In the school of doubt

Author's name: Marc Romainville

The internet is an ideal incubator for speculative thinking. It cleverly exploits some of our cognitive tendencies to capture our attention and ensnare us with fake news, conspiracy theories, or alternative theories. We end up not knowing where the truth lies. Therefore, schools today, more than ever, have a crucial task: to develop critical thinking in young people so they can develop sound and accurate ideas about the world around them.

The book proposes an innovative approach to developing critical thinking in the digital age. The principle is simple: individual control over their thoughts requires understanding the mechanisms of digital information processing that explain our naivety toward it. Teaching young people to think correctly, based on a better understanding of why they often think incorrectly online, will make them cautious, scrutinizing, and critical digital citizens.