First off, don’t panic. He’s young, and it should be many years yet before it’s too late. Here’s how you work within the system and not lose your son to it: teach him critical thinking. Start small. Talk to him about logical syllogisms. E.g. All reptiles have scales, snakes are reptiles, snakes have scales. Use the Socratic method. When he’s a bit older, teach him logical fallacies.
Be realistic about his intelligence, but don’t be afraid to challenge him a bit. Point out obvious examples in his conversations or in the media. Teach him how rhetoric works. Teach him about propaganda. When he’s a teenager, teach him all about empiricism, axiomatic truth and epistemology. Teach him the value of skepticism.
If you do this, you inoculate him against the tactics being used to try to indoctrinate him. You give him the tools to recognize the manipulation and to understand that pretending to believe the lies to fit in kills your sense of self and free will.
It’s a long road, but it will be worth it to see your children grow up to be thinkers. I couldn’t be more proud of my 20-year-old daughter, who came to see the vacuousness of the left on her own, despite real pressure to conform. It is worth it.
First off, don’t panic. He’s young, and it should be many years yet before it’s too late. Here’s how you work within the system and not lose your son to it: teach him critical thinking. Start small. Talk to him about logical syllogisms. E.g. All reptiles have scales, snakes are reptiles, snakes have scales. Use the Socratic method. When he’s a bit older, teach him logical fallacies.
Be realistic about his intelligence, but don’t be afraid to challenge him a bit. Point out obvious examples in his conversations or in the media. Teach him how rhetoric works. Teach him about propaganda. When he’s a teenager, teach him all about empiricism, axiomatic truth and epistemology. Teach him the value of skepticism.
If you do this, you inoculate him against the tactics being used to try to indoctrinate him. You give him the tools to recognize the manipulation and to understand that pretending to believe the lies to fit in kills your sense of self and free will.
It’s a long road, but it will be worth it to see your children grow up to be thinkers. I couldn’t be more proud of my 20-year-old daughter, who came to see the vacuousness of the left on her own, despite real pressure to conform. It is worth it.