In a society that guarantees free speech and expression, it becomes most important to use those rights responsibly. It becomes even more important, as a responsible citizen, to be able to have your own point of view and not to be swayed by the general opinions of the majority. Social sciences, through their detailed analysis of important aspects of social life, will help you form and formulate your own thoughts on various difficult moral issues.
In the social sciences there may be no clear-cut answers for some issues, but each student is encouraged to look for and reflect upon their own version of truth. However, these critical skills cannot be learned or demonstrated overnight. It is a significant feature of the social sciences curriculum to ask students tough questions in order to stimulate debate and discussion in class.
A teacher in the social sciences must play an active role in teaching critical thinking skills. It is also his responsibility to challenge students so that they can shed preconceived beliefs, prejudices and stereotypes and see controversial social issues from a more open-minded, balanced and unbiased perspective. Students will face questions about their personal beliefs and will see through possible flaws in their logic and belief systems. Hence, social sciences are a great tool to combat society's ills and ignorance about topics like discrimination and racism.
A rational mind will look at issues from both sides, with pros and cons to each side of the argument. At the same time, as the students of social sciences are given tasks and homework to present their own ideas analytically, they also need to synthesize and put together their different ideas into an organic, whole and wholesome point of view. As such, they will be able to use their critical thinking skills in other parts of social life as well by solving problems and making decisions.