Re/thinking critical thinking: The seductions of everyday life

The way that critical thinking has been framed as an educational objective has led, on the one hand, to its successful saturation of educational discourse and, on the other, to an equation of critical thinking with demonstrable rhetorical skills. This essay suggests that both critical thinking and obstacles to successful critical thinking are most commonly found in the activities of everyday life. Humans deploy critical thinking in expressions of social imagination, illuminations of our selves and relationship, and in ethical choices and public engagements. By refraining critical thinking, educators may find ways to enrich its exercise both in and out of the classroom. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.