| Field | Life |
| Went Obsolete | Sometime in the 1960s |
| Made Obsolete By | I blame the media |
| Knowledge Assumed | It used to be |
| When useful | When Google's results contradict or are inconclusive |
Thinking for oneself was at one time considered a useful skill. It allowed an individual to gather input from a variety of sources and form an opinion or make a decision based solely on the analytical thinking of that individual.
With the advent of MAD Magazine, it is no longer a requirement to “think for oneself”, as there are a variety of sources available that will tell you what to think about any topic imaginable.