A literacia e seus desafios

We begin by defining the concept of literacy and illustrate its impact on cognitive abilities, in particular on memory and language comprehension. We then consider the hypothesis that literacy contributes to raising the quality and depth of critical thinking. This, in turn, supports the capacity for intellectual self-defense – in terms of cognitive science, “epistemic vigilance” – in relation to fake news and other maneuvers to distort the facts or of lying propaganda. Finally, we discuss the results of pre-tests of an experimental project in which several groups of subliterate adults will receive training in literacy and critical thinking skills.