Dare to Think'Dare to Think' is the credo of Ghent University (in Dutch: 'Durf Denken'). Critical and independent brains study, do research and work at Ghent University.
'Dare to Think' is the credo of Ghent University (in Dutch: 'Durf Denken'). Critical and independent brains study, do research and work at Ghent University.
Dare to Think is in our DNA. It is because of those who dare to think, who defy dominant views and strong convictions, that the world progresses and we learned that the earth is not flat and that we are not the centre of the universe.
Daretothink.be
Get inspired by our online magazine with stories of Ghent University students, staff and alumni.
We convey this message at regular intervals, with clever statements in creative communication campaigns.
From 'Dare to Think' to 'To Think is to Dare'
In 2023, we temporarily changed our credo from 'Dare to Think' to 'To Think is to Dare'.
Everything starts with thought. This is something we've been saying for years. But thinking is only half the job. Now more than ever, our thinking needs daring. Ghent University, as a haven for courageous thinkers, prompts everyone to take the step from thinking to daring and doing. We are therefore launching a plea for people to be more daring. Driven by courage. Hope. Idealism. And a healthy dose of contrariness.
We primarily want to use this symbolic action to invite our students, staff and alumni to turn critical thinking into critical action. But we also want to encourage everyone to go beyond that: we want them to show a healthy dose of courage in order to help society grow. We bring this message to the streets, our campuses and social media.
In 2022, the GUM (Ghent University Museum) opened the exhibition 'PHALLUS. Norm & Form' until April 2023.
What do you see down there? We already know a lot about our sexual organs. But actually, there's a lot we don't know either. Moreover, in both science, art and even in broader society, attention is not fairly divided between male and female sex organs.
We want to make this discussable - in all possible norms and forms. With a striking connect-the-dots booklet and drawings on toilet doors, we show that there is more than classic 'dicks' or 'vaginas' (and that vagina is not even always the right word). Very Dare to Think!
Sometimes you have to start with a blank sheet to come up with new insights
In 2020, for the opening and launch of the GUM (Ghent University Museum), we paid tribute to the blank page together. We painted Ghent's iconic Graffiti Street completely white together with street artists, turned our profile pictures and online banners blank and simultaneously published an empty book.
Every blank page, every new page, can lead to a new insight. This way, we can move from truth to truth. Everyone can experience this journey in our science museum. After all, science is a journey of trial and error, doubt and imagination.
Via the flexible Dare to Think label in our brochures, merchandise, ... we make you think. We show that you can also think outside the box. That things are not always as they seem.
