Critical thinking constitutes one of the basic competences of the social educator, something fundamental for their good work and good being. It is a learned skill. Therefore, it requires time and dedication for it to form an inherent and habitual part of the repertoire of behaviors of the social educator. Because its function is to propose possibilities to […] … learn more→

Recent months have seen heated debates in Russia about the limits of faculty and students’ rights to undertake public speaking and engage in political activism. Lecturers at the prestigious Higher School of Economics (HSE), once considered Russia’s most liberal university, have spent the summer worrying that their criticisms of the political status quo might put an end to […] … learn more→

When the government call went out to academics to join the Covid Expert Database – a resource for parliamentarians – it was retweeted by some colleagues under the headline “NB they want Arts and Humanities academics too”. That this fact had to be foregrounded is a depressing reminder of how entrenched debates about the relevance […] … learn more→

The call for more critical thinking often hides a very pessimistic view of our mental capacities. We would be irreparably the prey of our “biases”, these influences which escape all control and make us act in an irrational way. And so we would be generally ready to believe everything. Thus, the critical spirit would be an ideal often […] … learn more→

Critical thinking is one of the supposed pillars of higher education, lauded in commencement addresses and celebrated on institutional websites. The great crises of our day – climate change, political corruption, economic injustice and corporate surveillance – demand problem-solvers who can apply their critical minds to complex situations, we are told. Critical thinking skills are […] … learn more→