Teaching philosophy and cultivating intelligence. A second look at Critical Thinking and Indoctrination.

Abstract

Thinking demands an effort that many people avoid. Teaching philosophy is an especially valuable tool for cultivating intelligence.

The teacher’s action demands a difficult balance between caring for the development of the student while respecting the condition as a person that is inherent to her. This equilibrium is easier to achieve if one has an accurate idea of the meaning of critical thinking and of the importance of avoiding indoctrinatory behaviour. This article offers new approaches to these topics that differ from those proposed in previous years. It defends the idea of also relating critical thinking to insight and an expanded reason, and it draws attention to the importance of uncovering the indoctrinating activities of some states, in order that we might know how to struggle against not just personal errors but also against mistaken public initiatives, identifying the strategies teachers, and in particular philosophy teachers, should foster to prevent their students from falling into the trap of indoctrination. The article concludes with a brief description of an innovative curriculum that was approved in France in 2019 to offer teaching of philosophy in the baccalaureate.