Critical Thinking and Bioethical Sensibility Towards Animals in Children by Bruno Ćurko, EACAS 2025

Fostering Critical Thinking and Bioethical Sensibility Towards Animals in Children Speaker: Bruno Ćurko, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, Croatia This talk examines how education can cultivate critical thinking and bioethical sensibility in children to help them engage with ethical dilemmas in human–animal relationships. Through meaningful discussions and reflective activities, young learners can develop the cognitive and emotional tools needed to evaluate the moral implications of their actions and society’s treatment of non-human animals. Bruno Ćurko highlights three core strategies: Critical Thinking Development, Empathy-Driven Pedagogy, and Bioethics in Curricula. He advocates age-appropriate frameworks that encourage children to question, analyze, and reflect on ethical issues related to animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Methods such as philosophical inquiry and storytelling are emphasized for their ability to deepen both emotional connection and rational understanding of animals’ experiences. Integrating bioethical themes into existing educational programs is presented as key to fostering a holistic awareness of the interconnectedness of human, animal, and planetary well-being. Real-world issues such as animal exploitation and sustainable diets are used to connect theory and practice, inspiring a sense of responsibility and justice in students. By linking critical thinking with bioethics, this approach empowers children to become active participants in shaping a more equitable and sustainable coexistence with non-human animals. About the Speaker Bruno Ćurko is the founder and secretary of the Association for Supporting Informal Education, Critical Thinking, and Philosophy in Practice “Petit Philosophy.” Since 2009, he has led over 1,400 workshops with children and authored three books in Croatian, including Education for Animals – Development of Critical Thinking and Bioethical Sensibility in Children (2022). He heads the Curriculum Working Group for the subject The World and I (critical opinion), leads Croatia’s delegation to the International Philosophical Olympiad, and has co-authored multiple educational guides and materials within Erasmus+ and Comenius projects.