What Is Criticality?

What do we mean by the concept of criticality? Criticality is, I argue, a Wittgensteinian family resemblance concept. I contend that despite not being a new concept, criticality is still in its maturation stage; that its meanings and uses are still emerging. More to the point, its boundaries, its paradigm markers, are not fixed, but evolving. I argue that criticality’s dynamism includes a disposition for action as well as purposeful thought. Finally, I argue that ontological and epistemological considerations (together with metacognitive processes) are integral to our understanding of criticality. The connection between thinking, being and acting is underlined.