Defending critical thinking and progress
from Terrell Heick
In TeachTown we have always focused on promoting critical thinking Cross for use in “human” applications – namely people (ie stakeholders in education) and places (ie communities).
Our mission was apolitical in design – aimed at improving thought, education and human potential, without aligning political ideologies or factions.
However, recent events in the United States have made the rest of the entire apolitical luxury that we can no longer afford.
The idea of liberalism in education
This brings us to the idea of liberalismS
To be clear, “liberalism” is not a “Democratic Party because we use the term. It is more recently intended for philosophical, apolitical sense: an commitment to reason, freedom, equality, diversity and belief in the potential for progress.
Liberalism in this sense gives priority to dialogue, exploration and self-determination of openness and values-all inherently are central to education itself.
Education seeks to enable people, allowing them to think critically, to perceive learning and to improve their communities better.
They are liberal ideals– Not in a guerrilla context, but as intellectual principles basic for knowledge, democracy and justice.
Why should we take a “position” at all?
It is impossible to support critical thinking as it is silent about the efforts to suppress individual thought, reduce diversity, disassemble critical federal departments and withstand the progress itself that education aims to maintain.
The present circumstances require resistance to the policies that undermine civil freedoms, cause inclusion and threaten the foundations of education itself.
Call for critical thinking
I/We are opposed to measures that limit the study, reduce the diversity and compromise the integrity of education.
As an organization, we strive to promote and advocate for:
Critical thinking: The ability to question, analyze and synthesize knowledge to increasing misinformation and guerrillas.
Variety (Cultural and intellectual): Acknowledgment that inclusion enriches learning, creativity and understanding of the community.
The fact that these ideas would be controversial at all can speak of the need to intercede and support them.
In an increasingly technologically advanced and socially destroyed times, the role of critical thinking is – good, critical.
Issues such as the abuse of social media, the politicization of guerrillas and the reduction of support for public education require an answer, rooted in rationality, evidence and humane values.
Our position
Although we remain an organization focused on education, our commitment to critical thinking calls us to speak against conditions that erode confidence, inclusion and progress.
From the deliberate weakening of federal institutions to decisions that limit diversity and suppress access to opportunities, we are firmly against such measures.
The policies of the current administration in the United States are a particularly urgent threat to these basic values, and I am personally forced to oppose them as part of the broader intercession for education and informed, rational discourse.
Regardless of the circumstance or context, our goal will emphasize power and need – critical thinking in navigating the challenges of our time, while maintaining respect for various votes, experiences and beliefs.
Terrell Heick
Director, arrival
