CRITICAL RATIONALISM AND CRITICAL THINKING: MOMENTS OF RESEMBLANCE

Abstract

The article deals with phenomena of critical rationalism and critical thinking as Postpositivist methodological program and contemporary approach to the teaching of logic. The consonance of the initial premises of these phenomena is shown. They have different theoretical scopes but similar purpose – improving our reasoning by challenging false and vague, manipulative, or hasty judgments and achieving approximation to truth as plausibility.
It has been shown that many of the K. Popper’s conclusions formed the basis of modern critical thinking programs, for example falsification, critical testing of hypotheses, distinction between science and pseudo-science. The internal connection of other ideas of falsificationist methodology with modern concepts of critical thinking has been proven, not necessarily by reception, but more often due to the consonance of practical cognitive goals. It has been paid attention on such methodological ideas of critical rationalism, which are represented in contemporary rules of critical thinking such as anti-dogmatism, skepticism, openness to counterarguments. It was especially emphasized on the meaning of K. Popper’s trial and error method and fallibilism as the initial cognitive position.
The moral content of critical rationalism has been revealed as well as its meaning for improving not only our thinking but moral atmosphere in society as well. This is achieved by reducing injustice and inequality and increasing meaningfulness in decision-making, security, well-being and freedom. It has been found that K. Popper’s critical rationalism allows us to expand standard (as in our time) epistemological limits of knowledge into areas of pre-scientific or extra-scientific knowledge. Accordingly, it is precisely thanks to practical critical attitudes that the reverse movement from scientific epistemology to a broader and more value-rich version of it becomes possible.