"Thinking can be both active and passive. We can choose where to direct our attention and use reason to solve problems or consider why things happen. Still, we cannot completely control our stream of thought; feelings and ideas bubble up from influences outside our control. One kind of passive thinking is letting others think for us. Such passive thinking, Kant thought, was not good for anybody."
"When we accept someone else's argument without a second thought, it is like handing them the wheel to think for us. But thoughts lie at the foundation of who we are and what we do, thus we should beware of abdicating control. Kant had a word for handing over the wheel: "heteronomy," or surrendering freedom to another authority. For him, virtue depended on the opposite: "autonomy," or the ability to determine our own principles of action."
Life includes not only actions but also the ongoing life of thought, observation, and contemplation. Kant prescribes three rules for virtuous thinking: think for yourself, think from the position of everyone else, and think in harmony with yourself. Thinking for yourself requires intellectual autonomy rather than heteronomy, refusing to accept others' arguments without reflection because thoughts shape identity and action. Imagining others' positions cultivates a communal sense that clarifies how ideas relate across perspectives. Maintaining harmony with oneself aligns commitments and reasons, producing internal coherence. These forms of thinking counter passive conformity and offer tools against post‑truth fragmentation and isolated echo chambers.
Read at The Conversation
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