Lesson Summaries

Question 1

Propositions are statements that can be true or false

Question 2

Simple Propositions are true or false based on how the world is

Question 3

Complex Propositions are true or false based on whether the simple propositions that make them up are true/false and how they are connected

Question 4

Arguments are comprised of Premises and Conclusions

Question 5

Premises are Propositions that are supposed to support the Conclusion

Question 6

Premises and Conclusions often can be identified w/ the help of Indicator words

Question 7

Critical Thinking is making sure we have good reasons for our belief, good reasons make the belief probable

Question 8

Deductive Arguments guarantee their conclusions

Question 9

Ampliative Arguments make their conclusions probable

Question 10

Inductive Arguments are supposed to make their conclusions probable

Question 11

A Valid Deductive argument is such that if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true

Question 12

A sound argument is valid and has true premises

Question 13

A strong Inductive Argument = Premises are true, conclusion is probably true

Question 14

A Cogent Argument is strong and has true premises

Question 15

A Fallacy is a type of Bad Argument

Question 16

Formal Fallacies have a Bad Structure

Question 17

Informal Fallacies have a problem w/ their content

Question 18

It is important to get information from a variety of sources.
Questions about whether a source has a real author, is biased, thoughtful, honest, etc. Can help in evaluating information sources.

Question 19

Questions about plausibility, convenience, or what others are saying about a story can help in identifying Fake Information

Question 20

The Principle of Charity is an effort to interpret other’s reasoning in the best possible light

Question 21

Confirmation Bias is the natural tendency to seek out evidence that supports personal beliefs and to ignore evidence that undermines those beliefs

Question 22

Cognitive Bias refers to the systemic ways people categorize and make sense of the world to make judgements/beliefs

Question 23

Alief is an automatic belief-like attitude that explains our instinctual responses. Can conflict w/ our reasoned out beliefs

Question 24

Anchoring is the human tendency to stick close to the 1st piece of info we have about a new domain

Question 25

Heuristics means a rule of thumb, ready strategy, or a shorcut

Question 26

Representativeness Heuristic is a cognitive bias
- Individual takes available info
-Jumping to conclusions

Question 27

Ad Hominem Fallacy is committed when 1 attacks the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself.

Question 28

Genetic Fallacy, is when 1 argues the origin of an idea, is a reason for rejecting/accepting that idea

Question 29

Straw Figure, Misinterprets another’s argument then attacks the misrepresented argument rather than the actual

Question 30

Red Herring, Introducing an Irrelevant topic

Question 31

Appeal to Authority, when one appeals to an unqualified authority in support of one’s claim

Question 32

Appeal to Force, Uses a threat to compel agreement w/ one’s claim

Question 33

Appeal to Popularity, one appeals to the popularity of a belief as a reason to affirm its truth

Question 34

Appeal to Consequences, one appeals to the bad/good consequences of accepting a claim as a reason to reject/accept it as true

Question 35

Fallacy of Equivocation, One’s argument mistakenly uses the same word in 2 different senses.

Question 36

The Appeal of Ignorance Fallacy: Is committed when someone reasons from our lack of knowledge that a claim is false/true to the assertion the claim is true/false

Question 37

The Slippery Slope Fallacy: Is committed when someone argues w/o sufficient reason, one event will lead to a series of events ultimately ending in some further (disastrous) event

Question 38

The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy: Is committed when one selectively uses, or “cherry picks” only the evidence supporting their desired conclusion