Who is behind ThinkCritical.eu and why
ThinkCritical.eu teaches you to spot scams, manipulation and disinformation in practice. Here you’ll find why it exists, who is behind it, what the courses draw on and how we fund it.
Why ThinkCritical.eu exists
ThinkCritical.eu was created above all to help people. As a volunteer helping non-profit organisations with digitalisation, I see up close the risks people face online and on the phone today:
- Scam text messages and calls from someone posing as a bank, the police or a delivery company.
- Investment scams promising quick and certain profits.
- Disinformation and manipulated news on social media.
- Artificial intelligence that can imitate the voice of someone close to you.
Those hit hardest are people with no one to ask. When a suspicious message arrives or an unknown number rings, they have to decide on their own.
That’s why we want to teach critical thinking as practically as first aid: short, clear, based on real examples and for every generation.
Who is behind it
Bc. Pavel Cinkeis, MBA, MPA
Founder and course author
Trainer, moderator and consultant. I founded the project to help people protect themselves against scams, manipulation and disinformation.
- Education
- A degree in journalism (Bc.), an MBA focused on business applications of artificial intelligence and an MPA in public administration.
- Training experience
- Many years in corporate learning – as an internationally certified trainer (certifications in both specialist and soft skills) and a certified moderator, as well as in learning management and development. Online and face to face.
- Today
- Independent consultant in IT architecture and IT business. Volunteer at Česko.Digital, helping non-profit organisations with digitalisation free of charge.
- Personal
- Father of five.
Thematic specialists and collaboration
We create the course content together with other expert trainers who contribute as thematic specialists in their fields.
We’re open to collaboration
Local awareness events
We’re happy to help organise a seminar, talk or discussion – for a municipality, library, school, association or seniors’ club.
Authorship
Do you know a topic in depth? You can join as an author or co-author of a course or lesson. We’ll agree on a model of collaboration that suits both sides.
What we draw on
Our courses combine the latest trends and real, current cases with academic material. We rely mainly on these frameworks, studies and sources:
Critical thinking and decision-making
Facione, P. A. (1990)
American Philosophical Association · ERIC ED315423
Consensus of a 46-expert panel convened by the American Philosophical Association on what critical thinking is – skills and dispositions.
Paul, R. & Elder, L.
The Elements of Reasoning and the Intellectual Standards (opens in a new window)
The Foundation for Critical Thinking
Elements of reasoning and intellectual standards: clarity, accuracy, relevance, logic.
Kahneman, D. (2011)
Thinking, Fast and Slow (opens in a new window)
Fast and slow thinking and cognitive biases.
Tetlock, P. E. & Gardner, D. (2015)
Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction (opens in a new window)
Estimating probabilities and deciding under uncertainty.
Lyons, B. A. et al. (2021)
PNAS 118(23)
People who overrate their ability to spot false news are more likely to fall for it.
Verifying information online
Wineburg, S. & McGrew, S. (2019)
Teachers College Record 121(11) · DOI 10.1177/016146811912101102
Lateral reading: how professional fact-checkers evaluate sources.
Digital Inquiry Group (Stanford History Education Group)
Civic Online Reasoning (opens in a new window)
Teaching materials for evaluating online sources (originally from Stanford University).
Caulfield, M. (2019)
SIFT (The Four Moves) (opens in a new window)
Four quick moves: stop, investigate the source, find better coverage, trace claims to the original.
Caulfield, M. & Wineburg, S. (2023)
University of Chicago Press
A practical guide to checking information online.
Resilience to manipulation (prebunking)
Roozenbeek, J. & van der Linden, S. (2019)
Palgrave Communications 5, 65
A game in which you try out manipulation techniques builds resistance to misinformation.
Roozenbeek, J. et al. (2022)
Science Advances 8(34)
Short videos that show manipulation techniques in advance (prebunking) help people recognise them.
European and international frameworks
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (2022)
DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (opens in a new window)
The European framework of digital competences for citizens.
UNESCO
Media and Information Literacy (opens in a new window)
Media and information literacy.
Warnings from practice
Policie České republiky
Kyberkriminalita (opens in a new window)
Czech Police: current scams and what to do (in Czech).
Česká národní banka
Upozornění ČNB na aktivity (opens in a new window)
Czech National Bank: warnings about unlicensed firms and fraudulent offers (in Czech).
Česká bankovní asociace
Desatero bezpečnosti (opens in a new window)
Czech Banking Association: rules for safe banking (in Czech).
We draw on these frameworks and studies; this is not a certification or endorsement by these organisations. You’ll find the main sources of each course on its page.
How we fund the project
We see ThinkCritical.eu as support for civil society rather than as a business.
Most courses are free. Income from paid courses, gift vouchers and training for organisations pays for:
- running the website
- developing and regularly updating the content
- free access for vulnerable groups
- organising educational seminars
Do you work with people who can’t afford a paid course – such as older people, people in difficult circumstances or a non-profit organisation? Write to us at mysli@kriticky.cz and we’ll gladly arrange free access.
There are no ads on the site and we don’t sell your data.
Independence
I hold no public or political office and have no conflict of interest that could influence the course content. If that ever changes, I will say so here.
When we make a mistake
We can get things wrong too, and information can go out of date. If you find a mistake in a lesson, let us know using the “Report a mistake” link at the end of every lesson, or write to mysli@kriticky.cz. We’ll fix it as soon as possible and update the course’s “Updated” date.
Contact
For questions, ideas and offers of collaboration, email is the best way to reach us.
mysli@kriticky.cz