SSH 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1-6: Jelly Bean, Critical Thinking, Dependent Clause
13 Jun 2018
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- SSH 105- Chapter 1 Reading
Critial thikig is reasoale, refletie thikig that is aied at deidig hat to eliee or
hat to do.
1.1 Nature of Critical Thinking
What to believe
- Deciding what to believe is deciding what facts, figuring out what the world is like, or at least
what some little corner of it is like.
- Decisions can be made based on two things
- facts
- what is good or better
- Deciding what to believe is reasoning with what the facts are and that is called theoretical
thinking
What to do
- First have to decide what value to strive for, so you have to pick a goal or end, then you have
to decide how to best achieve that end goal
- Deciding what to do involves reasoning with what to do and how to do it, this is called
practical reasoning
Reasonable
- Critical thinking is called reasonable thinking because it is sensitive to methods and standards
and because it demands that we have good reason for our decisions
- Critical thinking is critical because it is governed by rules and methods
Reflective
- Critical thinking is reflective because it involves thinking about a problem from several
different views/angles
- Open ended problems are when it is not clear from the outset what the solution would b
- to solve it we may have to analyze the problem in parts
1.2 Critical Thinking and Knowledge
- Critical thinking is important because it increases our chance of gaining knowledge and it
challenges us to be autonomous.
- We do’t just at to hae opiios o hat is true or aout hat to do, e at to know
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1.3 Knowledge and Truth
Realism, Relativism, and Nihilism
- A realist about a certain subject matter believes that there are truths about that subject
matter and that those truths are independent of what anybody thinks they are. (knows that
there is one single right answer)
- A relativist about a certain matter thinks that there are truths about that subject, but that
what they are depends on what we believe that they are (Ezra guessed 50 jelly beans, Sammy
guessed 80 and Rebecca says they are both right)
- Subjective Relativism- the truth is what each person wants is to be
- Social Relativism- the truth is whatever the majority says/believes
- A nihilist eliees that there are o truths/right asers to athig. (eah perso’s jell ea
guess is as good as the next)
1.3.2 Relativism and the Argument for Disagreement
Validity
- an argument is valid when it is not possible for its premises to be true and its conclusion to be
false
- When an argument is valid, the only question that needs to be considered is evaluating
whether the premises are true.
- First step in deciding whether or not a premise is true is to make sure we know exactly what it
means
- (i) There is considerable sincere disagreement over morality
- (ii) If there is considerable sincere disagreement over the facts in some area, then relativism is
true of that subject area
- (iii) So, relativism is true of morality
1.4 Knowledge and Belief
- believing something to be true is taking an attitude of acceptance towards it
- to believe requires good reasons
- a good critical thinker withholds beliefs until enough evidence is shown
1.5 Knowledge and Justification
- producing reasons- what made someone believe something in the first place
- sustaining reasons- the reasos soeoe’s elief is o ased o
1.5.1 Emotional and Pragmatic Reasons
- could believe something because of the emotional effect it has on you or you could believe
something because it would make it easier to achieve your goal
1.5.2 Epistemic Reasons
- reasons to believe that something is true
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find more resources at oneclass.com
- heart of critical thinking
- kinds of reasons involved in justification
- knowledge requires epistemic reasoning
- a belief that is true, yet based on emotional reasons does not count as knowledge
- deciding what to do involves 2 things
- the end- intended goal
- the means- steps taken to achieve that goal
- you usually decide to do something because you think that it is good, or the right thing to do
1.5.3 Emotions and Evidence
- not good to critically think with emotions because they can interfere with collecting evidence
for our belief. If we identify too much with our belief, we might block out or act negatively to
others opinions
- reasons to evidence do not belong to anyone, they are universal
- do not personalize reasons, look at all the evidence, not just what you have
- think twice, decide once
- critical thinking requires that we have good epistemic reasons for our beliefs and decisions
- can gain new evidence through:
- observation
- testimony
- measurement
- testing
- experiments
- sometimes we can draw conclusions from the evidence we already have
1.6 Good Reasons Are Sufficient and Acceptable
- good reasons must have 2 key features
- must be sufficient to support the belief (enough evidence)
- must be acceptable
1.7 When Evidence Conflicts
Direct Conflict
- conflict when one states that something is true, and the other states that it is false
- ex. Jones was at home during the murder vs. jones was at the scene of the crime
- he ou a’t figure out hih side is istake, it is etter to ithhold judgeet
- when one piece of evidence is stronger, it overrides
- a critical thinker is always willing to reflect in weather her beliefs are based on good evidence
Indirect Conflict
- happens when the first indicates that the second is from and unreliable source
- e. “oeoe takes their daughters teperature, its degrees, hih eas she does’t
have a fever, but he remembers that the batteries are dying so the temp might not be reliable
- if the first statement is stronger, it undermines the second
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
What is good or better (cid:862)criti(cid:272)al thi(cid:374)ki(cid:374)g is reaso(cid:374)a(cid:271)le, refle(cid:272)ti(cid:448)e thi(cid:374)ki(cid:374)g that is ai(cid:373)ed at de(cid:272)idi(cid:374)g (cid:449)hat to (cid:271)elie(cid:448)e or (cid:449)hat to do. (cid:863) Deciding what to believe is deciding what facts, figuring out what the world is like, or at least what some little corner of it is like. Decisions can be made based on two things. Deciding what to believe is reasoning with what the facts are and that is called theoretical thinking. First have to decide what value to strive for, so you have to pick a goal or end, then you have to decide how to best achieve that end goal. Deciding what to do involves reasoning with what to do and how to do it, this is called practical reasoning. Critical thinking is called reasonable thinking because it is sensitive to methods and standards and because it demands that we have good reason for our decisions.
