THE goal of a humanities education, we’ve been told, is to cultivate critical thinking. But if critical thinking involves asking questions, scrutinising assumptions, and setting aside preconceived opinions, why should this be the ultimate end of the intellectual enterprise? The search for truth must offer something more than the inconclusive uncertainty of the critical thinker.
This is not to say that critical thinking is not a valuable ability to have. In any intellectual endeavour, critical thinking is indispensable. But it cannot and should not be the end of that endeavour. Why must a seeker of truth settle for a fleeting state of knowledge, remaining always ready to move to the next truth that comes his way?
The critical
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