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Critical Thinking & Current Events > MidTerm > Flashcards

MidTerm Flashcards

1
Q

What is weak sense critical thinking? /5

A

to prove that you are correct

lazy thinker (most common)

find evidence that fits YOUR conclusion (conclusion 1st, evidence 2nd)

allows easy manipulation

results in a false consensus

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2
Q

What is a strong sense critical thinking? /5

A

to find the best possible argument

find evidence that dictates the conclusion (evidence 1st, conclusion 2nd)

can lead to a conclusion you do not accept BUT is true

rare and objective (not always)

takes into consideration the evidence that opposes your conclusion

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3
Q

What is confirmation bias?

A

the middleground between ‘what you want to believe’ and ‘online information’

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4
Q

What is a GOOD critical thinker? /6

A

open-minded

patient

good listener

minimize bias

observant

skeptical but not cynical

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5
Q

What does ‘skeptical not cynical’ mean?

A

argue but NOT contradict

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6
Q

What does it mean to be skeptical? /3

A

asking questions

looking for answers to these questions (not just accepting what is being told)

willing to change their minds if presented with proper arguments

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7
Q

What does it mean to be cynical? /3

A

rejecting information outright

does not do the work of a skeptic

scared of being tricked

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8
Q

What is an argument? /4

A

needs to have a contrary position

only emerge when there’s a disagreement

attempts to establish the truth of a claim

requires reasons + conclusion (skeptic)

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9
Q

What is a non-argument? /6

A

facts without a conclusion

personal opinions/emotions

leading questions

descriptions

explanations

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10
Q

What is an example of personal opinions/emotions a non-argument? /3

A

pounding fist

raising voice out of frustration/anger of the situation

general emotional emphasis

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11
Q

What is a leading question? /3

A

made to have the audience pre-determinedly agree or disagree

series of questions do not stand as reason

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12
Q

Why is a description not an argument? /3

A

it’s a series of facts

not evidence to the argument being discussed

asking for evidence, not a dictionary definition

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13
Q

Why are explanations not an argument? /2

A

is NOT an attempt to change one’s behavior/mind

use of ‘I’ or ‘me’

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14
Q

What are deductive arguments? /2

A

uncertain

arguments that MUST be true, IF they are both valid and sound

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15
Q

What is validity in deductive arguments?

A

impossible for the conclusion to be false if the premises are true

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16
Q

What is the soundness of a deductive argument?

A

if the argument is valid, all premises are true

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17
Q

What are inductive arguments? /4

A

arguments that do NOT deal in absolutes

all about probability

discussion about weak and strong inductive arguments in relation to their probability

NO adlibbing/ filling the blanks

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18
Q

What are the 2 ways of framing arguments? /2

A

Denotative

Connotative

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19
Q

What is denotative?

A

literal meaning of something

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20
Q

What is connotative?

A

symbolic/underlying meaning of a word

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21
Q

What is a misonomer?

A

wrong/misleading name or designation

ex. funny bone, seahorse

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22
Q

What are weasel words?

A

remove all meaning out of another word

ex. up to 70% off

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23
Q

What is euphemism?

A

understates the severity of something

ex. let go = fired, passed away = died

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24
Q

What is hyperbole? /4

A

overstates the severity of something

a. k. a an exaggeration

used when something is not taken seriously (emotions = non-argument)

use of profanities

ex. working like slaves

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25
Q

What is visual imagery?

A

using/altering images to pass on a specific message

ex. ads showing positive images while listing horrific side effects of pharmaceutical medication

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26
Q

What are terms of framing arguments? /5

A

misnomer

weasel words

euphemism

hyperbole

visual imagery

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27
Q

What is a premise?

A

evidence to an argument/conclusion

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28
Q

What is an acceptable premise? /4

A

supported by a sub-argument

known to be true a priori

is common knowledge (!)

supported by a relevant figure of authority (!)

29
Q

What does it mean for a premise to be ‘supported by a sub-argument’?

A

a building block/chain link to strengthen a conclusion

30
Q

What does it mean for a premise to be ‘known to be true a priori’? /3

A

independent of experience

does not need verification to be proven

true by definition

31
Q

Why is it cautious for a premise to be ‘common knowledge’? /5

A

depends on the demographic of who is being asked

geographically specific

depends on the time-period is was known in

can be wrong or turn out to be false = NOT NECESSARILY TRUE

the more common it is, the less specific it becomes

32
Q

Why is it cautious for a premise to be ‘supported by a relevant figure of authority’? /8

A

can be a former figure of authority

CAN MAKE MISTAKES

has a type of specialization BUT no correlation to the subject being discussed

needs certifiable proof outside their title

must be reviewed by someone of the same field

must be unbiased

best if from a peer-reviewed journal/study

NEVER 100% sure, but sure enough

33
Q

What is a rejected premise? /5

A

can find a counterexample to the premise

a priori false

contradiction between premises

vague or ambiguous

lacks justification

34
Q

Why is a possible counterexample immediately reject a premise? /2

A

only need one (1) to counter a whole argument

premise is no longer valid

35
Q

What is a priori false?

A

premise false by definition

36
Q

What does it mean ‘contradiction between premises’? /2

A

does not belong in supporting the argument

immediately rejected

37
Q

What does it mean when a premise is ‘vague or ambiguous’? /3

A

use of weasel words

no precision or detail

has multiple external factors that can change the result = several perspectives = X

38
Q

What does it mean when a premise ‘lacks justification’?

A

no sub-argument

39
Q

What is an argument fallacy? /3

A

something that is false

common mistakes often seen in arguments

tricks to get public approval

40
Q

What are the different argument fallacies? /15

A

non-sequitur

post-hoc fallacy

begging the question

circular reasoning

red herring

either/or

false analogy

bandwagon

two wrongs make a right

hasty generalization

slippery slope

improper use of authority

nirvana fallacy

sunk cost fallacy

fundamental attribute error

41
Q

What is a non-sequitur?

A

suggests a logical connection that is not necessarily there

ex. If I come to class, I should get an A for participation = X

42
Q

What is post-hoc fallacy? /2

A

when one event follows another and we wrongly conclude that there’s a cause-effect relationship

non-sequitur + temporal progression (time)

ex. luck/coincidence

43
Q

What is ‘begging the question’? /2

A

argument that is premised on an assumption that may not be accurate

use of ‘obviously’ or ‘everybody knows’

44
Q

What is circular reasoning? /2

A

avoids providing a point

attempts to trick people by restating a premise or conclusion in a different way

ex. the PM has Canada’s best interests in mind, so he was elected into office

45
Q

What is a red herring?

A

irrelevant fact is brought up to divert one’s attention from the important/main subject

ex. republicans claimed that Obama is a ‘secret Muslim’ because of his middle name

46
Q

What is ‘either/or’?

A

an issue is presented as only having 2 possible outcomes

ex. “you are either with us or with the terrorists” - G. W Bush

47
Q

What is a false analogy?

A

comparison between 2 things that are NOT similar, but presented as if they are

ex. government is like business

48
Q

What is a bandwagon?

A

use the desire to belong/join in as an alternative to presenting a coherent argument

ex. if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow them?

49
Q

What is a ‘two wrongs make a right’?

A

justify behavior based on the actions of others

ex. I am unhappy, so you should be unhappy as well

50
Q

What is a hasty generalization?

A

jumping to conclusions based off insufficient evidence

ex. my friend failed the course, so it must be hard

51
Q

What is a slippery slope?

A

oversimplification that suggests certain NEGATIVE consequences will result if a certain course of action is not taken

ex. if same-sex marriage is legal, will the people push to be allowed to marry animals?

52
Q

What is a an improper use of authority?

A

quoting an “authority” to justify an argument, BUT the person quoted is not legitimate on the subject

ex. Canada’s major bank is quoted to support cuts to social spending

53
Q

What is a nirvana fallacy?

A

rejecting a proposal because it’s not perfect REGARDLESS if it’s better than the available plausible alternatives

54
Q

What is a sunk cost fallacy? /2

A

continuing on the current course EVEN THOUGH its readily apparent it is not working

HOWEVER, you have already invested so much time, money, effort, energy, etc

ex. sitting through a bad movie

55
Q

What is a fundamental attribution error?

A

gravitate towards personality based explanations of observed behaviors

ex. your friend fails an exam, so you assume she is lazy

56
Q

What is cognitive bias? /5

A

behavioral economics

people are rational actors = make to benefit their own self-interest

Daniel Kahneman

System 1 + 2

Expected Value = (odds of gain) x (value of gain) by Bernoulli

57
Q

What is system 1? /5

A

brains are lazy

automatic and impulsive

geared for survival

causes us to make mistakes

one condition is easier to meet than 2

58
Q

What us system 2? /4

A

consciously awake and considerate

helps exert self-control

problem-solving

recent part of evolutionary history

59
Q

What is the relationship between system 1 + 2?

A

constantly fighting on who should be in control

60
Q

What is important about cognitive bias? /2

A

when making decisions give yourself time

try not to give in into your emotions

61
Q

What is availability bias? /2

A

things that we can picture more vividly, we believe are more likely to occur

results in overestimation/underestimation

62
Q

What is the anchoring bias? /3

A

comparison affects value

the 1st piece of information stays embedded in one’s mind

has people reconsider their options

63
Q

What is optimism bias?

A

think the law of average does not apply for that specific individual (ourselves)

64
Q

What is implicit bias? /2

A

making assumptions that are not justified

result of system 1

65
Q

How do you overcome implicit bias? /3

A

when should the decision be made?

slow down

recognize the limitations of your knowledge

66
Q

What is the sponge method? /4

A

passive way of reading

does not differentiate between important and non-essential information

easy but INEFFICIENT

trying to absorb all the information at once

67
Q

What is the panning for gold method? /5

A

active way of reading

handful of small-key information is retained

focuses on conclusions + reasons that support it

rids of non-essential information

standard form of making an argument

68
Q

What is the standard form of making an argument? /3(6)

A

expressing an argument in the most minimal way possible

C = conclusion
P1 = premise 1
P2 = premise 2
P# = premise #

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Critical Thinking & Current Events (1 decks)

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