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The article reports a study that investigated ideas about critical thinking as held by academics working in a range of disciplines: History; Philosophy; Cultural Studies. At least seven definitional strands were identified in the informants' commentaries, namely critical thinking: i) as judgement; ii) as skepticism; iii) as a simple originality; iv) as sensitive readings; v) as rationality; vi) as an activist engagement with knowledge; and vii) as self-reflexivity. This multiplicity of meanings is thought to have important implications for university teaching and learning. The design of the study and the conclusions drawn from it draw heavily on Wittgenstein's idea of meaning as use.

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This paper examines the link between retirement and health by examining whether mortality changes discontinuously at the Social Security eligibility threshold at age 62. It uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics' Multiple Cause of Death, the Health and Retirement Study, and the Social Security Master Beneficiary Records and Numident Files.Critical components of the analysis include the regression discontinuity framework and the use of detailed objective health outcomes. Key limitations of our estimates are of the effects on mortality net of any anticipatory changes in health investments, the difficulty in knowing whether the results extend to retirement at ages other than 62, and a lack of available data on other objective health outcomes.The paper found that:• Many individuals decide to claim Social Security as soon as they can after turning age 62.• There is a coincident increase in mortality soon after turning 62.• The mortality increase is robust for males but not for females.• The increase in mortality seems to be more connected to stopping work than to claiming Social Security itself.The policy implications of the findings are:• There may be an increase in mortality risks when people stop work.• More research may shed light on the reasons for this and the ways these elevated risks could be reduced.• Initiatives and policies that assist people through the transition to retirement may have health benefits. AbstractSocial Security eligibility begins at age 62, and approximately one third of Americans immediately claim benefits upon reaching that age. We study the link between retirement and health by examining whether mortality changes discontinuously at this threshold. Using mortality data that covers the entire U.S. population and includes exact dates of birth and death, we document a robust two percent increase in overall male mortality immediately after age 62. The rise in mortality is closely connected to changes in labor force participation, implying that mortality increases by approximately 20 percent among those who stop working because Social Security is available.