Some are verbatim quotes, others are views that have been paraphrased to avoid repetition or to preserve the author s anonymity. Midshipmen seem very reluctant to question anything. Often, they seem simply to press the I-believe button. Gouge is the life-blood of the midshipmen. Critical thinking takes place when one has time to think about problems.
Midshipmen usually don t have time for out of the box thinking.
Midshipmen rarely get to take a course simply for the joy of learning something new. There are too many mandatory requirements and not enough time for electives which could foster critical thinking skills. The entire philosophy of the Naval Academy is centered on making priorities and doing what you must in order to graduate. This puts critical thinking fairly low on the list of priorities. Midshipmen still view the world as black and white.