Phil 004

Critical Thinking

HR #3

Announcements

• Did everyone receive a grade report

email?

• Everyone have a book, or make

arrangements for one?

– I guess you can come to office hours…

• First homework is due tomorrow.

• First quiz will take place on Monday.

– Scantron.

– Covers all material from the first week.

– Be on time.

Review of Class 2

• Claim?

• Issue?

• Argument?

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Basic Concepts:

Claims, Issues, Arguments

Is this an argument? If so identify the premise, conclusion, issue:

“My brother George make’s a lot of money as a doctor, so you should really become a doctor.”

• Premise: My brother make’s a lot of money as a doctor.

• Conclusion: So you should really become a doctor.

• Issue?

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Basic Concepts:

Claims, Issues, Arguments

Is this an argument? If so identify the premise, issue, & conclusion:

“Everybody is saying the president has made us the laughing stock of the world. What a stupid idea! He hasn’t made us a laughingstock at all. There’s not a bit of truth in that notion.”

• Not an argument: Just a group of redundant claims without any reason for believing them.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Basic Concepts:

Claims, Issues, Arguments

Is this an argument? If so identify the premise, issue, & conclusion.

“Dan was happy the day he bought his new car. You can only really be happy if you buy a new car.”

• Premise: Dan was happy the day he bought his new car.

• Conclusion: You can only be happy if you buy a new car.

• Issue?

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument here?

If so identify the premise, issue, & conclusion.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Group ExerciseForm groups of 4 to 6.

In Exercise 1-5, answer #1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

From Exercise 1-5

• #1. Federer is unlikely to win the U.S. Open this year. He has a nagging leg injury, plus he just doesn’t seem to have the drive he once had.

• Yes

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

From Exercise 1-5

• #2. Hey there, Marco! Don’t go giving that cat top sirloin. What’s the matter with you, you got no brains at all?

• No

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

From Exercise 1-5

• #3. If you’ve ever met a pet bird, then you know they are very busy creatures.

• No

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

From Exercise 1-5

• #4. Everybody is saying the president earned the Nobel Prize. What a stupid idea! He hasn’t earned it at all. There’s not a lick of truth in that notion.

• No

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

From Exercise 1-3

• #6:

• Yes

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

From Exercise 1-5

• #8. Yes, I charge a little more than other dentists. But I feel I give better service. So I think my billing practices are justified.

• Yes

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

• Why is it important to determine if there is an argument?

– Try to understand where someone is coming from.

– Avoid persuasion through rhetoric. Is someone giving reasons for a claim, or are they just pulling a Nicholas Fehn?

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

• All arguments have 2 components:• Premise: the reason for believing a claim is true.

• Conclusion: the answer to the issue.

• Hints:

– “What is the main point of the passage?” -> Conclusion

– “Are there any reasons giving to support this conclusion?” -> Premise

– *If the answer to the second question is “no”, then there is no argument being made.

– *May be more than one way to look at an argument.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Group ExerciseForm groups of 4-6.

In Exercise 1-6, answer #1, 2, 3, 6, 8.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

If so, what’s the conclusion?

From Exercise 1-6

• #1:

• No

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

If so, what’s the conclusion?

From Exercise 1-6

• #2:

• Yes

• The conclusion is that we will have to find someone else who owns a truck.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

If so, what’s the conclusion?

From Exercise 1-6

• #3:

• Yes

• The conclusion is that bans on firearms are counterproductive.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

If so, what’s the conclusion?

From Exercise 1-6

• #6:

• Not really. More an “explanation” than an argument.– Though you could argue that the main point is “Long-term

memory is like short-term memory.” Doesn’t really seem to be the point of the passage.

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

If so, what’s the conclusion?

From Exercise 1-6

• #8:

• Yes, though it may be a weak argument, it is one. (The last sentence is the conclusion, the sentence before is the premise.)

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Is there an argument?

• Conclusion words:– It follows that…

– This shows that…

– Thus…

– Hence…

– Consequently…

– Accordingly…

– So…

– My conclusion is…

– Therefore…

• Premise words:– Since…

– For…

– Because…

– In view of…

– This is implied by…

– Given…

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

What is the Issue?

• Identifying The Main Issue

– Main Point, Central Claim In Question

• Can be hard to find.

• *Hint: Start by looking for a conclusion (main point

or claim with most premises supporting it). This will

help us determine the central claim or main issues.

What’s the main issue?

Letting your children surf the Net is like dropping them

off downtown to spend a day doing whatever they

want. They’ll get in trouble.

- A) Whether letting your children off downtown to spend

the day doing whatever they want will lead them into

trouble.

- B) Whether letting your children surf the Net will lead

them into trouble.

- C) Whether restrictions should be placed on children’s

activities.

- Answer: B

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

What’s the main issue?

Most people you find on university faculties are people who are interested in ideas. And the most interesting ideas are usually new ideas. So most people you find on university faculties are interested in new ideas. Therefore, you are not going to find many conservatives on university faculties, because conservatives are not usually interested in new ideas.

– A) Whether conservatives are interested in new ideas.

– B) Whether you’ll find many conservatives on university faculties.

– C) Whether people on university faculties are interested more in new ideas than in other ideas.

– D) Whether most people are correct.

• Answer: B

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

What’s the main issue?

In 2007, the Dominican Republic banned the sale of two brands of Chinese toothpaste because they contained a toxic chemical responsible for dozens of poisoning deaths in Panama last year. The company that exported the toothpaste, the DanyangHousehold Chemical Company (DHCC), defended its products. “Toothpaste is not something you’d swallow, but spit out, and so it’s totally different from something you would eat,” one company manager said. The company manager was taking a position on which issue?

• A) Whether the DHCC included toxic chemicals in its toothpaste.

• B) Whether toothpaste should be eaten.

• C) Whether the DHCC did anything wrong by exporting its toothpaste.

• D) Whether China should have better product safety controls.

• Answer: C:

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Why is it important to find the issue?

A common obstacle to clear critical thinking and

discourse arises when people appear to be

addressing the same issue, but are in fact talking

about separate issues.

Sometimes easy to see…

Joe: “I think that education is the most important

political issue of the coming election.”

Jim: “I want a cheeseburger.”

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Why is it important to find the issue?

Sometimes not easy to see…

Joe: “I think that education is a fundamental human

right.”

Jim: “Your political interests are so predictable. You

always follow the liberal agenda.”

What’s the problem here?

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Why is it important to find the issue?

Let’s bring it closer to home. (Need a male and

female volunteer.)

Male = “Jose”

Female = “Juanita”

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

Why is it important to find the issue?

Let’s bring it closer to home

Joe: “I think that education is a fundamental human

right.”

Jim: “Your political interests are so predictable. You

always follow the liberal agenda.”

What’s the problem here?

Critical Thinking Basics (Ch1)

What’s the problem here?

Your homework: identify the

issues and see if they are actually

being discussed.

Announcements

• Homework due Thursday.– Exercise 1-7: #1-5

– Exercise 1-14: #4, 17, 19, 21, 24

• First quiz will be on Monday. Get scantrons.