"Critical Thinking"

What happened to common sense? I started school this past year and they have all these new buzz words. The one that baffles me the most is the term "critical thinking." This is what professors do and what anyone who disagrees with them don't do. This to me seem kind of funny because when ever I have talked to people who actually are doing what the professors only teach, they seem to come to the conclusion that it doesn't work exactly the way they have been taught. In other words professors teach theories that sometimes work in an environment that is not challenged. I speak broadly as there are some professors that truly understand reality and have in many cases lived in the world of doers of the work. I believe that the high and lofty accomplishment of being able to "critically think" pales in comparison to those who can "deductively reason" and actually solve the problems that critical thinkers leave in their wake. It is amazing to me that when confronted with opposition how many professors begin to call names and spew rhetorical garbage, throwing out the accusation that I am unable to think for myself. I find it interesting that you must think like them or you don't know how to think for yourself. It would seem that they should encourage more points of view, wouldn't that be the scholarly thing to do, to study it, to ponder it and have an open mind to accept new information or even more difficult accept old ideas as solid truth?
I think I have figured out one of the great mysteries of the universe.(tongue in cheak) In order to have an open mind it must be closed to anything that does not agree with the politically correct mantra of the day. That means that your mind must be made of jello in order for you to change from moment to moment and it must be like a sponge in order for you to soak up all that your teachers or peers are telling you to think. Your mind must be blind so that you can not see beyond today nor can it look back into the past.
Truly education is important. However, what some professors call education I would call propaganda. I don't believe it is the proper role of education to politically indoctrinate students. This includes Elementary Schools through the University levels. I of course know that it would nearly be impossible to weed out such attitudes due to the lack of practical experience in the general educators realm as well as the ease of "critical thinking"; However, a professor should be up front in letting their students know that they refuse to expand their minds to accept any time proven truths.
Education should be a transfer of knowledge. The ablity to think should be encouraged and promotion of multiple oppinions and perspectives should be the pinnacle of education. The ability to use what we learn is more important than the paper that hangs on our wall.
If I owned my own business I would be hard pressed to hire a professor, they are likely to argue with my success, even if I tried it their way and failed.