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45th Annual International Conference Call for Proposals


We Invite You to Submit a Proposal

for a Concurrent Session or Roundtable Discussion at the
45th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking

July 23-27, 2025
at
The University of Louisville

About Concurrent Sessions and Roundtable Discussions


All Concurrent Session and Roundtable Discussions will be on-site at the University of Louisville.

Concurrent Sessions are in the format of an engaged lecture or interactive data presentation. They should include reasonable time for  answering audience questions, but should primarily be presentations of experience with critical thinking in research,  theory, or practice. Each Concurrent Session runs one hour in length.

Roundtable Discussions are held in circles and are more discourse-based. Typically, Roundtable Presenters will be placed into groups of 2-3 based upon overlapping subject matter. Roundtable Presenters will take their respective turns conducting 10-15 minute presentations, and after all presentations are finished, the discussion will open into a Socratic dialogue among everyone in the circle. All Roundtable Discussions take place concurrently for one hour.

Types of Proposals We Are Seeking


All proposed Guest Presentations should be based on sound research, substantive theory, and/or substantive experience with critical thinking. All proposals will be evaluated by Senior Fellows of the Foundation for Critical Thinking.   

We invite proposals from faculty, administrators, independent scholars,  professionals, military and government personnel, and teachers at all levels; we invite proposals that explore the relationships between critical thinking and reasoning within academic subjects and disciplines, within professions, or within significant domains of human life; we invite proposals that deal with overcoming the barriers to critical thinking development; we welcome proposals focused on cultivating the intellect, and on developing and assessing intellectual constructs in any field of study.

Furthermore, we invite proposals focused on the relationship between critical thinking and the evolution of the public citizen - thus, we invite proposals that highlight the analysis and assessment of thought in connection with the development of intellectual virtues (such as  intellectual humility, intellectual empathy, and intellectual integrity) in any part of life. All proposed Guest Presentations should dovetail with the core concepts of critical thinking presupposed by the Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking.

Guidelines and Requirements for Submitting Your Proposal


Concurrent Session presenters and Roundtable Discussion leaders will be required to register for, and participate in, either the Main Conference (July 24 - July 27) or Full Conference (July 23 - July 27). This is because all elements of the Annual International Conference should be deeply integrated, each building on the others, and each presupposing the same foundational critical thinking concepts and principles. 


To submit a proposal, please email Jon Kalagorgevich at  jon@criticalthinking.org . Proposals must be received on or before February 28, 2025. Please include your proposal directly in the body of the email, rather than as an attachment. (Supporting attachments are acceptable, but the proposal itself should appear within the actual email.) For yourself and for any co-presenters, please include all of the following information in your proposal:

1. Your first and last name. 

2. The name of your institution and your professional title, if applicable. (No profession or affiliation is required to submit a proposal.)

3. Whether you prefer to present a Concurrent Session, Roundtable Discussion topic, or have no preference.

4. The title of the Concurrent Session or Roundtable Discussion you are proposing.

5. A brief abstract, including the purpose/function of your Session or Discussion. If your proposal is approved, this abstract will be published for conference participants to read, so those attending your Session or Discussion should have a reasonably clear idea of what to expect by reading the abstract.

6. A brief description of your conception of critical thinking. E.g., 'To me, critical thinking is . . .' This should be separate from the abstract.

7. Your preferred contact telephone number, in case we need to reach you about time-sensitive matters related to the Concurrent Session or Roundtable Discussion program.





Please do not pass this message by.

CRITICAL THINKING IS AT RISK.

Here are some of the big reasons why:

  1. Many people believe that critical thinking should be free and that scholars qualified to teach critical thinking should do so for free. Accordingly, they do not think they should have to pay for critical thinking textbooks, courses, or other resources when there is "so much free material online" - despite how erroneous that material may be.
  2. There are many misguided academicians, and some outright charlatans, pushing forth and capitalizing on a pseudo-, partial, or otherwise impoverished concept of critical thinking.
  3. Little to no funding is designated for critical thinking professional development in schools, colleges, or universities, despite the lip service widely given to critical thinking (as is frequently found in mission statements).
  4. Most people, including faculty, think they already know what critical thinking is, despite how few have studied it to any significant degree, and despite how few can articulate a coherent, accurate, and sufficiently deep explanation of it.
  5. People rarely exhibit the necessary level of discipline to study and use critical thinking for reaching higher levels of self-actualization. In part, this is due to wasting intellectual and emotional energy on fruitless electronic entertainment designed to be addictive and profitable rather than educational and uplifting.
  6. On the whole, fairminded critical thinking is neither understood, fostered, nor valued in educational institutions or societies.
  7. People are increasingly able to cluster themselves with others of like mind through alluring internet platforms that enable them to validate one another's thinking - even when their reasoning is nonsensical, lopsided, prejudiced, or even dangerous.
  8. Critical thinking does not yet hold an independent place in academia. Instead, "critical thinking" is continually being "defined" and redefined according to any academic area or instructor that, claiming (frequently unsupported) expertise, steps forward to teach it.

As you see, increasingly powerful trends against the teaching, learning, and practice of critical thinking entail extraordinary challenges to our mission. To continue our work, we must now rely upon your financial support. If critical thinking matters to you, please click here to contribute what you can today.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE OUR WORK.

Thank you for your support of ethical critical thinking.