1 What Is Critical Thinking

Question 1

What is critical thinking?

Answer 1

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It’s about using logic and evidence to form your own judgments rather than just accepting what others tell you. For example, if someone tells you that the Earth is flat, a critical thinker would ask for evidence and use logic to determine whether the claim is true.

Question 2

What is the relationship between critical thinking and logic?

Answer 2

Logic is a key part of critical thinking. Logic is the study of how to reason correctly. So, to be a good critical thinker, you need to be able to use logic to form sound arguments and evaluate the arguments of others. For example, if someone says, ‘All birds can fly; penguins are birds; therefore, penguins can fly,’ a critical thinker would recognize the flaw in this logic (penguins can’t fly) and would not accept the conclusion.

Question 3

What are informal fallacies?

Answer 3

Informal fallacies are common errors in reasoning. They can be tricky because they often seem convincing at first glance but don’t actually hold up under scrutiny. For example, a common fallacy is the ‘ad hominem’ attack, where someone attacks the person making an argument rather than the argument itself. For instance, ‘You can’t trust what he says about climate change; he’s a politician!’ This is a fallacy because the person’s profession doesn’t automatically make their argument wrong.

Question 4

What is the difference between objective and subjective claims?

Answer 4

An objective claim is a statement that’s true or false regardless of anyone’s opinions or beliefs. For example, ‘The Earth revolves around the Sun’ is an objective claim. A subjective claim is based on personal opinions or beliefs. For example, ‘Chocolate is the best flavor of ice cream’ is a subjective claim.

Question 5

What skills will students develop in this course?

Answer 5

This course will help you develop several skills:
* Distinguishing between claims based on reason and those based on emotion
* Separating factual statements from opinions
* Recognizing flaws in logic
* Constructing strong, well-reasoned arguments
For example, you’ll learn to identify when someone is trying to persuade you with emotional appeals rather than solid evidence.

Question 6

What is the purpose of analyzing Darwinism versus intelligent design in the course?

Answer 6

It serves as a case study to apply critical thinking skills, analyze arguments, and distinguish between science and pseudoscience.

Question 7

What is a claim?

Answer 7

A claim is a statement that is either true or false.

Question 8

What are the two types of claims?

Answer 8

The two types of claims are objective claims and subjective claims.

Question 9

What is an objective claim?

Answer 9

An objective claim is a statement that is true or false independent of personal opinion.

Question 10

What is a subjective claim?

Answer 10

A subjective claim is a statement that is true or false based on personal opinion or belief.

Question 11

What is the difference between fact and opinion?

Answer 11

Fact versus opinion implies that opinions are non-factual, which is not necessarily true.

Question 12

What is truth according to the correspondence view?

Answer 12

According to the correspondence view, truth is when a claim or belief matches reality. In other words, something is true if it aligns with actual facts or the way the world is.

For example:
• The claim, “The Earth orbits the Sun,” is true because it corresponds to the reality of how the solar system works.

Question 13

What is knowledge according to the JTB theory?

Answer 13

Knowledge is a justified true belief, requiring belief, truth, and justification.

Question 14

What is an issue?

Answer 14

An issue is a topic or point of discussion that raises a question about whether something is true or not.

For example:
• Issue: “Did humans land on the moon?”
This prompts a discussion to determine the truth of the claim.

Question 15

What is the difference between an argument and an explanation?

Answer 15

An argument supports a claim with reasons, while an explanation shows why or how something happens.

Question 16

What are the two basic types of arguments?

Answer 16

The two basic types of arguments are deductive arguments and inductive arguments.

Question 17

What is a deductive argument?

Answer 17

A deductive argument is an argument where the conclusion must logically follow from the premises. If the premises are true, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true.

For example:
• Premise 1: “All humans are mortal.”
• Premise 2: “Socrates is a human.”
• Conclusion: “Therefore, Socrates is mortal.”

In a deductive argument, the conclusion is certain as long as the premises are true.

Question 18

What is an inductive argument?

Answer 18

An inductive argument is an argument where the conclusion is likely or probable based on the evidence provided, but it is not guaranteed to be true.

For example:
• Premise: “Every swan I have seen is white.”
• Conclusion: “Therefore, all swans are probably white.”

The conclusion is probable but could be proven false if a non-white swan is found.

Here are three examples of inductive arguments:
1. Weather Prediction
• Premise: “It has rained every day this week.”
• Conclusion: “It will probably rain tomorrow.”
(The conclusion is likely based on past patterns, but not certain.)
2. Restaurant Quality
• Premise: “The last three times I ate at this restaurant, the food was excellent.”
• Conclusion: “The food will probably be excellent if I eat there again.”
(The conclusion is likely but not guaranteed.)
3. Student Study Habits
• Premise: “Jane studies for every test and usually gets good grades.”
• Conclusion: “Jane will probably get a good grade on the next test.”
(The conclusion is probable but not certain, as other factors could affect the outcome.)

Question 19

What is the relationship between objective and factual claims?

Answer 19

Objective claims are the same as factual claims because their truth doesn’t depend on personal opinions. Instead, they can be proven true or false using evidence or facts.

For example:
• Objective claim: “Water boils at 100°C at sea level.” (This is factual and independent of opinion.)

Question 20

What is a factual claim?

Answer 20

A factual claim is a statement that can be proven true or disproven false based on evidence.

For example:
• “The Earth orbits the Sun.” (This is true and can be proven.)
• “The Eiffel Tower is in London.” (This is false but still a factual claim because it can be disproven.)

Question 21

What is a non-factual claim?

Answer 21

A non-factual claim is a statement that does not have an objective truth value.

A non-factual claim is a statement that cannot be objectively proven true or false because it is based on opinions, beliefs, values, or subjective interpretations rather than facts. These claims often involve personal judgments, preferences, or hypothetical scenarios.

For example:
• “Vanilla ice cream tastes better than chocolate.” (Opinion)
• “If I had taken that job, I’d be rich by now.” (Hypothetical)
• “All people are inherently good.” (Value judgment)

Non-factual claims differ from factual claims, which are statements that can be verified or disproven with evidence.

Question 22

What are the methods for judging if an issue is factual?

Answer 22

1. If two people disagree about something, and one of them has to be wrong, the issue is probably factual. This is because there is an objective answer that can prove one person right or wrong.
   
   2. If there are clear methods or rules that can be used to settle the question (like scientific experiments or evidence), the issue is likely factual since it can be proven or disproven.

Question 23

What defines a non-subjective issue?

Answer 23

A non-subjective issue is a question that can be answered using facts, evidence, or objective criteria, rather than personal opinions, feelings, or beliefs.

For example:
• Non-subjective issue: “What is the boiling point of water at sea level?” (This can be answered with a fact: 100°C or 212°F.)
• Subjective issue: “Is tea better than coffee?” (This depends on personal opinions or preferences.)

Question 24

What indicates a subjective issue?

Answer 24

A subjective issue is a question that can only be answered or proven based on opinions, feelings, or personal preferences, rather than objective facts or evidence.

For example:
• Subjective issue: “Is chocolate better than vanilla?” (This depends entirely on individual taste and cannot be proven with facts.)

In contrast, objective issues rely on facts, while subjective ones depend on personal views.

Question 25

What happens when two people are on opposite sides of a non-subjective issue?

Answer 25

It is impossible for both individuals to be correct.

Question 26

Is the claim ‘whether PCs or Macs are better for graphic design’ subjective or non-subjective?

Answer 26

It can be non-subjective if there are agreed upon criteria, such as professional usage in graphic design.

Question 27

What makes the question of species diversity between Africa and South America non-subjective?

Answer 27

It is logically possible to observe and count all species on each continent, making it a factual matter.

Question 28

How can we evaluate whether Wilt Chamberlain was a better player than Michael Jordan?

Answer 28

There are criteria to measure basketball skills, but applying them fairly across different eras can be subjective.

Question 29

Is the moral question of the death penalty subjective or non-subjective?

Answer 29

It appears subjective due to disagreement, but there are generally agreed upon criteria for evaluation.

Question 30

What is a value judgment?

Answer 30

A value judgment is a claim that evaluates something as good, bad, better, worse, or any other opinion-based assessment.

For example:
• “Chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla.”
• “Helping others is a good thing.”

Value judgments are subjective and based on personal or cultural standards, not objective facts.

Question 31

What is the misconception about value judgments?

Answer 31

The misconception about value judgments is the idea that all opinions about what is good or bad are equally valid, no matter what. This belief is called subjectivism.

But not all value judgments are equally strong. Some have better reasons or evidence behind them. For example:
• “Killing is bad because it causes harm and breaks the law.” (This has strong reasoning.)
• “Killing is fine because I feel like it.” (This has weak reasoning.)

The key is that some value judgments are more reasonable than others, even though subjectivism says every opinion is equally valid.

Question 32

What distinguishes moral value judgments from other value judgments?

Answer 32

Moral value judgments ascribe a moral quality, such as goodness or badness, to an action.

Question 33

What is moral subjectivism?

Answer 33

Moral subjectivism is the idea that moral qualities are purely subjective and that opinions on right or wrong are equal.

Question 34

What is relativism in the context of moral claims?

Answer 34

Relativism suggests that different cultures can have conflicting views on moral issues and both can be considered right.

Question 35

Why is critical thinking important in distinguishing subjective and non-subjective issues?

Answer 35

Critical thinking helps avoid confusion about what constitutes a factual issue and assists in applying criteria.

Question 36

What is the challenge in applying criteria to subjective and non-subjective issues?

Answer 36

It is often difficult to agree on the existence of criteria, making it hard to determine if an issue is subjective or not.