Critical thinking conference

The 38th critical thinking conference will be held in California in July 2018

In a previous blog I already spoke about the venue and format of the next conference on critical thinking in July 2018 in the USA. The early bird registration is still open. 

Dr Linda Elder reminded us in a recent e mail about the crucial importance of the ability to really think about issues and the perceptions regarding technology: "We are reminded daily that there are many pressing problems facing humans. One of these is that technological advancement has given rise to the pedestrian belief that technology is the answer to all human ills. Technology seems now to be something akin to a holy grail we humans collectively worship, without entirely knowing why. For many, technology is treated as the whole, or nearly the whole, of human life. Digital reality has replaced actual reality, so that humans now frequently have difficulty differentiating the two. In the meantime, we are losing sense of family, of community, of connection to one another as human beings and sentient creatures. This can only lead us away from the principles embodied in fair-minded critical societies.

At this point in history, technology is treated in much the same way as early science and math were treated by the majority of Greek intellectuals more than 2,400 years ago - as the most important subjects to study for the advancement of human civilization. But neither math, nor science, nor any individual field or sub-specialty can be the whole of human thought or life. Each of these is merely a part of human experience. And it is clear that we do not always benefit from technological inventions and "improvements."

A rich conception of critical reasoning has seemingly little room in today's conversations; people are too buried in their cell phones (or other technology) to notice. The open exploration of ideas is not something most people feel comfortable with, because they have little experience with it."

She then conclude that the foundation of critical thinking is dedicated to advance human thought and understanding.  This conference is an opportunity to develop this crucial skill and is open to all levels of the community and academic world.