SIXTY EIGHT POINT TWO
Why we do this
“To find yourself, think for yourself. ” -Socrates
Our Mission
“Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have all the answers.”
-Socrates
Simply put, our mission is to help everyone employ critical thinking skills in their everyday lives, especially as it relates to our political discourse. For through critical thinking, we will slowly peel away the layers that seem to separate us, allowing us to engage each other in meaningful ways. And as we come to understand that the ideas and beliefs that unify us far outweigh those that divide us, we will begin to treat the role of government and politics in a healthy and constructive way.
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George Carlin, in his inimitable way, explained it like only the master can. Here's his take on the people and institutions that constantly lecture us on how to lives our lives.
Why SixtyEightPointTwo?
Nathaniel Greene and Erik Fogg wrote a book, Wedged, that described the polarization of our discourse in America over the last decade. In it, they developed the Greene-Fogg curve, which graphically depicts the divide.
In short, it shows that so much attention is given to the extremes that is causes us to identify with these very small, but vocal, groups, slowly turning us into tribes, where everything is a binary choice. And when we begin to act differently from our tribe, we feel cognitive dissonance, which creates an unease in our daily lives.
Sixty eight point two represents the percentage of outcomes that fall within one standard deviation from the mean.
It is our desire to essentially invert the Greene-Fogg curve, focusing the discussion between those people who fall within one standard deviation from the middle of the political spectrum.
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Imagine if all the noise and attention comes from those conversations between people who have more in common than those on the fringes!
Inspiration
For several decades, the prevailing wisdom was that education is the great equalizer, and although an education is important, it is more important to develop critical thinking skills.
In 499 BC, Socrates said “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” and “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” Those words still hold meaning in 2021 AD.
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Socrates also helped pioneer the concept of Critical Thinking, which at its core, tells us to question everything, and in so doing, we discover potential solutions not yet conceived. You will see quotes from Socrates peppered throughout the site. Enjoy!