Gagnrýnin hugsun í gæsalöppum: Að gagnrýna, hlusta og rökræða en fastsetja ekki „gagnrýna hugsun“ í flokk

The aim of this article is to bring new theoretical frameworks into the discourse on Critical thinking in Iceland. The focus is on critical theory and Judith Butler’s works in particular. Critical thinking originated as a discourse in Iceland with Páll Skúlason’s article “Is it possible to teach critical thinking?“ in 1987. In recent years the discourse has flourished as a lack of critical thinking was seen as one of the reasons for the Icelandic financial crash in 2008. It will be argued that critique or the critical needs to be contextualised and historicised to a greater sense in the tradition. Instead of making a clear distinction between critical thinking and other sorts of thinking, a critical attitude will be suggested, which examines how to respond to the normative framework, which always already shapes our existence. However, the Icelandic tradition offers many possibilities for new thoughts on the critical, especially in its emphasis on teaching or the pedagogical. Even though there are limits to theorizing about the right methods for critical conversations in the classroom, the final aim of this article is to ask about and suggest ways to make space for critical subject formations in our cur- rent social situations.