Reasoning Flashcards
What’s the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Inductive deals with probabilities while deductive doesn’t
Describe what a logical fallacy is and give some examples.
Logical fallacy: a failure in reasoning
Ad hominem – attacking the person
I.e. trump → judge idea based on the person → reject cuz u don’t like him
Either-or – must choose between two alternatives
I.e. major in STEM or humanities
Bandwagon – everyone else is doing it
I.e. everyone says the world is flat
Slippery slope – first step leads to further steps
I.e. can’t legalize marijuana → will result in legalizing heroin
False continuum – a continuous relationship between two extremes
I.e. fertilized egg → crying baby
Cherry picking – selecting only supporting data
I.e. drugs works
Describe what you might consider when determining the difference between causality and correlation.
Two pieces of data are closely related, but create experiment to determine causality
Strength of relationship
Persistence
How long is it
Specificity
Not general topics
Temporality
Change in respect to time
Dose response
Magnitude - if things are related, it may result in an increase
Plausibility
Can you imagine a relationship
What is motivated reasoning and how might you avoid it through 4 ways?
Motivated reasoning: tendency to use evidence that support preconceived notion & preferred outcome
How might you avoid it:
Use the “front page” test
If you were exposed to the world, could you justify your actions
Don’t go it alone
Have differing opinions and argue
Echo chamber: surrounded by ppl with same thoughts
Avoid ambiguity
Stay humble
What is confirmation bias and how is confirmation bias potentially harmful to reasoning?
Confirmation bias: underlying tendency to focus on evidence that fits our existing beliefs
It is harmful to reasoning: anything that it is against your position, you reject it
