Critical thinking in the context of the expansion of neural networks: Narrative as an existential filter

Natalya P. Sukhanova, PhD (Philosophy), Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, Russia, eLibrary SPIN-code: 2647-7829, AuthorID: 599434, е-mail: konfngi@yandex.ru

The paradoxical nature of the situation with neural networks lies in the fact that the easier the access to ready-made solutions, the more difficult it is for a person to maintain the ability to think independently. The research optics are aimed at studying the potential of narrative in the context of developing critical thinking in students in the era of dominance of neural network technologies. The thesis is analyzed that the traditional tools of the university course “Logic and Critical Thinking” reveal insufficiency in the conditions of algorithmic abundance, requiring supplementation with an existential dimension of narrative. The essential characteristics of narrative as a way of organizing subjective experience and forming identity as opposed to impersonal machine generation of content are revealed. Particular attention is paid to the role of narrative as an existential filter that allows recording temporality and value preferences. Narrative practices integrated into the course are shown as contributing to the construction of a new literacy of participants, which involves the ability to recognize hidden meanings and contexts behind information structures. The importance of narrative for the preservation and development of natural intelligence in dialogic relations with artificial intelligence is substantiated.

Keywords: education, logic, critical thinking, narrative, neural networks, language

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