Why Engage in Political Thinking

Page 15.  The general point made by Glenn Tinder in his work Why Engage in Political Thinking is that humans think because there is simply no other way an answer can be reached other than by thinking.  More specifically, Tinder suggests that  we can only decide whether or not we are going to accept certain ideas by thinking.  He writes, “only through thought do we affirm our rationality, our freedom, and our loyalty to being” (p. 20).  In this passage, Tinder is suggesting that thinking is the only way people are alive and living the way that they are.  In conclusion, it is Tinder’s belief that we can achieve great things through thinking because “we possess awesome powers of action… [and] highly developed skills” (p. 20).

            In my view, Tinder is right because whenever we gain new experiences or learn new information, the only way to learn something from those experiences or retain the information is by thinking.  For example, you can easily drift off and daydream while you are learning a new concept in a math class, but unless you are really thinking about it and how it works, you won’t retain any of that information.  Although Tinder might object that every human being can be a great thinker to produce a plan of action based on their research, I maintain that anyone can do that if they put their minds to it and are motivated enough.  Therefore, I conclude that Tinder is correct in his thinking that everyone has their own opinion when it comes to thinking because “the great thinkers do not agree” (p.17).