To focus on the advantages of being human and in preparation for next week’s webinar, Hyper Island’s Master’s Programmes Academic Lead Dr Rebecca Taylor shares a very candid, heart-felt provocation. Designed to fire up your curiosity and channel your imagination, find out how practical wisdom can make critical thinking accessible and actionable. You have it in you, but where do you start? How do you navigate this?
format_quote“Thinking is an action.
The heartbeat of critical thinking
is the longing to know—to
understand how life works.”
bell hooks, Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical
Wisdom (2010)
I, we, fellow humans, have the freedom to engage in bell hooks’ words of wisdom. We have the freedom to not only be prompted to take action, but to process, ask clarifying questions unique to our own experiences and observations.
More recently I have noticed that I am being called into action by practical wisdom wordsmiths. I’m feeling a sense of responsibility, to stretch beyond my comfort zone - so here I am. In an attempt to channel energies where I truly believe we collectively, as humans, need to focus, I’m somehow taking those first steps, framing my thoughts, my processes - asking myself to reflect on three driving Qs:
- What is my human-generated viewpoint on the advantages of being human?
- Why do I believe so strongly in critical thinking?
- How might I grow in confidence to know this and stand strong in it?
I have a choice.
Do I stay on the surface, plugging diligently at my keyboard until the machine tells me what I need to do and say?
OR… do I dare to see what surfaces when I ask ‘what if…?’ What if I give myself permission to design my own learning experience and ask if fellow humans want to join me? What if I trust in my own voice, my own way of sense-making? In doing so this it might not only benefit myself but others too.
This is it.
I’m doing it.
I’m choosing to make time and space for an Alice in Wonderland down the rabbit hole learning experience.
Eeeek.
Fellow humans, it would be boring alone, fancy joining me?
Fancy a human-sense-making voyage of discovery?
We might even grow in confidence.
I’m in.
But wait… before we meet on Weds 14 May and before we go on this voyage, this expedition, I feel a sense of responsibility to care for our process. Why? Because if the learning, design and facilitation works (or maybe it doesn’t) it’s all good, we can still learn from it and do something differently next time.
Preparedness is key.
- Orientate ourselves
- Pack a few things, unpack a few things, repack a few things
- Prepare our minds (and our bodies)
Let’s do this.
What are we preparing for?
A voyage. An expedition.
An Alice in Wonderland tumble into a rabbit hole type exploration.
Next Wednesday we’ll meet at the metaphorical rabbit hole marked: ‘The Human Advantage’. My intention is to host a webinar that signposts us through the burrows and the tunnels and, at points I’ll facilitate a pause for thought, for reflection. Stretching the metaphor is welcomed. Applying a surrealist view on the time and space in this rabbit hole will only aid how we meet our humanness in this space. Imagine if you will how we’d move in person in the space, perhaps shuffling up a little awkwardly to make room for everyone. That works, that’s human. We’ll stand alongside one another to stop and think for a moment. The space you take up is there for you to fill - no thought too big or too small. You have a role to play, a human one, and you’ll make sense of what that means in the process.
Why does my role as a human matter in the world just now?
Life as a human is experience-led.
I’m learning. Everyday. I’m learning what it means to be a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, an employee at Hyper Island, an educator, a mentor, a facilitator…
However, full disclosure, it has taken me until the beginning of this year to stop and actually ask myself, who am I if my role is to be human?
Building on the previous webinars from my dear coworkers/friends, I’m compelled to join the dots and, in this noisy landscape of podcasts, there’s no better viewpoint than Indy Johar. When he asks, what does the new human-machine synthesis model look like? He’s offering up suggestions to his question, which helps me to see the vitality and applicability in the theory in practice. Johar’s call-to-action therefore is anything but bleak, it’s a challenge I’m willing to become more actively curious of and get behind…
“The value of being human in our economy is flatlined… our economy is systemically devaluing humans so if we really want to transform the future one of the big things we’re going to have to do is transform what it means to be human. This is the great project. If we’re going to counter the theory of AI and everything else and rebuild a new human economy, we’re going to have to build a new economy that is adjunct and in synthesis with the machine economy. Our capacity to do this is critical.” Johar, 2025 - Philip McKenzie’s The Deep Dive Podcast Ep.209: 11:17)
How do I/we assess our own capacity to comprehend this call-to-action?
To transform what it means to be human let’s firstly touch base with an advantage of being human championed by none other than Sir Ken Robinson.
Imagination.
Sir Ken Robinson and his daughter Kate Robinson bravely collaborated on his last book before he passed away - Imagine If… their first chapter? ‘The Human Advantage’ (2022, p.xxvi)
What a starting point, also the title of our webinar next week: The Human Advantage (AKA ‘the rabbit hole’) and to explore together we must activate a self-awareness of our imagination.
Ignite it.
Our exploration, our voyage, our expedition will be a learning experience unlike any other.
Before we meet, even from here to the meeting point, you’ll make your own way there. Your brain is already bending, flexing, digesting and making sense of daily news, daily tasks, juggling your work/life priorities. Even when we meet at the rabbit hole and step into it together we’ll take something from the experience that is unique to each one of us.
Allow me this opportunity to propose a stipulation, let’s have an awesome story of reflections and learnings and let’s share that with other fellow humans long after this very human experience together.
Remember, this is our first expedition in this formation with one another into this particular rabbit hole. Here we will activate our imagination and explore the role of being human and the human advantage. The invitation is to therefore show up as human - minus the getting in your own way.
In preparation for this learning experience we can again take inspiration from the Robinsons (2022), we’re not alone in this endeavour: “...what separates us from the rest of life on Earth…[is] our incredible capacity for imagination [it] is what has made our lives as they are now, possible…. To navigate the turbulent times we are experiencing, it is our only hope. To tackle the existential problems in our cultures, we have to become more human, not less.” (Robinson & Robinson 2022)
2. Pack a few things, unpack a few things, repack a few things
If we’re going to fundamentally explore what is ‘the human advantage’ and how can critical thinking skills support you/each of us? We need to remember that you/each of us are essential in today’s digital world. Even if that might mean we’re ‘that human’ that shows up with all the gear and no idea. Yes, that human.
Confession: sometimes I’m that human, I’m also the opposite of that human and everything in between, and here is where I find a little self-reflection interesting and helpful for our expedition. Sometimes I get in my own way. I might not recognise the value in the skills, the human attributes - ‘the gear’ - I carry into my roles as a human in my team let alone the world today. Take a moment to reflect on what you notice about what you do and don’t carry with you.

Jonny English Strikes Again (2018)
For the benefit of our learning, our metaphor acts as ‘the object as experience’, the ‘thing’ we learn through, our dialogue, and in this instance I’m referring to the gear you carry as a human - the skills, qualities and attributes you can equip yourself with when you reach into your backpack for some reassurance… permission… confidence. For instance: self-awareness - pack that for sure. Your curiosity - yes please, that. And critical thinking? You might not know it, but see it to believe it, those critical thinking skills can be something you break down and reach for when you need it. We’ll take a look at Richard Paul and Linda Elder’s work and what they refer to as eight ‘Elements of Thought’ (2020, p.14) as the central focus to all reasoning. These eight elements are fundamental to activating your critical thinking. We’ll look a little at how you can carry these in your backpack and the value you carry with you into your actions in the world of work/life.
We can all aim to grow in confidence - and I believe by better understanding what we carry and contribute as humans we can work together on what we have and don’t (yet) have to fulfil our potential.
If you’re coming on this journey with me, bring with you that metaphorical backpack - whatever is in it, bring it.
If what I mention above is not making sense yet, that’s ok. Remain curious of the dialogue that emerges in what might seem like metaphorical madness but is actually your imagination taking flight, igniting and engaging to support you in making sense of some of life’s most complex things. Trust yourself.
3. Prepare your mind (and your body)
Disclaimer:
There’s no one formula. I’m not trained in psychology, human behaviour, metacognition or neuroscience. You are your own responsibility. I’m simply a fellow human, with a depth of curiosity, desire and fundamental need to navigate this world and its challenges with you.
How we choose to think will matter.
The value will be in the process as much as the content.
Whilst I have not got all the answers, I believe that in my backpack, one of the most vital and valuable attributes of being human, alongside imagination is: critical thinking.
When we meet, come with an open mind, your curiosity and good intentions will serve you well (and… sensible footwear and a snack may also help).
Take a moment to read and reflect back on this blog post. It’s a preface to our exploration together. In a bid to get your mind (and body) in shape for our time together, the tone, the texture of this article in itself has been carefully considered, designed to prompt you to learn with me. What you notice will matter, what you choose to notice - and think with - will also matter.
For now, I’ve decided to pop the Gen AI tool(s) to one side. You, fellow human(s), are my co-pilot(s). This was and is me, my voice.
I’ve consciously framed this blog post and the webinar coming up as our shared learning experience. Our ‘dialogical aesthetic’ (Kester 2004). This supports our learning experience, our journey of sense-making. By activating your imagination and meeting me at the metaphorical rabbit hole it means together we can see the value in a coming together to explore, engage in a facilitated dialogue and exchange.
A dialogical aesthetic is, as socially engaged arts practitioner Grant Kester suggests;
“It is our reflective "apperception"* of these operations that allows us to intuit the existence of a ground for communication (and potential unity) with other human beings.” (Kester, 2004, p.108)
* Apperception: the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas they already possess.
We will explore practical tools - the kind that you can add into that backpack. We’ll be realistic and touch upon the scope and limitation of ‘tools’ and we’ll spend a moment noticing what serves and supports us in boosting our confidence to stand strong in critical thinking skills.
I’ll weave in examples, insights and key principles from the Hyper Island Master’s Level Mindset and you’ll notice how, in the process (or in the processing thereafter), your learning(s) can turn into action(s).
And with that ambition and intention, let’s be reminded of that big overarching question that no doubt haunts some and excites and motivates others.
What is the advantage in being human?
Until we meet at the rabbit role, let’s remain curious about the words of Indy Johar, “We’re going to discover the truths together…” (Johar, 2025 - Philip McKenzie’s The Deep Dive Podcast Ep.209: 4:01)
Ready to step into the Rabbit hole?
Join us for The Human Advantage webinar on Wednesday, May 14 — hosted by Rebecca Taylor. Sign up here!
Not only is Rebecca hosting the webinar, she’s also an Academic Lead of Hyper Island’s Master’s Programs.
Curious to learn more? Visit our website and explore how our programs might be the next step on your journey.


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