Fundamentals of Crit. Thinking
2 fundamental components of reasoning
claims and arguments
Reasoning through evidential support
Inductive reasoning
"Dogs are like cats because both have fur, so they should be fed the same diet."
False equivalence
Incorrect information spread without malicious intent
Misinformation
Reasoning is grounded in ______, which is always changing and varies in contexts
Language
Deductive reasoning requires at least ___ true premises to reach a conclusion
2
"I died after I ate pickles. Pickles killed me"
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
this ethical framework would likely pull the lever to save five lives, even if it sacrifices one.
Utilitarianism
Arguably the strongest form of evidence in a murder trial
Direct evidence
"Profit is the most important goal" is an example of a _____ assumption
Value
"Two students in 6th period always sleep in class. That class is full of lazy people."
Hasty generalization
Believing what aligns with your held views
Confirmation bias
"Taller people tend to have larger shoes" is an example of a _____.
correlation
Why is inductive reasoning considered imperfect?
Evidence about the past does not guarantee future results
"Eating pickles is bad because they are bad for you"
Begging the question (will also take circular reasoning)
This framework would insist you keep a promise, even if breaking it would benefit more people.
Deontology
Example of indirect evidence that your cat meowed.
Remembering that your cat meowed, someone telling you they meowed...
Drawing a conclusion on one thing based on its similarity to another
Argument from analogy
"If we allow people to build wind farms, soon they’ll start putting turbines in every backyard, and before you know it, our neighborhoods will be covered in giant windmills."
Reductio ad absurdum
Unlike utilitarianism, this framework does not prioritize happiness or consequences when evaluating actions.
Deontology