you know why your fearful it may be a little easier to overcome.
Russell's quote made me think of something I heard Joyce Meyers say "F.E.A.R is False.Evidence.Appearing.Real". So, do I agree with him? Yes I do, 100%.
What I believe Russel is trying to say with this quote is that the main thing thats holding people back from accomplishing their goals is fear. I agree with this, theres been many times in my life where i have been fearfull of the results so i didnt risk anything and in turn did not accomplish anything. The fear of failing keeps people from taking risks.
This outlook is important for critical thinking because if you overcome your fear you can think deeper. Also by ignoring or getting rid of fear you give yourself more confidence that you can succeed. Basically if you overcome your fear you are setting yourself up for success.
I am not sure if I am right or not, but I think that what Betrand Russel is trying to say is that in order for everyone's voices to be heard, everyone has to get over their fear of expressing themselves. I guess what he is also saying is that people are afraid to take a side because of criticism from the outside world. I agree with Russel because if nobody wanted to share their thoughts, then nobody would know what anyone else was thinking and the world would be dead, boring, and uncreative. I think it is important to take fear away when doing critical thinking because critical thinking requires breaking past that fear and presenting your voice or your side, which makes your thoughts subjective to everyone else's opinions.
Every argument made has two sides, but not every side will have followers. At times we allow our family, friends and even ourselves to stand behind one point of view, because we fear the outcome of not doing so. The fact however is that we shouldn’t be afraid to think differently from one another we’ve all had different upbringings and obstacles that pave the way we think. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by the thoughts of others then there isn’t any use in having the ability to think.
According to the quote by Bertrand Russell, people are less likely to be success under fear. I agree with Russell’s point of view. Fear is the main blockage to hold people back from opportunities. Everyone has different level of fears in his mind, for instance, fear to encounter failure on academic, career, love or families, and so on. Everyone should not be afraid to express their thoughts and ideas due to one’s different standpoints. If we never try to accomplish our goals and just escape from difficulties because of fear, we might never know about the consequences. Perhaps the result is as expectation; therefore, we would lose a significant chance in life.
Fear is a normal response to human being. If we have fear in mind, it will limit our range of critical thinking and we would not keep moving forward. As a result, we would not have obvious improvement in exploring more new ideas and thoughts.
Base on the quote from philosopher Russell, many people have fear while they are living in the society. Russell also mentions that fear holds people back, and it means fear can block the way for people to succeed. I totally agree with him because fear is really can disturb people's thinking so that they ended up with a bad result. For example, a person who wants to look for a high pay job has many kinds of skills, so it's not hard to get a suitable job with his skills. However, he fears that he couldn't handle the stress and adapt his life that is full of tension after he get into the high pay job even though he has enough qualification on that job. Finally, he got a low pay job instead. Obviously, his fear caused him stop going forward to his goal, and that means his fear holds him back.
Since the meaning of critical thinking I learn from my class is the ability to explore an issue from multiple perspectives in an objective way, it's important to do away with fear. If people have fear in their thought, they might not know how to do and they might not think an issue objective in several perspectives. Same as the idea that fear can block the way for people to succeed, fear also can disturb people's thinking and writing in critical thinking.
Hello Yilin Deng,
I do agree with your opinion about fear because fear is really can lead us stop thinking. In critical thinking, if we have fear in our thoughts, we couldn't think those different perspectives of an issue objective. Same as my opinion, fear can stop people going forward to reach their goals and express their own opinions.
From my own opinion, philosopher Russel states that fear have always been a common psychological problem that exists among people. People worry about that fear would prevent them moving forward in their life, and fear that something would change their original thoughts when they undergoing their ways to future. therefore, I basically agree with his thoughts about fear and I also think this quote expresses the ideas why fear holds men back .
If we can overcome the fear in critical writing, we can think and write deeply because we always fear to think and write and always not be confidence about our ability.
in order to make us success in critical thinking because fear always restrict our thoughts, therefore, we should throw away our fear and be active to create new thoughts.
From Bertrand Russell’s quote, it is clear that fear is a type of weakness, is the path to the dark side. People are afraid to move out of their comfort zones because they are scared to face new challenges. Fear kills people’s minds and causes them to do irrational things. Therefore, I completely agree with Russell. Some people are too shy to speak out their opinions or share their ideas in society since they are afraid of being rejected or being thought as an abnormal. It means that fear makes people less to communicate openly. Consequently; it affects the development of our thinking and creation in negative. Unfortunately, that is the opposition of critical thinking. In order to improve critical thinking, we have to face our fear.
The assumption that Bertrand Russel establishes on the perception of thought - "the possession of many, not the privilege of the few" - introduces the topic on how the distribution of thoughts influences people to think differently. The mutual impacts between the mainstream and the minorities are what Russel is primary discussing. My comprehension on Russel's statement is that individuals from the minorities are more willing to be socially acknowledged, rather than being judged as against the majority. The subject of "fear" then may be exposed to its central meaning: while the mainstream is apparently convinced of their own thoughts, individuals who are aware of that will become afraid to be proved wrong, unless they are extremely confident with their beliefs. I overall consent of his indication on "fear". I believe in order for minorities or small groups of individuals to propel brand new thoughts, they must simultaneously suffer huge amount of doubts from major society. These doubts will gradually result people with fear of free thinking and expressing, by causing them feel unsupported and unconfident. This is where Russel refers as the "fear that holds men back."
Objective individual thoughts are very significant in critical thinking. The process of being critical is to accept and respect all possibilities, and then filter them into a central piece throughout plenty of ruminations and logical considerations. The "fear" as what Russel describes will induce minorities to blindly recognize the mainstream without expressing their own thoughts. In other words, individuals who are influenced by fear will be restricted in proposing new ideas, against the ones that have already been widely-accepted by the public. Therefore, fear should be completely avoided in order to create strong persuasions from thinking critically.
I agree with your belief about that individuals are indeed afraid to be considered different. The consciousness of belonging to the majority causes minorities' fear of expressing brand new ideas. As the result, if people are experiencing such fear, then they may limit their thinking, or as what you described - closed mind. Therefore, the precondition for being critical is to ignore our fear of thinking, while equally respecting all parties of thoughts as well.
From my point of view I think that Bertrand Russell is saying that fear is the obstacle that is holding us back from being who we really want to be. It is fear that is preventing us from showing our true identity to the world. Everyone is a unique character and has their own perspectives and views on what should be right or wrong, but they are afraid to speak their minds because of what others may think. It is fear that people are afraid to be different, to think outside the box and to disagree with others. However, it is important for us not to be afraid to be different or feel ashamed to believe in what we see because everyone was born different and one thing that differentiates us from each other is our state of mind and thoughts. With critical thinking, we have to learn to look at things objectively and to speak our minds as we see it because there is no right or wrong answer to thinking. I would have to agree with Russell that fear is what holds us back. At times, I feel that I don't express what I feel or think because I am afraid of what other people will think.
To Yilin Deng:
I agree with you that people are afraid to be different because they do not want to feel like they don't belong to a specific group. Like you said, there are things that requires you to choose a side such as a yes or no question. With this kind of situation, people are forced to choose a side and most people will not go with their true feelings because they are afraid that others will look at them differently. However, as you stated we have to overcome that fear and stand behind our true feelings so we can improve ourselves.
I agree with your opinion that fear causes less confidence and prevent us thinking critically. We cannot let fear restrict our thinking. If we open our mind in observing things and apply what we get from observing, possibly we will be a good critical writer without fear.
When fear is allowed to control our thoughts, actions, and words; it has a immobilizing affect on our daily lives. This immobilizing affect can cause us to become less civilized.
I contend that Russell is partially correct. As with any “good thing,” too much fear is harmful. If you don’t believe it, try walking in the middle of oncoming traffic. Believing in oneself is okay as long as one does not believe he or she is Martha Washington.
Critical thinking, when fully developed is an act of defiance against blind obedience and other unhealthful “comfort zones.” It is a form of delayed gratification in which a measure of discomforting fear of the unknown must be tolerated in order to achieve new levels of awareness
Racquel to Chanda:
I agree with your that fear is real. I think we can also agree that fear can and should be managed.
I agree with her opinions because we fear to be separated from the society. therefore, in making decisions, we always agree with the majority group and the fear cause us not want to speak up against them.
If we do without fear in critical thinking, the more we practice, the more better writing skills we will get.
Yes, I do agree with your opinion that fear is the obstacle of our success and holds us behind.People are afraid to speak out their minds.
As Ms Wanzo asked me how could I recommend people to do away with fear,because we are sailing in the same boat I would like to make our points strong by advising people to gain courage in whatever they believe and stick to their words,irespective of what other people have to say.
The first step is to set up one's goals stick with them and never follow current(never follow what other people do).Then one should look ahead and prepare for all the challeges.Face and tackle them with confidence.Endurance makes one's dream comes true.
There is something in there about America. We are free to pursue education, through discourse in it we acquire thought. Pretty much anyone can get education in America, for instance I am getting aid in order to go to school. Education used to be just for the rich. Average little kids were not sent to school they were out in the fields working or standing all day in factories. I think the world is becoming increasingly educated. Many of us have done with fear. I am not afraid of you if you are something different from me. But still there are others who live in fear and think of people who are different from them are weirdos. That inky screen of weirdness they throw up in front of what they don't understand is their weakness which prevents them from seeing reality and is their delusion. Change is difficult at best, so as the population of the planet becomes more educated there will always be someone who cannot accept reality. Someone or a whole group of someone's out there feeling puffed up with self righteousness at what they perceive to be your wrongness.
I agree with Russell. His words humble me and make me thankful for my ability to think. I have so many teachers to thank and not all of them from just school. In the movie Dune they say "Fear is the mind-killer." I am trying to think, what have my fears been? Fortunately, not much has ever really got to me. But when I was in my early twenties my younger sister came out as being gay. My mom was so freaked out by this and she told us we were all supposed to shun my sister. This was to change her back into a normal person. Crazy stuff, what people fear. Denise was different and that scared my mom. My mom she missed a huge portion of my sisters life. Maybe if my mom had thought about being gay, done some research on it; went outside the church for advice, things would have been different for my sister. Being on the receiving end of the whole shunning thing has got to be tough.
I think that thinking about things critically can take away the fear. Learning about things that you don't understand will lead you to live a richer life full of perspective.
Seems to me that message Bertrand Russell trying to convey is fear is the biggest drawback in our life. Fear confines us and makes us feel unworthy. I neither agree nor disagree with this statement. Fear is in our nature. Therefore, even though we consciously claim that fear holds us back, we can't help but to have fear. In terms of critical thinking, abandoning your fear will help you to break free of preconception and take on different perspectives.
I found Russell's quote a challenge to interpret, but here's my take on it. Russell's quote discusses how fear plays a major role on human thought and behavior. Because of this fear, one is held back in life whether it's through thought or action. In this aspect I agree with Russell. I think too much fear can hinder life. Although, I think a little fear can be a good thing in that it helps individuals make better choices.
It is important to do away with fear in Critical Thinking because with fear the thought process is ineffective. Fear can hold you back and dialogue would not progress. Without fear, one is open to listening to both sides of an argument creating dialogue and making connections, which can be beneficial for critical thinkers. Letting go of that fear will also give you the power to go against your comfort zone and delve into the issues that are scary.
To Pink,
Yes I agree, more and more people are getting an education, but how many people are actually being taught? As Ms. Wanzo stated in the Welcome blog, she didn't really learn to write until Grad school. How many people really learn to think critically? Is it fear that's holding them back?
Solongo to Daniel Melek:
I do think that fear is one of the biggest drawbacks in our life and overcoming your fear will help you to move forward. However, it's not wrong to embrace our fear and try comprehend the cause of the fear from time to time. It'll help you to connect with your inner self and discover the other side of yourself.
Regarding Bertrand Russell's quote, I find that it means a lot to me. Bertrand is calling fear unnecessary, but at the same time, is calling it a worthy means of weeding out those that are "proven less worthy of respect...". In the way, fear is both a useful and harmful medium to use.
I agree with Russell. Once people in a society stop fearing those who hold themselves higher than everyone else, we have a dilemma.
Those people can no longer use this tool to control everyone else.
Regarding fear in critical thinking, the "buck would stop there" as President Obama likes to say. Once we started to fear the idea of opening our minds and thinking beyond horizons, there and then would be the end of critical thinking.
No longer would we question anything or anyone.
From my understanding of the quote, I think Bertrand Russell states that fear is what ultimately holds us back and prevents us from truly showing our knowledge. I think that people fear they may have the wrong answer or they may feel that their opinions aren't the best. I agree with Russell because we should get rid of fear and just express our thoughts, no matter what others think. If everyone agreed with each other, there would be no opinions and everyone would think alike. It is best to get rid of fear in critical thinking because you want to look at every side and agree with whatever side you believe in, not just one side where everyone else sides on. It's important to express your own voice and beliefs and not following others all the time.
Hi Ke,
I agree with you. Fear does restrict and block our thoughts. And I have an unforgettable own experience about fear. While I was taking an exam in a short time, I was worry about the time if enough. Finally, I could not make up the exam since fear restricted my thought. I could not figure out problems on time because the fear restricted my thought at that time.
What I believe philosopher Bertrand Russell states in "What is there to Fear?" is that critical thinking is not only for a small group of talents; in fact, it is for most of us---the majority---everybody has the ability of critical thinking.
Because of fear, people feel scary to express themselves even though they disagree with others' speech or opinions; because of fear, they are afraid to be the center of attention among their relatives, in their neighborhood, even in their communities. Basically, people who stop by fear usually are worry about change. They would rather keep themselves constant in any situation. The less brainstorm they have to deal with, the better they feel. They get used to be common in the environment they live; at the same time, they don't like anyone to break down this stabilization where they feel comfortable. Nevertheless, the world is keeping changing and developing. Success never stop on her step. World is stepping forward seconds by seconds. When you stop your step because of fear, you will keeping stay behind success, that is, "fear hold men back".
In my opinion, this quote made by Bertrand Russell means that people are afraid to be different in society. He is implying that individuals are not able to follow their own personal beliefs and behaviors. Instead, individuals are allowing influences of outside factors to be the sole decider of how they should or should not behave in society. However, I agree with Bertrand because people are afraid of being different. Instead they allow fear to control their minds which holds them back from what they feel.
Hi Yinlin,
I pretty agree with your opinion. Human beings are social animals--they feel comfortable when they share and stay with the majority; on the other hand, they feel scary to be isolated. when they have new or different speech other than the majority, the question "Am I wrong?" or "Am I strange?" would soon rise. Familiar situation just happen all the time around us. Like what you have said, handing up shows ours disagreement to the majority usually catch others' strange sight like saying "you're wrong". However, not all of the time majority is the winner as sometimes "truth is in hands of minority". What I'd like to say is never stop by fear as you will never know if you don't star over your first step!
I agree with your viewpoints. The generality of people are usually afraid of being different when choosing between two options. They will tend to support or follow the majority side. I think there is no absolute right or wrong answers in critical thinking. We should not afraid of being judged; on the contrary, we need to open our mind to explore some new ideas.
My interpretation of Russell's quote is that fear is what is truly stopping us from expressing who we really are. Everyone is different in the sense that people have different beliefs, values, and opinions. However, people are not willing to share how they truly feel because they are not willing to be different fearing that other people criticism will make them an outcast. I agree with Russell's quote based on the fact that fear can be a very powerful weapon to control people's actions. Fear can be instilled into anyone and eventually people will have to face their fears which is the inevitable. People fear many things, but the ones that are not willing to live past their fears will end up not living up to their full potential. If we always live in fear, how can we accomplish anything in life? It is important to get rid of our fears in critical thinking because at times different passages will have multiple meanings. Just because your perspective is different from other people does not mean it is wrong. It is only a different perspective in looking at the passage.
Hello Ms. Wanzo,
If a person follows someone without thinking, he or she will ignore or, in some case, reject other perspectives. For example, my best friend tells me that someone I don’t really know is very bad. If I believe him without thinking, I will stay away from him and maybe ignore any good comments regarding him. To some extent, I think my mind is closed.
Hello Werdah Kaiser,
I like your point. I totally agree with “fear is both a useful and harmful medium to use.” I believe that everything has two sides. There is no absolutely right or absolutely wrong. Sometimes, fear may “hold men back.” Sometimes, fear may keep us away from dangers too.
My interpretation of Russell's quote is that one shouldn't be afraid of their thoughts, it tends to hold us back. As humans, we always want to be right, but when unfamiliar it makes us "less worthy". When one conquers their fear, more opportunities will begin to open. This relates to critical thinking because students are afraid to express their opinion, scared that their ideas are incorrect. Guess we, as students need to realize that critical thinking is full of open-ended questions with many answers, there’s no right response. I’ll have to agree with Russell because fear does hold us back. In society, people are afraid that others won’t accept. As a result, we try to please what society wants to see, even though that’s not the real person we really are. This relates with critical thinking because there are times when we have to stay by our beliefs and accept others. Once one begins to realize that that’s nothing to fear, it will make writing critically easier.
Hey Meuy, I agree with what you said about fear "preventing us from showing our true identity to the world." Nobody will know who we are or what we are like unless is we show and tell everyone what we feel or think. And I can relate to you a little; sometimes, I don't want to express myself because some of the things that I think or feel sound stupid, but I just try to do whatever feels right and just let it out and see what happens. People can laugh at you or think that your wrong or stupid, but at least you have the strentgh and courage to say what you believe in.
The meaning of the quote by Bertrand Russel seems to be that individuals fear to be open to their own beliefs and perspectives because the way others may judge them. He states this is what holds men back, and people are scared to be different. This can be true to some extent, but I disagree with this quote because you will always be able to express your ideas and perspective with people you already know. The fear too be open to your ideas is not the worse thing in the world, but by allowing yourself to express your ideas to strangers or people you hardly know can possibly lead you to success.
Chhienda I agree with your interpretation of the quote because it does seem as though a myriad of people tend to decide what they should or behave like by following how others want it to be. Also peoples fear control their mind and thats what holds them back.
In my word and understanding, fear is a mental feeling from our inside when we suffering something horrible or having some issue. Such as involving in a car accident, fianical problem,new environment for the new job.These are the way we may suffer fear .Also fear can be expressed on their face or motion when people affaid something. And base on Philosopher Bertrand Russell's quote, it states the way how people acted when they fear something. And the fear is the block to stop petple to be successful. If we overcome the fear when we in our life. There will be a key to be successful.
To Rui:
Hi Rui, i totally agree with your point of view "fear kills people's minds and cause them to do irrational things". Sometimes, when the fear comes to a person, it really can be stop them mess up their mind .it makes them feel nervouse and uncontrolable.
Hey Phillip, i would just like to say that we really see eye to eye on Russel's quote. It is true that our fear does hold us back and we should not let other people's criticism dictate the way we think. We all have our own opinions which makes critical thinking that much more unique. Anyone and everyone can bring in a new angle to a specific topic or passage that can give everyone a whole new outlook on the topic. Everyone have different perspectives and like you said "critical thinking is full of open-ended questions with many answers, there’s no right response" which is why we should just suck it up and say what we truly think.
According to the quote from Bertrand Russell, Fear is an invisible sense which forces people backward when they afraid to be “unique”. In today’s society, the Herb instinct does really exist, and it leads many people seem like to follow the others’ ideas rather than speaking out their own. To be unique doesn’t mean to against the truth, but we all grow from different cultures, different backgrounds and different life experiences that make us should have our own idea. If everybody agrees to follow the same rule and no one comes up with different perspectives, our society will be stagnated. That’s what Mr. Rusell means by saying “fear that holds men back”. I agree with him on this point because fear is an obstacle on the way to success.
If we want to enlarge our range of critical thinking, we should set our mind away from the fear. Critical thinking always encourages us to think deeply and speak out our own opinions. Coming up with a common idea as many people do doesn’t mean to be wrong, but it’s not as attractive as an innovate idea from whom sets his mind out of fear.
Charline
The meaning of this quote is that the thought of many people is fear. Fear to act, fear to believe, fear to express themselves, fear of faillure. Fear is a big factor in our everyday life. We tent to hold back or think twice in everything we do. I do agree with Russell that the thought is to become the possession of many, very few have the privilege and done it with fear. There is very little that we can accomplished under presure,
under fear. People that fear are more likely to have a long life then people that do not fear, they are umpulsive.
The fact of thinking critically hepls construct and develop ideas and maturity, you analized and considered every angle before acting, you give value on what you do in life.
Hey Phillip, I agree with you when you said "we try to please what society wants to see, even though that’s not the real person we really are". People feel pressured to want to be in part of a group so they tend to follow the crowd at times, even when they know they don't belong. It's a shame because they won't ever be able to voice their own opinions and express what they feel at the moment. There's no reason to always become a shadow and always follow other people's opinions. I don't think anyone can become successful in life if that continues to happen consistently.
Hey Werdah Kaiser,
I really like your point because I haven't notice that at first and your point is just like wake me up! It's true that "fear is both a useful and harmful medium to use", it just like "every coins has two sides". And everything has its advantage and disadvantage.
Hi Charline.
Your comment that fear is a big factor in my life gave me the example of wanting to do something, wanting to achieve something, but at the end, you're fearful of something that was initially something so small like taking that job or taking that scholarship. Fear does hold us back from things that can potentially make our lives better.
I agree with Russell. Most people feel afraid when they felt they could not be accepting by others. When we look around, people would like to show or share their opinions, thinks or feeling while talking and communicate. For example, when I was in the classroom, if nobody listen to me or just I talked by myself, others would feel I was a crazy or I had some problem. In fact, if there is somebody responded us or just would like to share with us, we would feel happy. People would like to feel afraid because they don’t want to be missed by others. Some would like to feel if they made the mistakes, they felt afraid others would laugh with them. I think that is why it’s “important to do away with fear in Critical Thinking.”
Shukun Li
Hi Anna!
I really agree with your response to Bertrands quote. Managed fear can be used as protection and decernment in dangerous situations or just against things, situations, or people that might not be benefical to one's life. I like how you tied fear to someone inability to think critically. I think fear of losing an identity or being wrong keeps people from being able to be critical thinkers. Fear can't be a part of succesful critical thinkers.
Good write, I look forward to more of your thoughts in the future.
Chanda
Charline to Devonte
I totally agree with that fear holds people of doing things they initially think of doing. for example i have a fear of taking exams, i will study and be ready for an exam, bbut when come the actual exam i freeze and make mistakes just like someone who did not study. Yes that is fear and sometimes can get you in trouble.
Russel is saying that if one is fearful, they are giving up their right to thought and belief. For example, if you fear a certain person, you are allowing that person to control you. To suppress you of your natural rights. I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. It is important that we rid ourselves of fear in Critical Thinking, because if not, we will be to scared to voice our beliefs. And after too much time of this, we'll wind up to scared to even think for ourselves.
-Julie Kvalen
Julie to Racquel:
You raise an interesting point that not all fear is bad. Thank Goodness fear is there to keep us from doing silly things!
Hello Meuy,
In response to your opinion about fear and preventing individuals from being themselves; I also agree that fear creates a barrier for individuals in society. Also, I believe that it do not allow for each to be their own. In my opinion, fear associates with uncertainty behaviors and trying to deceive individualistic behaviors.
According to Bertrand Russell’s quote, he implies that fear is what holds back one’s thoughts or actions. People are afraid to express themselves because they are afraid of how others might view them. I agree with Russell’s statement, because fear can be a powerful tool that can be used against us. Some may feel that the society they live in is socially constructed; therefore, they do not want to be different and feel like an outcast. Their beliefs and opinions are bottled up inside, because being different means to feel “less worthy” as Russell states.
It is important to do away with fear in critical thinking because fear causes one to restrict their thoughts when thinking. In critical thinking, we need to be open minded to all perspectives. There are no right or wrong responses, and if we allow fear to override our minds, then we cannot think critically.
To Charline,
I completely agree with you that fear “is a big factor in our everyday life.” Fear can cause us to think twice about the things we do. It can also stop us from doing many things because we are afraid of the outcome. I feel that fear is an inevitable emotion in human nature, and if fear can be conquered and managed, I would like to know how.
from what i can understand of this quote is that fear is a reason why people are not able to do as they like. They cant accomplish what they desire because of fear. i would agree with Russell yet i kind of don't you can say i am in between. many people like myself fear of taking chances and assume it would result to a negative outcome.. is it that bad to fear? i believe fear can be such a great thing in our life and it can also protects us. But than again without making any attempt you would never really know the outcome would you?
TO CINDY N.
Hello Cindy, after reading your blog,I would have to agree with some of what you have said and disagree with the other half. Yes everyone has fear, people live in fear each day, fear of losing their job, fear they lose one of their family member, fear of something terrible would happen to them. I agree with that. What i believe that the Russell was trying to say is that very few of us face our fears, and lots of us dont dare go against what has already been set or laid down to use because we fear that we will lose the respect of our peers. However from what I think and what life has taught me is that you can live in fear all you want, to me that would not be living because you are not yourself but you are what society has made of you. sometimes you have to live with fear because you have no control of things that you are afraid of. Sometimes you cant avoid the inevitable and things just happen even though you fear it and try your best to steer away from it. If you ask anyone thats still alive if they had to face their fear, I would be very certain that at least once in their life they face their fear and over come it.
I think your right everyone has fears, however it wont constrict us of how we live our life because we will have to face our fear sooner or later. i guess thats part of growing old? do correct me if Im wrong. =P
David
Bertrand Russell raised an interesting point about how human always afraid of hardship, and not willing to make progress. In another words, people usually do not want to present their own opinion. Therefore, they tend to follow other people's opinion since they think it is hard to argue. I strongly agree with Bertrand Russell's idea, because when something externally looks difficult to argue, people would just give up automatically. No matter how difficult things are, people should stand for what they believe in. Don't be afraid to voice out your own opinion that might not fit the mainstream. Be a brave man. Stand out from the odds!
Hi Fan Wu,
you stated a very strong point of view. Most people in this society just like to be a normal person, and not willing to stand out. You would possibly say that they are afraid to express their own thoughts, or they scared that their thoughts might be right or wrong, or even they think their thoughts are just different from the majority people in the community. But i think it would be great if everyone would open up their mind and explore new ideas! Just like our critical thinking clas!
I agree with you regarding the questioning we must do. That is like tabloids that were mentioned in class. Unless I really know something about whatever I am reading I feel ill equipped to question it. But with the internet research is very easy to find answers.
I think they should begin teaching critical thinking and physics to kindergartners. The educational system does not fit a majority of society, so it just doesn't work that well. School is three things to me: Teachers, students and whoever is paying for it. Teachers teach and students are supposed to learn. Students have to be open to receive that education. Where do you learn that? At home? We all approach school with different ways of being here. Is fear holding people back from learning? In some cases yes, like fanatics; but some people too are lazy and unfocused as to the importance of what the teacher is saying to learn. A student is supposed to also supposed to do their homework in a meaningful way. The student is supposed to care and work at their education.
The quote "What is there to fear" by philosopher Russell states fear is something that will happen and try to block us in our lives. We can't let fear control the way we think and what someone else may think because that will hold us back. Instead we want to get ahead and overcome are challenges.
Yes,I agree with Russell. We should do away with being fearful when it comes to critical thinking because we won't be able to think outside the box and have a different perspective. Being fearful to critical thinking means not being able to be open to new ideas ,so instead we work ourselves up to being scared of something we haven't tried.
To Pan hau,
I agree with you because its okay to be and think different than others. It's more of being a leader and not a follwer just because everyone is having a certain perspective doesn't mean that person has to agree with it. We have to overcome our fears in life in order to get ahead.
In my opinion, the quote means fear is something we can destroy. And the weapon to destroy fear is the ability of thinking. The condition of fear in our society is unacceptable and this condition brings many bad effects. Fear should be destroyed so that its bad effects will be known and be limited.
In the domain of critical thinking I agree with Russell. I think ignorance makes people worry about what they don’t know. And this situation will result in fear. In critical thinking, fear will affect our standpoint. Fear may stop us from giving objective response. Only after fear is brushed aside, thinking can factual and objective.
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