ERIC Number: EJ910918
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 29
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1740-2743
EISSN: N/A
Critical Thinking as Dialectics: A Hegelian-Marxist Approach
Pavlidis, Periklis
Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, v8 n2 p74-102 Dec 2010
Admitting that the peculiarity of education doesn't merely lie in the acquisition of knowledge, as a compilation of data, but that it refers to the fostering, within the pedagogical relationship, of universal human capabilities, the ability to think being cardinal among them, and if, the critical examination of things is considered as the quintessence of thinking, then, critical thinking is an organic and fundamental element of the meaning of education. Elements of critical thinking are to be found in the function of human intellect in general. This paper will attempt to demonstrate that critical thinking in its most achieved form is identified with dialectics. Dialectical thought is the most authentic form of the mind's critical activity. In this paper, the author treats critical thinking as dialectics, keeping always in mind that the pedagogical relationship as well as the educational process aiming at the cultivation of the dialectical mind is not confined to presenting to students the way things are, but, primarily, helps them understand how things happen and change, in order to enable them to actively participate in conscious actions for the shaping and transformation of their world. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Critical Thinking, Knowledge Level, Role of Education, Thinking Skills, Teaching Methods, Concept Formation, Philosophy, Social Influences, Political Attitudes
Institute for Education Policy Studies. University of Northampton, School of Education, Boughton Green Road, Northampton, NN2 7AL, UK. Tel: +44-1273-270943; e-mail: ieps@ieps.org.uk; Web site: http://www.jceps.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A