Propositions

Question 1

What is a proposition in critical thinking?

Answer 1

Propositions are statements that can be true or false

Question 2

What are Non-Propositions?

Answer 2

Non-propositions are not statements about matters of fact. They do not make a claim that can be true or false.

Examples:

Exhort: Let’s go get dinner! Let’s go hiking on Tuesday!

Command: Go to the store later to buy me some cheese. Don’t do that.

Plead/Request: Would you please stop that? Please read me a bedtime story!

Question: What is the capital of Florida? How much do the pineapples cost?

Perform: I hereby adjourn this meeting. I pronounce you husband and wife!

Question 3

Simple Propositions

Answer 3

have no internal logical structure, meaning whether they are true or false does not depend on whether a part of them is true or false. They are simply true or false on their own.

Examples:

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Canada is $1.7 trillion.
The sky is blue.
Freedom should be the highest value for its citizens.
Harry Potter wears glasses.

Question 4

Complex Propositions

Answer 4

have internal logical structure, meaning they are composed of simple propositions. Whether complex propositions are true or false depends on whether their parts are true or false and how those parts are connected.

Examples:

The GDP of Canada is either $3 trillion or it is $12 trillion.
True whether the GDP is $3 trillion or the GDP is $12 trillion

The sky is blue, but it does not look blue to me right now.
True if the sky is blue and it does not look blue to me right now

If freedom should be the highest value for its citizens, then we should promote it in our laws and policies.
True if it cannot be that “freedom should be the highest value for its citizens” is true while “we should promote freedom in our laws and policies” is false.