I’ve established Critical Thinking, a nonprofit institution on 04-04-2022, a time when the world was recovering from a pandemic, Europe was at war, global economies were in recession, inflation of basic goods prices was reaching new highs… Many were barring scars of fatigue from all the paradoxes, contradictions and conflicts… I felt that something needed to be done…
The mission of the institution is simple, yet ambitious:
“Accelerate the spread of first principals and critical thinking”
What does this mean in practice?
Through the institution I want to help people discover the rights tools, methods and information, which can be used and applied critically to understand why things are the way they are, how to make better choices, develop new skills, accumulate experience and, ultimately, achieve desired outcomes.
Institutional goals:
- Build a workshop, where people can practice simple to medium complexity engineering, incl.:
- automotive projects
- custom fabrication
- I/O and IoT device prototyping
- etc.
- Inspire people to think critically, via:
- lectures
- articles
- meetups
- etc.
Who is the target audience?
It is you! If you are passionate about electrical, mechanical, hardware or software engineering… Or perhaps you love to contrast studying philosophy with running DIY projects… You can both be influenced by and have influence on the institution.
What Critical Thinking is not?
Critical Thinking is not a cult, religion or political movement. It is a prerogative that all activities performed by the institution stem from multidisciplinary, first principles thinking, leaning on well established science in the fields of physics, philosophy, evolutionary biology, psychology and computation theory.
Critical Thinking is not a for-profit organisation. All of the funds made available to the institution are and will be used to further the mission. Neither myself (the founder), nor my family members, are employed by the institution, and any work performed by me on behalf of the institution is done so voluntarily.
What has been achieved so far?
One of the primary goals, namely construction of the 40m2 workshop is in progress.
A lot has been achieved without any external support, but as the old saying goes “one man in the field is not a warrior”.
With your help the “Critical workSHOP” can be launched in summer of 2022!
Here’s what members can expect at launch:
- TIG/ MIG MAG Welding station
- Car lift system (up to 2,5 tons)
- High pressure washer, industrial vacuum, detailing supplies
- Air compressor and basic air tools
- Collection of manual wrenches and tools
- Workbench, soldering station, wiring, connectors, etc.
- Ultrasonic bath, hotplate, mixer, lab beakers and flasks
- HEPA air filtration system
- Mini fridge with cooled beverages
- and more…
How to become an active member?
The simplest way to become an active contributor is by filing a tax form (LT citizens only), letting the government know that you’d like to donate a percentage of your income tax to Critical Thinking NPI. The best part is that this will cost you absolutely nothing!
In case you can contribute financially consider these additional options:
Membership has its unique quirks, beyond just access to the Critical workSHOP. You will be invited to the contributor-only chatgroup, where you will get access to progress updates, insider discussions and be able to influence the future of Critical Thinking via polls and direct feedback.
other forms of support
Not ready to commit to a membership yet? Not a problem! Consider feeding the critical 🐹 a piece of 🥧 …
…or just drop any amount into the critical tip🫙.
Hope to see you soon in the “Critical workSHOP”!
“Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing…”
Maya Angelou
Martin Shreder 