Plato's allegory of the cave (380 BC) serves as a powerful metaphor for radical thinking. Just as a prisoner breaks free of their chains and leaves the cave to discover a reality beyond the shadows, radical thinking breaks free of the confines of conventional thinking to explore new, transformative perspectives.

Radical thinking is a process of deep reflection that questions the roots of problems and seeks solutions. In academia, radical thinking falls under the umbrella of Critical Theory, where figures such as Angela Davis, Ivan Illich, Judith Butler, Paulo Freire, Chantal Mouffe, Achille Mbembe and many others stand out. Radical thinking challenges norms, proposes alternative visions of the world, questions borders, systems of power and models of education.

Misunderstandings about what 'radical thinking' is are common. With the proliferation of 'prevention of radicalisation' policies - following terrorist attacks such as 9/11 or 11-M - the stigmatisation of the term 'radical' has deepened, acquiring a meaning close to 'terrorism' or 'violence'. The anti-systemic discourse of some political movements also contributes to the term's ambiguity. Just as radical thinking is profoundly different from violent extremism, it is also profoundly different from non-dialogical and segregationist radicalism. The tradition of radical thought advocates a more just, dialogical, pacifist and equitable society.

In his 'Capitalist Realism', Mark Fisher shows how it is now 'easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism'. In addition to positivist hegemony, other phenomena of social alienation are rising - the social acceleration, the burnout society, technocapitalism, etc. For these reasons, it's essential to create safe spaces for radical thinking, to permeate the limits of the social imaginary and to shape alternative utopias - so that it's not easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine a better one.

Read more about "A Desradicalização da Sociedade" (Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD, 2022) [PT]