ABSTRACT
We would argue that the teaching of thinking is not only a legitimate educational objective but an imperative one. Evidences of irrationality in the world abound in the behavior of individuals, groups, and nations. We are reminded constantly of the many serious threats that humankind faces—an exploding population, the amassing of enormous destructive power, international economic instability, environmental pollution, the depletion of natural resources. While we hesitate to claim that irrational human behavior is the fundamental cause of all of them, it is certainly a major contributing factor. It is difficult to imagine a more important educational objective than the teaching and learning of how to think more effectively than we typically do. Indeed, if we cannot learn to think more rationally and effectively, we are, as a species, in serious trouble.
