Critical Thinking 3800-NZ-Sang-24
The aim of this course is to introduce critical thinking as a subject and to develop our ability to think critically. It begins with a discussion of how critical thinking should be understood. Following this general characterization, some basic deductive logic is reviewed along with key terminology. The remainder of the course is split into two modules.
The first module concerns induction and statistics. The basic principles of induction are discussed, including statistical generalizations and indefeasibility. A wide variety of misleading statistical phenomenona are then discussed, including lessons from medicine and various forms of bias that appear in statistical contexts, as well as classic statistical fallacies. This is supplemented with discussion of various relevant heuristics that motivate some of these misapprehensions.
The second module addresses rhetoric and informal fallacies. A series of informal forms of reasoning are discussed, building on the inductive tools developed in the preceding module. Various misuses of these forms of reasoning are then outlined, together with common rhetorical fallacies. Real world material is used for the purposes of identifying and analyzing fallacies.
The goal of these modules is to prepare the student for identifying problematic reasoning in both everyday and academic contexts, developing an essential skill that finds wide practical application.
Rodzaj przedmiotu
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Efekty kształcenia
Knowledge:
The will understand:
- the fundamentals of informal logical thinking
- the basis and limitations of induction
- heuristics and how they affect our reasoning
- common fallacies and why they are problematic
Skills:
The student will be able to:
- evaluate arguments and recognize faulty reasoning
- demonstrate why certain arguments are faulty in context
- think critically and produce well-formed arguments
Social competence:
The student will be able to engage critically with their social environment – that includes an ability to better engage with political and economic discussions, to tackle misinformation in everyday contexts, and to apply critical thinking in dialogue with others. They will also benefit from greater clarity of thought.
Kryteria oceniania
The course is evaluated on the basis of participation and a written exam at the end of the semester. Participation is 10% of the grade, and the remainder is determined by the exam at the end of the semester. The exam will cover the material discussed in class.
Number of unexcused absences: 1 per semester
Literatura
Fogelin, R. & Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2014). Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. Cengage Learning.
Fisher, A. (1988). The Logic of Real Arguments. Cambridge University Press.
Thomson, A. (2008). Critical Reasoning: A Practical Introduction. Routledge.
Damer, T. (2012). Attacking Faulty Reasoning. Cengage Learning.
Więcej informacji
Dodatkowe informacje (np. o kalendarzu rejestracji, prowadzących zajęcia, lokalizacji i terminach zajęć) mogą być dostępne w serwisie USOSweb: