Midterm 1 Flashcards
Critical thinking
the systematic evaluation and/or formulation of beliefs or arguments by rational standards
Systemic, rational standards
use various systems of logic such as informal reasoning, deductive reasoning, indicative reasoning
We face barriers to good thinking
cognitive, social, worldview, and irrationality biases
Subjective relativism
The idea that truth depends on what someone believes
Subjective fallacy
Accepting the notion of subjective relativism or using it to try to support a claim
Social relativism
The view that truth is relative to societies
Philosophical skepticism
The view that we know much less than we think we do or that we know nothing at all
Appeal to authority
The fallacy of relying on the opinion of someone deemed to be an expert who is in fact not an expert
Confirmation bias
The psychological tendency to seek out and remember information that confirms what we already believe
Availability error
The cognitive bias that makes people tend to rely on evidence not because it is trustworthy but because it is memorable or striking
Gamblers fallacy
The error of thinking that previous events can affect the probabilities in the random event at hand
Claims based on testimony from others
Trust the testimony from others, as long as there is no reason to doubt them
Claims based on experience
Trust your experience, as long as there is no reason to doubt it
Claims based on reason
Trust your reasoning, as long as there is no reason to doubt it
Reasons to doubt: Impairment
your experiences are impaired in some way, so they will likely not be reliable
