All of Us Know-It-Alls

Very often, people think that they know everything. They believe they know all about who they are and what their purpose in life is and argue that they know more than anybody else in whatever it is that they do. The truth is these people are confused and tricked into believing what is right by their cultural myths.

I love these lines, the introduction to an essay handed in by one of my students. The assignment was in partial response to an article called “Critical Thinking, Challenging Cultural Myths.” He goes on to imply that critical thinking and challenging cultural myths can cure us of thinking we know everything. It’s no wonder we don’t want to think critically. Nothing is more annoying than others who think they know everything, but when it’s me, it’s hard to let go of what I think I know. However, this desire for quick and easy answers is a dangerous characteristic of the United States today, and it shows up when you look at political campaigns. It even shows up in the literature I receive from my favorite political party. I think they are trying to come up with some easy answers to win back government. They need that confident swagger that comes from knowing everything.