Philosophy- Critical reasoning
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drexel_105_week_8_class_11.pptxCritical Reasoning
Week 8: Class 1
So far we’ve learned to…
appreciate the importance of critical thinking standards such as clarity, precision, accuracy, consistency, and fairness
distinguish arguments from non-arguments
identify premises and conclusions
recognize hidden assumptions and implied premises and conclusions
distinguish deductive from inductive arguments
assess the logical validity or strength of arguments
distinguish relevant from irrelevant reasons
identify common logical fallacies
Chapter 8: Evaluating Arguments and Truth Claims
Now, we will focus on the question, “When is an argument a good one?”
(I just saw an advanced screening of The World’s End, so you’ll be seeing a lot of references as we go along )
A good argument does NOT
Mean “Agrees with My Views”
Mean “Persuasive Argument”
Mean “Well-Written or Well-Spoken Argument”
You can tell a good argument when …
all the premises are true and the premises provide good reason to accept the conclusion
It is either deductively sound or inductively cogent.
BUT!!!
“it is not enough for an argument to be deductively sound or inductively cogent. It must also satisfy (at least up to a certain threshold) the key critical thinking standards discussed in Chapter 1.”
Key critical thinking standards
Clarity
Precision
Accuracy
Relevance
Consistency
Logical Correctness
Completeness
Fairness
Most Important
Accuracy: Are all the premises true?
Logical correctness: Is the reasoning correct? Is the argument deductively valid or inductively strong?
But other critical thinking standards must also be taken into account, as well.
And now for something English…
Monty Python Bonus Extravaganza!
Due via email on Friday by 7pm
1-2 bonus points added to your lowest grade!
Make a PowerPoint presentation outlining the argument given for discovering whether this woman is or is not a witch. Name the premises and conclusion, show whether it is deductive or inductive, etc. Basically, is it a good argument or a bad argument, why or why not? Be sure to show your work!
Extra points for creativity!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9PY_3E3h2c
What is a NOT a good argument?
What IS a good argument?
From last time
Are the premises true?
Is the reasoning correct? Is the argument deductively valid or inductively strong?
Does the arguer commit any logical fallacies?
General Guidelines…
Does the arguer express his or her points clearly and precisely?
Are the premises relevant to the conclusion?
Are the arguer’s claims logically consistent? Do any of the arguer’s claims contradict other claims made in the argument?
General Guidelines…
Is the argument complete? Is all relevant evidence taken into account (given understandable limitations of time, space, context, and so on)?
Is the argument fair?
Is the arguer fair in his or her presentation of the evidence and treatment of opposing arguments and views?
General Guidelines
Never to believe without sufficient evidence
Never to believe more strongly than the evidence warrants
watchwords of the wise
What do you believe about this picture?
principle of rational acceptance
generally speaking, it is reasonable to accept a claim if
the claim does not conflict with personal experiences that we have no good reason to doubt
the claim does not conflict with background beliefs that we have no good reason to doubt
the claim comes from a credible source.
WHEN IS IT REASONABLE TO ACCEPT A PREMISE?
Critical thinkers also recognize that their beliefs, hopes, fears, expectations, and biases can affect their observations.
In short, personal experiences are often less reliable than we think.
We need to be aware that often “believing is seeing” and that things are not always as they appear.
Does the Claim Conflict with Our Personal Experiences?
The problem is that most of us place too much confidence in the accuracy of our background beliefs.
If our backgrounds beliefs are unreliable, any beliefs based on them will also be unreliable.
Does the Claim Conflict with Our Background Beliefs?
The source is not a genuine expert or authority.
The source is speaking outside his or her area of expertise.
The source is biased or has some other motive to lie or mislead.
The accuracy of the source’s personal observations or experiences is questionable.
The source is contained in a source (e.g., a supermarket tabloid or sensationalistic Web site) that is generally unreliable.
The source has not been cited correctly or has been quoted out of context.
The issue is one that cannot be settled by expert opinion.
The claim made by the source is highly improbable on its face.
Does the Claim Come from a Credible Source?
For Next Time…
Journal 7 due Wednesday!
Find ONE article (this can be from a newspaper, magazines, internets website, etc.) that gives an argument for or against a single topic. First, state the conclusion which the AUTHOR of the article takes. Then identify the author's premises. Utilize the critiquing discussed in Chapter 8 in order to show whether the author has a good argument or a bad argument and why. This analysis should be at least 350 words.
