PART II of II
Thinking is a useful process, for people generally and leaders specifically. Why, then, is rigorous and critical thinking increasingly under assault?
Critical thinking involves reflection about what others are saying, about your own biases, questioning assumptions, and checking facts. Further, thinking is a useful quality for leaders and, in fact, is a precondition for effective strategic decision-making.
But what is the relevance of this for leaders? Better thinking will lead to better decisions. This will require independent thought, understanding how things are and not how people wish they were, standing above distracting motivations and ideologies, and keeping in mind the long-term benefits of the quest for truth.
Nigel Biggar is Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral Theology, University of Oxford, and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Pusey House, Oxford, UK. Biggar shared his experiences with the ELO Oxford Leadership Program cohort on July 12th, those of which include arousing the anger of the woke movement by having the temerity to engage in thinking around the various, often unchallenged, claims of the woke movement. Nigel Biggar’s most recent book is Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning (2023); it has become an exhibit in the “culture wars.”
In light of Biggar’s experiences, there are some interesting lessons for leaders that he shared with our Program cohort:
1. Don’t Be Deterred From Speaking Out
People are deterred from speaking out for fear of social isolation and ostracism and being tarnished as “anti” towards various things. Surely, if a person questions the agenda, they are assumed to be colonialist, racist, etc. So, leaders need the courage of their convictions to speak out and encourage others to do so, too—and accept the vitriol that comes with it.
2. Don’t Be Swayed By Faulty Logic
Leaders need to recognize faulty and inadequate thinking. Careful analysis is now trumped by ideology and emotion. From an ideological perspective, people wish certain things to be true—but leaders can’t accept that.
3. Recognize that Others May be Motivated By Ideology Not the Pursuit of Truth
Leaders need to recognize that many people wish to advance an ideological perspective rather than pursue the truth. The weapon of the ideologues is to marginalize others, often (ironically) with a patina of self-righteousness, rather than argue the truth. Not many of Biggar’s adversaries were interested in dialogue, but rather they were focused on expressing an opinion grounded in ideology. Biggar notes that he is often dealing with people who want a fight, not a conversation.
4. Recognize that Unthinking Conformity is the Norm
For leaders, there is an increasing environment of uniformity of thought and thus there is a premium on independent thinkers. The challenge in many contexts is that advancing a different opinion will result in immediate censure. Leaders must encourage non-conformist views.
5. There Are Fewer Than You Think
The loudest voices often win—Bigger has witnessed that first-hand. There is a phenomenon of a zealous minority dominating an uncertain, conflict-averse majority. A derivative is the phenomenon of institutional leaders acquiescing to the demands of zealous minorities without thinking—ideology and emotion dwarf truth and rationality.
6. Community is Important
Since those who speak up seem to be going against the norm, it’s important to be part of a community of like-minded individuals, at the very least to expose oneself regularly to the truth that the dissident is not alone. A generally hostile environment can make one forget that.
Further, there are some interesting lessons for Christian leaders.
1. Automatic Discount
“The church” is typically viewed as an accessory of colonialism and thus deserves similar treatment: it assisted in perpetrating the evils of the Empire with no redeeming features. Thus, the voice of someone allied with the church, as a Christian, is immediately suspect and roundly dismissed. Biggar notes, for example, that politically zealous anti-colonialist historians don’t like Christian ethicists disturbing their moral prejudices [319].
2. Truth Matters
Christians in the woke wars, as at all times, should speak up for the truth. The truth matters—and to have it hijacked should be unacceptable. This is evident as the Christian contributions of the past, whether to society or to individuals, are typically air-brushed out.
3. Lack of Understanding
People increasingly don’t understand a faith perspective. The fact that faith would play a meaningful role in an individual’s life in shaping their approach to meaning is unfathomable to many in today’s woke environment. As a result, people who hold a Christian viewpoint are marginalized and held suspect.
4. Understanding the Past
Biggar touches on how Christians can view the past in Colonialism: “My (Christian) view is that all human moral perceptions, being creaturely and sinful, falls short and that that should induce a measure of humility and constraint into our judgment of the moral obtuseness of our ancestors” [335].
5. Engagement, Not Isolation
A default position for many equipped to speak up is pristine isolation rather than complicated engagement. But it is not helpful for Christians to bite their tongues and hide what they think. This won’t influence people. Despite the personal attacks and challenges to credibility and reputation by speaking out, it is a useful contribution to the public square.
In this environment, there is an ever-greater need for leaders, especially Christian leaders, to be independent thinkers, above the ideological fray, and to get involved. Nigel Biggar is one example of a Christian leader doing his part.