In the spring semester of 2024, alongside ethics professor Peter G. Kirchschläger, I co-taught a seminar on "Critical Thinking" at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET) at ETH Zurich. Like Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking is considered one of the top ten skills of the future—though no one seems to know what exactly they mean. Peter approached the topic from an ethical and historical perspective, tracing its roots back to Socrates, Plato, and Kant, while I explored more contemporary thinkers, particularly those shaping discussions in the art world today. I also introduced art-based philosophers and writers who are currently reflecting on AI’s impact on society.
Jumping from one era to another, from ethics to art, we navigated ideas across time and fields. Engaging with PhD students in computer science, electrical engineering, and quantum engineering led to dynamic, thought-provoking discussions—often so stimulating that they spilled over into breaks and continued after class. It was thrilling to see new perspectives emerge and, undoubtedly, new synaptic connections form.
Course Catalogue Text
Critical Thinking is one of the unique characteristics of humans. In this interdisciplinary seminar, we aim to explore the spheres and dimensions of critical thinking from the perspectives of art and ethics.
Learning objectiveIn this seminar on "Critical Thinking", we aim to equip students with the essential skills needed to thrive in a dynamic, confusing and ever-changing field. We strive for exploring the fundamental principles of critical thinking and its application within the realm of research and technology.
ContentThrough the increasing complexity of everyday reality, humans are – based on their moral capability – challenged to find insights into norms that are adequate to reality, and to consider in a more differentiated and better manner. In today's rapidly evolving technological innovation and development, the ability to think critically is paramount.
In situations and cases where the sensitivity of humans for the rule-transcending uniqueness of the concrete come into play, ethics embraces critical thinking. This ethics beyond principles and norms accounts for the truth that in a concrete encounter with concrete persons in a concrete situation rules reach their limit, because the concrete in its uniqueness outranks the rule. Ethical and legal norms and their validity are of course not questioned. They are re-confirmed by this striving for justice. At the same time, ethics – by taking into account the rule-transcending uniqueness of the concrete – ensures that the ethical and legal norms serve humans and not vice-versa. This rule-transcending uniqueness of the concrete requires, however, ethically critical and constructive thinking by humans.
In this seminar, we will delve into various aspects of critical thinking, including, artistic and ethical questioning, historical and social contextualization, thinking out of the box, logical deduction, holistic research and creative problem formulation. We will also look at different contemporary theoretical and philosophical discourses that provide alternative perspectives.By enhancing critical thinking skills, we will be better prepared to contribute to technological advancements and excel in their future careers in a sustainable way, taking different major planet developments into consideration (global change, climate crisis, future of work, society, et al.)
Reading List that students worked on and presented for discussion:
Peter's reading list: Simon Blackburn (2021). Ethics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Immanuel Kant: What is Enlightenment?Plato: The Allegory of the CavePeter G. Kirchschlaeger: AI and the Complexity of Ethics, 2020Peter G. Kirchschlaeger: Ethical Decision-Making. Baden-Baden: Nomos-Verlag, 2023Thomas Nagel: Right and Wrong, 1987
My reading list: David Graeber: Anarchy – in a manner of Speaking (excerpts)Donna Haraway: A Cyborg Manifesto, 1991Legacy Russell: Glitch Feminism - A Manifesto, 2020Kate Crawford: Atlas of AI: Chapter Six: State, 2021Ben Vickers and K Allado-McDowell: Atlas of an Anomalous AI, 2023: - Nora N Khan: Towards a Poetics of Artificial Superintelligence, 2023- Benjamin H. Bratton: Synthetic Garden: Another Model of AI and Design, 2017- Blaise Agèera Y Arcas: Art in the Age of Machine Intelligence, 2023- Noah Raford: Other Minds: Belief About, In and of Artificial Intelligence, 2018
