Critical Thinking and Democratic Participation: A Pedagogical Reinterpretation of Nussbaum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XXIII-02-25_03Keywords:
Critical thinking, Nussbaum, Youth, Democratic participation, ReasonAbstract
Contemporary democracies are facing multiple and complex challenges, including growing disengagement and widespread disaffection of young people toward politics and democratic institutions, phenomena widely discussed in the literature. In a global context marked by increasing polarization, it becomes urgent to question the role of education in critical thinking as an indispensable tool for shaping conscious citizens who are able to participate actively in democratic life (Baldacci, 2022). Building on Martha Craven Nussbaum’s (2016) reflections on the connection between the Capabilities Approach and education, this paper seeks to develop the articulation proposed by the American philosopher between reason and Capabilities, while also moving beyond her perspective, by proposing a conception of reason as a transversal principle that links the various human Capabilities. Although Nussbaum does not always explicitly state this connection, the interpretation developed in this contribution highlights how reason is not merely a cognitive instrument (Wood et al., 2018), but an integrative element that articulates and fosters the interaction between Capabilities such as imagination, judgment, and the recognition of human dignity. In this view, reason becomes a fundamental and multi-level factor in fostering among young people a conscious democratic citizenship.
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