My colleagues from “Peace Line” have asked me to share some points with our esteemed readers about the role of literature in fostering critical thinking and to encourage those interested to explore this necessary matter. How can accessing and researching the ancient literary roots of our culture contribute to the expansion and development of “critical thinking,” or to what extent can the lack of such an approach hinder our country’s progress towards social advancement and democracy?

First, I admit that this issue is so large and complex that addressing its various dimensions requires collective work and extensive research. It may be appropriate to present this discussion in a series of writings in order to shed light on some of its dimensions and deliver the truth. In this brief opportunity that I have been given, I am forced to share a few points on this matter with esteemed readers.

1- First, we must clarify that we mean “critical thinking” in a general sense, not in a philosophical sense. Based on this, we can explain and expand on the above question as follows:

How can the current generation of society, which has a long history of living under a feudal system and experiencing plunder during times of drought and famine, and a ruling structure that has been mostly oppressive, violent, tyrannical, and demanding of obedience, and has always felt the whip of oppression on their backs except for a few privileged classes, equipped with a literary understanding of the remaining literature from previous eras, establish a vision based on the literary and cultural roots of this land and show the ways of progress and achieving democracy through connecting this generation with those abundant sources?

2- The process of change has been and continues to be so rapid, and the governing system has resisted against the demands of reformists in recent decades with such stubbornness and at the same time has attacked the noble literary concepts and seized large portions of cultural productions for its own benefit, that any attempt to rebuild those resources and hope for their use in promoting “critical thinking” has been challenged by some intellectuals; to the point that the extraction of concepts such as “critical thinking” has been faced with the high wall of the discourse of “refusal to think” in the history and literature of ancient Iran, which, although limited, has provided customers for its own market.

3- What is related to the thoughts of wise men, scholars, poets, and even some Sufi mystics, and has been inherited from them, is so difficult and perceived by the younger generation as disconnected from future horizons and far from addressing their tangible needs, that it leaves little desire for studying, revisiting, and extracting concepts such as “critical thinking” from its depths. Moreover, as the wild poet Bafqi says, this wild bird “will not sit on a roof that is not a problem”; meaning that the hope of this generation to find answers for their social and life challenges from the remaining ancient literature, seems out of reach once their hopes are shattered. However, the efforts made to revisit and artistically utilize the ancient literature and bring it to social platforms is a very valuable work, although it is often seen as scattered and incomplete and there is still more work to be done.

4- If we reduce the question to the role of “contemporary literature” in expanding “critical thinking” and do not consider ancient literature and limit it to products such as stories, novels, poetry, theater, children’s literature, and young adult literature, our perspective on the issue will change significantly. It is a source of happiness that we are faced with unique and innovative works in the field of narrative literature and playwriting, even though the number of outstanding works among them is small. Especially in the field of novels, playwriting, and successful theater performances, it can be claimed that we are facing a new wave that, despite the intense pressure and discouraging restrictions of censors, occasionally produces works that are praiseworthy. However, the noteworthy point is that these types of works are sought after more by the middle and upper classes. This approach is different from the production of pop music and especially rap, which is known as “protest music” and carries a sign of critical thinking

5- It should not be overlooked that our ancient literature is not just for entertainment and leisure, but rather, just as Greek philosophy provides a foundation and platform for thinking, our ancient literature and poetry of Hafez, Saadi, Molavi, Nezami and others serve as a platform and report on our way of thinking. We can discover critical thinking methods from this heritage. This means that we can summon Hafez and Khayyam, connect with their era, have a conversation with them, and ask for their help and guidance for our current needs.

6- The final point is that the literature we are seeking for “critical thinking” is not just linguistic fragments and remnants of our ancestors. We are faced with ancient productions that provide a vast field for creative work and intellectualism. If our ancient literature is studied and analyzed by researchers, intellectuals, writers, poets, and other producers of cultural and literary content, we will see the emergence of “critical thinking” methods. The important thing is for the current generation to realize that the way out of Iran’s accumulated crises lies in these roots. If we are seeking to preserve national unity and strengthen a culture of tolerance, dialogue, and criticism, and we are striving for a dignified and structured society, then the path to achieving this goal lies in revisiting literature, even though it may be a difficult and long journey.