Volume 23, Issue 3, Spring 2004
The Social Dimension of Critical Thinking
William Hare
Pages 37-41
Open-minded Inquiry
A Glossary of Key Concepts
This is a brief guide to the ideal of open-minded inquiry by way of a survey of related notions. Making special reference to the educational context, the aim is to offer teachers an insight into what it would
mean for their work to be influenced by this ideal, and to lead students to a deeper appredation of open-minded inquiry. From assumptions to zealotry, the glossary provides an account of a wide range
of concepts in this family of ideas, reflecting a concern and a connection throughout with the central concept of open-mindedness itself. An intricate network of relationships is uncovered that reveals the
richness of this ideal; and many confusions and misunderstandings that runder a proper appreciation of open-mindedness are identified.