Most people consider education to be an unequivocal good. It is a catalyst for progress and positive change for both the individual and society. However, a good education is worth very little without the ability to critically question the dogmas that filter our everyday lives.

In a world where information flows faster and becomes increasingly accessible, our ability to question knowledge becomes ever more important. We need to teach our children in a way that develops their understanding of the world but also develops decision-making and problem solving.

Education should be a vessel for emancipation of our own misconceptions and deceptions, as well as the foundation from which we criticise and develop the society we live in. That is why I have dedicated myself to the study of critical and creative thinking.

The Greek philosopher Socrates can be said to be the father of critical questioning. He believed that an unexamined life is not worth living. He stuck to that creed to such a degree that this method of meticulous scrutiny is today known as the Socratic Method (ADD HYPERTEXT www.socraticmethod.net) So what can we learn from a Greek guy who died a little less than 2,500 years ago? For one, he teaches us to question authority.

Socrates raised the fact that one cannot depend upon those in “authority” to necessarily have sound knowledge and insight. He demonstrated that people can have power and high position, and yet be deeply confused and irrational. That is why it is imperative to always question authority and ask, Are we really doing things the right way? But questioning authority can be a dangerous affair. In Socrates’ case, his principles lead to his demise and, subsequently, to his execution.

However, critical thinking is not essentially a negative enterprise. It is a positive scepticism. Therefore, the kind of criticism we should aim for is not one that just seeks to reject, but that which aims to resolve. Another thing Socrates teaches us is a certain humility towards our own ability to be right. As he said: “All I know is that I know nothing”, which emphasizes the importance of directing the critical questions towards ourselves. Socrates calls for a thorough critical evaluation of our own lives and opinions.

This also means we have to learn to recognize and control our own biases, coming to view our own beliefs with the same scepticism that we use on others. Education that transforms is the only education that can truly be said to make good citizens. The essence of critical thought can be boiled down to four areas. Ridding yourself of dogmatic thinking, questioning all beliefs, trusting that knowledge is difficult but not impossible, and always striving for truthfulness and tolerance.

This, to the best of my opinion, is the path to tolerance, harmonious co-existence and a recipe for human happiness.