Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Linda Elder

What is your passion?

One of my most significant passions is to help cultivate fairminded, critical societies through the development of human ideas.

How have you manifested this passion to impact the world in a positive way?

The world as we know it today is replete with nonsensical ideas and beliefs which often cause suffering and tragedy – for humans, for other species, and for the earth. Many people seek solutions to help make the world a better place. However, what is often ignored and misunderstood in human societies is the role of human reasoning, which lies at the heart of virtually every human problem and issue. Consequently, well-meaning people often fail to achieve higher levels of thinking and living because they are led astray by their assumptions, their point of view, and the influences upon them of their various social groups.

My contribution lies in helping people take command of the thinking that is commanding them, through the explicit tools of critical thinking. My primary purpose as president and a senior fellow of the foundation for critical thinking is to help people across the world come to see the essential role that critical thinking must play in human societies if we are ever to achieve the ethical world we are capable of achieving as humans.

Learn more about Dr. Elder’s course at https://www.ubiquityuniversity.org/courses/the-foundations-of-critical-thinking-for-learning-and-everyday-life/