Critical Thinking and Emotional Intelligence in Conversation

The “always be excellent” program is theoretically based on “Excellence” as it emerges from Ancient Greek Philosophical Thinking, mainly from the Ethics of Aristotle and Plutarch, and it is implemented through the dialogue of Critical Thinking and Emotional Intelligence. Supported by Modern Pedagogy and Psychology. It is aimed at children and adolescents.

Excellence is preeminence towards oneself, as each day the self excels in relation to the previous day. And of course, the one who leads himself to his best version of himself excels over others as well.

At the focus of the “always be excellent” program are:

a. The development of Critical thinking in order for children and adolescents to learn how to develop a more rational way of thinking, always guided by the truth and the universal good. Critical thinking is related to Aristotle’s reasoning and the core of Logic. It urges the mind to examine, question, relate, and distinguish the true from the false, and thus for the human to reach rational conclusions and decisions.

Socrates, with the question-and-answer method, aimed at deriving logical conclusions and forming clear thinking, and he founded Dialectic. After Plato, Dialectic shaped Aristotle’s reasoning. The development of Critical Thinking fosters the cultivation of Intellectual Virtues.

b. The development of Emotional Intelligence in order for children and adolescents to learn to observe their emotions, relate them to their thoughts, and ultimately put the result of critical thinking and wise choice into action. This promotes the cultivation of Moral Virtues.

The Western lifestyle, we have adopted, invests in the preeminence of our children, in acquiring specific knowledge for livelihood reasons, in the necessity of acquiring skills for “survival.”

From excellence we have shifted to competition, as preeminence over others with “selfish” and alien to virtues criteria. As a result, manifestations of competition such as jealousy, arrogance, envy, anger, criticism, anxiety, feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem (Saitis Ch., Darra M., Psarri K).

Regarding the cultivation of the Virtues, Plutarch in “On the Education of Children” states:

“Every human is by his nature gifted with the ability to attain virtues, but he needs to be taught the virtues and to put them into practice in his life. Parents and pedagogues, as great sculptors, can create masterpieces in the souls of children and make the children living images of God. If the child grows up, his edification is difficult to impossible. It is important that children get used to every good habit from an early age, so that it becomes second nature to them. The Virtues are the “Lessons” that will become the foundations upon which they will build their adult life.”

*Main Photo: Seth Doyle