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Make a Name Card

Write the name you would like to be called


in this class

I like to be called “Ian”


Critical Thinking

Ian Brooks
PHIL 105
Week 1
Handout - Syllabus

The basic information you need to know about the course


What is Critical Thinking?
What is Critical Thinking?
Why do we need Critical Thinking?
Why do we need Critical Thinking?
People who lead you away from the truth
What is Critical Thinking?
Two worries about doubt
Don’t worry about doubt
How do we get out of doubt?
Critical Thinking
Game
Game
Game
Game
Homework
Game Review
Game Review
A Strange Game?
A Strange Game?
Motivation and Intention
Critical Thinking Matters Most
When the Stakes are High
Critical Thinking Matters Most
When the Stakes are High
Critical Thinking Matters Most
When the Stakes are High
Next – Going Through the Syllabus
Next – Going Through the Syllabus
Syllabus – Participation Task
Next – Going Through the Syllabus
This is Our Textbook
This is Our Textbook
You Should Bring This Textbook to Every Lecture
You Should Bring This Textbook to Every Lecture
You Should Bring This Textbook to Every Lecture
Next – Going Through the Syllabus
Handout - Syllabus
Everyone is welcome here
Everyone is welcome here
Everyone is welcome here
We want to knock barriers down
We want to knock barriers down
Illness
Illness, Injury, Emotions
First, Get Well!
Illness, Injury, Emotions
Second, Inform Your Professors
Grading
Grading
Contact
Boundaries
Complex Language Can Be a Problem
Questions Help Everyone!
Questions Help Everyone!
Advice – Take Notes in English
Advice – Take Notes in English
Advice – Take Notes in English
Advice – Take Notes in English
Advice – Take Notes in English
What’s Coming
What’s Coming
What’s Coming
Other Things in the Syllabus
Questions?
Questions?
Participation Today
What Will We Examine In This Course?
What Will We Examine In This Course?
What Sentences Can Be Doubted?
What Sentences Can Be Doubted?
What Sentences Can Be Doubted?
Many sentences do not provide information
Many sentences do not provide information
What sentences can be doubted?
What sentences can be doubted? Assertions
Evidence
Physical Evidence
Verbal Evidence
Verbal Evidence
Verbal Evidence
Verbal Evidence
Verbal Evidence
Verbal Evidence
Verbal Evidence
The Doubts of Descartes
Physical Evidence  Verbal Evidence
How Do We Use Verbal Evidence?
What is an argument?
What is an argument?
What is an argument?
What is an argument?
What is an argument?
What is an argument?
What is an argument?

Some things in space do not orbit the Earth


What is an argument?
What is an argument?
What do we call a good argument?
What do we call a good argument?
Example – How to Write Down an
Argument in Standard Form
Example – How to Write Down an
Argument in Standard Form
Example
Example
Example
Evaluate the Example
Evaluate: What is needed for an argument to
support an assertion? Here are two tests…
Evaluate: What is needed for an argument to
support an assertion? Here are two tests…
Evaluate: What is needed for an argument to
support an assertion? Here are two tests…
Next Lecture: Ambiguity
Evaluating
Connect together in the right way…
…what does that mean?
Connect together in the right way…
…what does that mean?
Recognizing arguments
Recognizing arguments
This is not an argument
Recognizing arguments
Recognizing arguments
Indicator Words – a Conclusion
Indicator Words – a Conclusion
Indicator Words – a Premise
Indicator Words – Example
Indicator Words – Example
Indicator Words – Warning
Indicator Words – Warning
Recognizing Arguments - Practice
Reminder: How to Write Down an
Argument in Standard Form
Practice Questions
If You Find an Argument, Write It Down In Standard Form
#1) Carlos is a great cook. We should all agree that is true
because he studied at the famous Auguste Escoffier School
of Culinary Arts (AESCA). Most people who study there
become great cooks.

#2) Bonita is a great cook. She has invited many people to


her party on Tuesday. She is planning to make a recipe
called Buddha’s Delight.

#3) The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin


is a great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no
lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot
make Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s
birthday?
Practice Q#1
Carlos is a great cook. We should all agree that is true
because he studied at the famous Auguste Escoffier School
of Culinary Arts (AESCA). Most people who study there
become great cooks.
Practice Q#1 – Has An Argument
Carlos is a great cook. We should all agree that is true
because he studied at the famous Auguste Escoffier School
of Culinary Arts (AESCA). Most people who study there
become great cooks.

Carlos studied at AESCA


Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
Carlos is a great cook
Practice Q#1 – Has An Argument
Carlos studied at AESCA
Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
Carlos is a great cook

Conclusion guaranteed to be true?


Practice Q#1 – Has An Argument
Carlos studied at AESCA
Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
Carlos is (probably) a great cook

No guarantee (not 100% sure)

That’s OK! It’s a rationally persuasive argument! (99% sure)

The evidence is a good reason to believe that Carlos is a


good cook
Practice Q#1 – Has An Argument
Carlos studied at AESCA
Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
Carlos is (probably) a great cook

No guarantee (not 100% sure)

That’s OK! It’s a rationally persuasive argument! (99% sure)

The evidence is a good reason to believe that Carlos is a


good cook
Practice Q#2
Bonita is a great cook. She has invited many people to her
party on Tuesday. She is planning to make a recipe called
Buddha’s Delight.
Practice Q#2 – No Argument

Bonita is a great cook. She has invited many people to her


party on Tuesday. She is planning to make a recipe called
Buddha’s Delight.

No assertions that support other assertions  no premises


Practice Question #3
The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin is a
great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no
lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot
make Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s
birthday?
Practice Question #3
The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin is a
great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no
lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot
make Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s
birthday?

That sentence is not part of any argument


Not an assertion

What about the rest of the paragraph?


Practice Question #3
The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin is a
great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no
lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot
make Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s
birthday?

That sentence is a definition (more next lecture)


A person who already knew the meaning of the word
avgolemono would not need to see that sentence
Not part of the argument
Practice Question #3
The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin is a
great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no
lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot
make Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s
birthday?

Indicator word for a conclusion


Practice Question #3
The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin is a
great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no lemons
cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot make
Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s birthday?

Any person who has no lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup


Alwin is a person who has no lemons
Alwin cannot make Avgolemono soup
Practice Question #3
The word avgolemono means an egg-lemon soup. Alwin is a
great cook, but he has no lemons. A person who has no lemons
cannot make Avgolemono soup, so Alwin cannot make
Avgolemono soup. Did you know that it’s Alwin’s birthday?

Any person who has no lemons cannot make Avgolemono soup


Alwin is a person who has no lemons
Alwin cannot make Avgolemono soup

Doesn’t matter that he’s a good cook – not relevant


 no one can make this soup without lemons
Reminder: How to Write Down an
Argument in Standard Form
How do arguments work?
Logic and Emotion
Logic

A kind of math we feed into computers?

A way of life?
Purpose of this Course?

A kind of math we feed into computers?


Yes - A class in techniques and problem solving

A way of life?
Yes - A class in learning new habits of thinking
Logic
Logic is the basis of geometry
Logic and Certainty

All humans will die.


I am a human.
Therefore I will die.

The conclusion is as certain as 1+1=2


Abstraction
Logic and Abstraction

All humans will die.


I am a human.
Therefore I will die.

We can turn this into a sort of equation…


Logic and Abstraction

All X will Y.
A is an X.
Therefore A will Y.

The conclusion is as certain as 1+1=2


Logic and Abstraction

All X will Y.
A is an X.
Therefore A will Y.

Logic doesn’t care what subject you’re arguing about


Logic only insists that your argument have the right shape
Logic and Certainty

All humans will die.


I am a human.
Therefore I will die.

The conclusion is as certain as 1+1=2


Wait – is that conclusion certain?
Logic and Counterarguments
Only four possibilities

There is something wrong with the logic


It is false that all humans will die.
It is false that I am a human.
I will die.

At least one of those four sentences MUST be true


Logic and Counterarguments
Only four possibilities

There is something wrong with the logic


It is false that all humans will die.
It is false that I am a human.
I will die.

The argument is logical


At least one of those three sentences MUST be true
How Logic Feels

This can create a feeling of being forced to pick one


That feeling makes it hard to lie to yourself
That feeling can be strong enough to motivate action
The Weakness of Logic

Critical thinking can only persuade people who care about


the truth more than they care about what feels good
The Alternative to Logic

You can live a pretty good life without critical thinking


The Weakness of Logic

Critical thinking can only persuade people who care about


the truth more than they care about what feels good

Critical thinking may be less effective at persuading a mob


than appeals to emotion
The Power of Logic

For a person who does care about truth, thinking logically


can help you avoid mistakes

In life and on tests, going slow and step by step

Next section of the lecture: “fallacies”


Logic Practice
Do the premises support the conclusion?

Look at the sentences I will show you


Put the argument you find in standard form
Use abstraction to turn them into something like an equation

(Simplified version of what we will be doing later in the course)


Logic Practice #1

No human being can flap his arms and fly. Ian is a human
being. Therefore Ian cannot fly like a bird.
Logic Practice #2

All students who graduate will have skills that employers are
looking for. All people who have skills that employers are
looking for will soon be hired. Therefore, all graduating
students will get a job shortly after graduating.
Logic Practice #3

Everyone will pass the course, since anyone who works hard
and asks for help when they need it will pass and most
people will do those things.
Logic Practice #4

At least one of us was born in China. Because every part of


China is inside Asia it must be true that at least one of us
was born in Asia.
.
Review: Evaluating Arguments
Evaluating Arguments: Two Tests
Next: Fallacies
Fallacies
Fallacies
Not In Correct Logical Form?
This Pattern
It’s Called the “Non Sequitur” Fallacy
This Pattern
It’s Called the “Non Sequitur” Fallacy
This Pattern
It’s Called the “Non Sequitur” Fallacy
Example of Non Sequitur Fallacy
Example of Non Sequitur Fallacy
Fallacies are Bad Arguments in Disguise
Fallacies are Bad Arguments in Disguise
Another Fallacy
The “False Dichotomy” Pattern
Example
It Looks Almost Exactly Like
A Rationally Persuasive Argument
The Pattern of the False Dichotomy Fallacy
(also called “false choice”)
(also called “black-and-white thinking”)
The Pattern of the False Dichotomy Fallacy
(also called “false choice”)
(also called “black-and-white thinking”)
Another Fallacy: Appeal to Emotion
Another Fallacy: Appeal to Emotion
Another Fallacy: Appeal to Emotion
Another Fallacy: Appeal to Emotion
Appeal to Emotion Fallacy in Standard Form
Appeal to Emotion
Appeal to Emotion
Appeal to Emotion is an Argument
Appeal to Emotion is a Bad Argument
Appeal to Emotion is a Fallacy
Another Fallacy: Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force
Why Appeal to Force is a Fallacy
Forms of the Appeal to Force Fallacy
Another Fallacy: Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force
Appeal to Force or Appeal to Emotion?
Review: Fallacies
Fallacy Example
Fallacy Example
Long Arguments
Extended Arguments Help
When a Premise is Doubtful
Remember This Argument?
Carlos is a great cook. We should all agree that is true because
he studied at the famous Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary
Arts. Most people who study there become great cooks.

Carlos studied at AESCA


Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
Carlos is a great cook

What if someone did not believe that Carlos studied at AESCA?


Diagram of a Simple Argument
3

1 2

An argument below it provides proof that this is true


No support provided – an assumption

1 - Carlos studied at AESCA


2 - Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
3 - Carlos is a great cook
Problem: Not Sure That a Premise is True
3

1 2

An argument below it provides proof that this is true


No support provided – an assumption

1 - Carlos studied at AESCA ???


2 - Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
3 - Carlos is a great cook
Solution: Add a “Sub-Argument”
3

1 2

4 5

4 - Carlos has a diploma from AESCA


5 – Almost all people who have diplomas were students
1 - Carlos went to AESCA
This is Called a Sub-Argument
3

1 2

4 5

4 - Carlos has a diploma from AESCA


5 – Almost all people who have diplomas were students
1 - Carlos went to AESCA
One Kind of Extended Argument
4 - Carlos has a diploma from AESCA
3
5 – Almost all people who have diplomas were students
1 - Carlos studied at AESCA
1 2

4 5
1 - Carlos studied at AESCA
2 - Most people who study at AESCA become great cooks
3 - Carlos is a great cook
Another Example
Extended Argument Example
One Type of Extended Argument
Extended Argument Example
Extended Arguments
Real-world examples
What We Learned Today
There Are Two Main Skills in this Course
There Are Two Main Skills in this Course
Reconstructing – Put it Back Together
Reconstructing – Put it Back Together

Don’t change the design


Don’t add a motor!
Reconstructing – Put it Back Together
The first job you must do

Understand what the author was trying to say


Indicator words for premises, conclusions

Figure out why the author thought they were right


What argument was the author trying to make?

Put the argument in standard form


Evaluating – Is it a Good Argument?

They made a mistake!


Evaluating – Is it a Good Argument?
Maybe what the author said was smart
Maybe what the author said was foolish

Evaluating means determining whether an


argument is strong or weak

You need to decide


Evaluating – Is it a Good Argument?
The big question:

Is the argument “rationally persuasive?”

Two Tests (so far)


Are the premises true?
Do the premises fit together in the right way?
What we learned today
Many People Fail This Course
Every lesson in this book is cumulative
Closing thoughts
Chapter 1 Review
Practice Questions
Looking Ahead to Next Class
Generalizations
Generalizations
Generalizations
Generalizations
Explanations vs. Arguments
Explanations vs. Arguments
Explanations vs. Arguments

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