Chapter 2 Flashcards
According to the text’s definition of critical thinking, what factors must be present for critical thinking to be realized?
For critical thinking to be realized, the process must be systematic, it must be a true evaluation or formulation of claims, and it must be based on rational standards.
What are the two main categories of common obstacles to critical thinking?
(1) Those hindrances that arise because of how we think and (2) those that occur because of what we think.
What is stereotyping?
Drawing an unwarranted conclusion or generalization about an entire group of people.
From the standpoint of critical thinking, what event signals that we have allowed our bias in favor of ourselves to go too far?
We take things too far when we accept claims for no reason.
When are you most likely to let your self-interest get in the way of clear thinking?
You are most likely to let your self-interest get in the way of clear thinking when you have a significant personal stake in the conclusions you reach
How does subjective relativism imply infallibility?
If we can make a statement true by simply believing in it, we would be infallible.
How are subjective and social relativism self-defeating?
They are self-defeating because their truths imply their falsity.
According to the text, how might selective attention affect your thinking when you are examining evidence for or against a claim?
We may ignore facts that contradict our beliefs and search out facts that support them.
How might the influence of a group that you belong to affect your attempts to think critically?
Group pressure can affect your attempts to think critically by allowing your need to be part of a group or your identification with a group under-mine critical thinking.
According to the text, what is the most powerful group pressure of all?
This we-are-better pressure is the most powerful of all.
What is the appeal to popularity?
The fallacy of arguing that a claim must be true merely because a substantial number of people believe it.
What is a worldview?
A worldview is a set of fundamental ideas that help us make sense of a wide range of issues in life.
According to the text, how could subjective relativism make critical thinking unnecessary?
If we can make a statement true just by believing it to be true, then critical thinking would seem to be unnecessary
Is critical thinking concerned with the objective or the subjective truth of claims?
Critical thinking is concerned with objective truth claims
What is social relativism?
The view that truth is relative to societies.
What is philosophical skepticism?
The view that we know much less than we think we do or nothing at all.
What kind of doubt is involved in the acquisition of knowledge?
Reasonable doubt, not certainty, is central to the acquisition of knowledge.
What is motivated reasoning?
The tendency to give more credence to a statement if it comes from our friends.
What is the mere exposure effect?
The idea that just being exposed repeatedly to words or images (even without registering them consciously) can induce a favorable or comfortable feeling toward them, whether or not there is any good reason for doing so.
What is the false consensus effect?
The tendency to overestimate the degree to which other people share our opinions, attitudes, and preferences.
What is the Dunning-Kruger effect?
The phenomenon of being ignorant of how ignorant we are.
What is evidence?
Evidence is something that makes a statement more likely to be true
What is the illusion-of-truth effect?
A phenomenon in which you come to believe that a false claim is actually true simply because it is familiar.
What is a homophily?
The tendency to give more credence to a statement if it comes from our friends.
What is appeal to common practice?
The fallacy of accepting or rejecting a claim based solely on what groups of people generally do or how they behave (when the action or behavior is irrelevant to the truth of the claim).
What is implicit bias?
A negative attitude toward a group of people that operates unintentionally or unconsciously.
What is peer pressure?
Group pressure to accept or reject a claim based solely on what one’s peers think or do.
According to the text, why is it important to look for opposing evidence when evaluating claims?
Failure to look for opposing evidence increases the chance of error.
What is subjectivist fallacy?
Accepting the notion of subjectivist relativism or using it to try and support a claim.
