Critical systems thinking for citizens

By Werner Ulrich

Subjects: professionals, critical thinking, Citizenship, pragmatisation of critical systems thinking, critical competence

Description: [Author's abstract] If Critical Systems Thinking is to contribute to enlightened societal practice, e.g. with respect to the pressing environmental and societal issues of our time, it should be accessible not only to well-trained decision-takers and academics but also to a majority of citizens. The point is not that Critical Systems Thinking ought to take an advocacy stance but rather, that it has a potential to give new meaning to the concept of citizenship; it might enable all of us to become more responsible citizens. My question is, how can we harvest this potential? I propose that the way in which we seek to answer this question might constitute an important test for the methodological viability and validity of Critical Systems Thinking.