In short
September’s Mayor’s Message is a column by Mayor Dave Maughan on critical thinking. He writes that clear reasoning is the “infrastructure of a functioning society” and that slogans, viral catchphrases, and leaning on AI or a quick search have taken its place. He calls for teaching students to evaluate claims and evidence, for letting young people fail and learn to recover, and for rewarding debate and respect for opposing views. The column reports no city decisions, dates, or figures.
Everything else
The argument
- The mayor writes that critical thinking enables sound policy, durable innovation, and collective problem-solving, and that societies that prize speed over scrutiny risk choices that are popular now and costly later.
- He writes that “Google it” has failed the next generation because people were not taught that search results need fact-checking, and that the internet is only as valid as the information it pulls from.
- On AI: he writes that AI tools can produce persuasive content quickly, and that without critical literacy it is easier to mistake style for substance.
- On parenting: he writes that the “helicopter parent” era shielded children from failure, and that without failing a few times people do not learn how to recover.
- On education: he writes that memorizing facts without learning to connect them produces citizens who can recite but not evaluate, and that curricula built on argument structure, source evaluation, and evidence-based reasoning do better.
- On public discourse: he writes that social platforms reward immediacy and outrage, amplifying the loudest voices rather than the most reasoned ones, and he calls for forums that model civil exchange.
- On work: he writes that workplaces valuing skepticism, iterative learning, and contextual judgment adapt faster, and that as automation and AI change tasks, people will need ethical judgment and the ability to synthesize complex information.
What he asks readers to do
- Read the full argument before sharing it, ask what evidence supports a claim, and be willing to change your mind when the evidence warrants.
- He closes by asking readers to “get back to long-form arguments over gotcha protest chants,” and to reward debate with respect for opposing positions.
Contact
- Mayor Dave Maughan: [email protected], 801-927-7752.
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