Literacy and Interpretation Skills in a Democratic Society

Long gone are the times when it was enough for an individual to scribble a cross as a signature under a document. Now people need not only to be able to read and sign a document but to understand the complex and multileveled life around them. With the development of society, the requirements for literacy increased as well. A well-educated individual is supposed to read a little more than a handful of books, be able to process large amounts of information, and think critically. Social and political processes in the society grew more complex and, in order to be a valuable member of the society, an individual needs to understand what is happening around and be able to react adequately. Although one should not obligatorily get higher education to become literate, colleges and universities are the best environment to learn literacy and interpretation skills necessary for life in a democratic society.
Literacy is multifaceted nowadays. It is not only the ability to read and write but also a habit to perceive information through a critical lens. Society is polarized on a majority of issues. Therefore, an individual can form an opinion only after a thorough examination of existing viewpoints and sides to a problem. It refers to every sphere of human life from health and education to fashion and lifestyle. Whereas it is not critically important what thinking is behind one’s choice of these jeans or that sofa, it is more important when it concerns how to take care of one’s health or what presidential candidate to vote for.
Therefore, critical thinking and literacy are extremely important in the social and political life. In the essay “The Democratic Thinker,” Leon Wieseltier explains it by saying: “So the content of our opinions, and the quality of our opinions, and the quality of the formation of our opinions, basically determines the character of our society.” Indeed, if all people have a right to vote, their votes should be equally weighty in a sense that a professor’s vote should be as reasonable and well-grounded as a factory worker’s vote. It means that people of all professions and occupations should be preoccupied with the situation in their country, state, and community, and expend much effort into resolve it.
However, sometimes humble workers can seem more literate and with more common sense than professors, so it is not about the level of education. It is more about the necessity to grow constantly. David Foster Wallace says: “In sum, to really try to be informed and literate today is to feel stupid nearly all the time, and to need help”. He means that the amount of information people come across every day is immense and it is difficult to organize and really understand a large part of it. Therefore, people should try at least and not to think that they know everything. Wieseltier adds: “A thoughtless citizen of a democracy is a delinquent citizen of a democracy.” People need to develop their ability to think critically all the time.
The basis of literacy and critical thinking is formed at school. Then an individual can develop it in higher educational institutions. If college or university is a highly expensive option, people can continue reading and thinking on their own. Whereas academic environment is very nourishing, it is possible to develop one’s critical thinking by intently observing what is happening around and reading some additional information. Practice is the best way to acquire and improve interpretation skills. Nowadays literacy is extremely important in a democratic society and it is more or less affordable.

About the author

Alex Seed holds MBA in Business Communications. He is passionate about traveling, writing and editing. Currently he is employed with plagiarism search https://plagiarismsearch.com/