WGU D265 Critical thinking reason and evidence

D265 Critical thinking reason and evidence Leave the first rating Students also studied Terms in this set (72) Arts and HumanitiesPhilosophy Logic Save

Critical Thinking: Reason and Eviden...

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WGU D265 Critical Thinking: Reason...

43 terms Atraniv_98Preview D265 Critical Thinking (STUDY THIS ...75 terms JessycaLockett Preview WGU - 51 terms Sum Define PropositionA statement that can be true or false. EX: Lunch is the most important meal of the day.Define Non-propositionSentences that cannot be true or false. EX: Let's go to lunch.Define Complex Propositioncomposed of simple propositions. To determine whether a complex proposition is true or not, we have to look at its component parts (at its simple propositions). In

other words, complex propositions have an internal logical structure. EX: I am

hungry and I want to go to lunch. "I am hungry. I want to go to lunch." Define ArgumentAn inference from at least one premise to a conclusion. All sentences in an argument are propositions. The conclusion is drawn by assuming the truth of the

premise(s). EX: Apples are healthy. Therefore, you should eat apples.

Define PremiseA proposition that supports the conclusion.Define ConclusionThe proposition that is being supported by a premise or by multiple premises.Deductive ArgumentAn argument that is meant to provide decisive support for its conclusion. In other words, in a deductive argument, the conclusion is intended to follow necessarily from its premises. EX: If someone eats apples, then they will be healthy. Bo eats apples. Therefore, Bo will be healthy.Inductive argumentAn inductive argument is an argument that is meant to provide probable support for its conclusion. In other words, in an inductive argument, the conclusion is

intended to follow as a matter of chance or probability. EX: 72% of survey

respondents liked the apples. From this we can infer that the majority of Americans like these apples.

Define ValidA deductive argument is sound if it is valid and it has true premises Define InvalidA deductive argument is invalid if we assume that the premises are true and the conclusion does NOT follow necessarily Define SoundA deductive argument is sound if it is valid and it has true premises.Define UnsoundA deductive argument is unsound if it is invalid or if it is a valid argument with at least one false premise.Define strongAn inductive argument is strong if we assume that the premises are true and the conclusion is likely or probable (likely or probable means that the probability is more that 50% but less than 100%).Define weakAn inductive argument is weak if we assume that the premises are true and the conclusion is NOT likely or probable (likely or probable means that the probability is less that 50%).Define CogentAn inductive argument is cogent if it is strong and it has true premises.Define uncogentAn inductive argument is uncogent if it weak or if it is strong argument but it has at least one false premise.Define Antecedentthe "if-part" of an if/then argument.Define Consequentoccurs when a person draws a conclusion that of the consequent is true, then the antecedent must also be true.Define Modus PonensModus ponens is the following valid argument form: If X, then Y. X. Therefore, Y. X and Y are to be taken as simple propositions. Modus ponens is not a fallacy because its form will always yield a valid argument. This means that no matter what simple proposition X represents and no matter what simple proposition Y represents, "If X, then Y. X. Therefore, Y" will always be valid.Define Modus TollensModus tollens is the following valid argument form: If X, then Y. Not Y. Therefore, not X. Modus tollens is not a fallacy because its form will always yield a valid argument. This means that no matter what simple proposition X represents and no matter what simple proposition Y represents, "If X, then Y. Not Y. Therefore, not X" will always be valid.Define affirming the consequentAffirming the consequent is the following invalid argument form: If X, then Y. Y.Therefore, X. Affirming the consequent is a formal fallacy because no matter what simple proposition X represents and no matter what simple proposition Y represents, the premises do not necessitate or guarantee the truth of the conclusion X. It is called affirming the consequent because the consequent, Y, is affirmed in the second premise.

Denying the AntecedentDenying the antecedent is the following invalid argument form: If X, then Y. Not X.Therefore, Not Y. Denying the antecedent is a formal fallacy because no matter what simple proposition X represents and no matter what simple proposition Y represents, the premises do not necessitate or guarantee the truth of the conclusion, not Y. It is called denying the antecedent because the antecedent, X, is denied (or negated) in the second premise.Begging the questioninformal fallacy in which the premise(s) and the conclusion mean essentially the same thing. This happens because the truth of the conclusion is assumed in its premise or premises. Begging the question is a problem because the premises are supposed to provide logical support for the conclusion and not already assume

the conclusion. EX: WGU students are the best because the best students attend

WGU.Fallacy Fallacyinformal fallacy in which one person (person A) points out that someone else’s conclusion is false or should be rejected because they (person B) has committed a fallacy. EX: My opponent argues that we should increase bus ticket prices, but they use a slippery slope argument. Since their argument is flawed, I conclude that their conclusion must be false and that we should not increase bus ticket prices.What does it mean to say that an information source is "biased toward the sensational"?information source is more likely to be sensationalist. A news story is sensationalist if it intends to be shocking and provoke excitement. Such excitement and provocation will likely have the consequence of getting people or the public to tune in to such networks. As a consequence of being sensationalist, these networks can omit important facts and thus be carelessly inaccurate.What does it mean to say that an information source is "biased toward a mainstream status quo ideology"?means the way things are now or the existing state of affairs. The term applies mostly to social and political issues. Thus, if a source is biased towards the status quo it means that it will report or transmit information in such a way that expresses opinions and attitudes that are consistent with the status quo or endorse the status quo.When evaluating a news story, why might it be a good idea to "search on social media like Twitter or Facebook and look at which 'bubbles' this story is making the rounds in"?because this may give us a good idea what ideological bias the story might have.Why is it good for a source to "consider counterarguments to their analysis"?it shows an intent to be objective. This is another way of saying that they are trying to be honest and thoughtful in their approach.Why is it helpful to determine who funded a study or poll?it can help in identifying bias. This is specifically true of studies, polls and science articles. If, for example, a specific industry funds a study about the overall value of that industry, it may be biased towards making the industry look good and valuable.Why will you never hear anyone on a credible news source say "you won't hear this on any other news outlet" or "you can't trust other sources on this because we're the only ones with the inside scoop"?because such utterances are found in echo chambers and sources with echo chambers intend to create distrust of other sources. Thus, if you hear such utterances from a source, it is very likely that the source is biased.

Why is it important to ask if a source is current and/or is local?to avoid a phenomenon known as context collapse. Context collapse happens on the internet because online it is easy to make information seem current and local.Thus, for example, a story may be irrelevant to the present if it actually happened years ago. Thus, it is important to find out when the story was actually originally published and whether it is indeed local to your specific area (your specific town or city, for example).Why it is important to ask what other sources are saying about an event?in order to get multiple perspectives or reports on a specific subject or issue.Getting multiple perspectives or reports on a specific issue is less likely to make you be the target of a specific bias.Why is it important to ask if a story is "plausible" or if a story to "too convenient"?so that we are not tricked into thinking that something is true when it is completely false or made up. It is important to ask whether a story is convenient because the story may not be true if it is too convenient. Being convenient means that it fits too neatly into a particular narrative about current events.Why is it important to ask if a story or source involves a Deepfake?because such a story is very likely to be completely made up or manipulated by AI (artificial intelligence) technology. When we are able to recognize a deepfake, we will know that the story or the information it portrays is fake or false.principle of charityrequires that we interpret another person's argument by making it as defensible or unassailable as we possibly can.Applying the principle of charity is beneficial because it will allow us to have reasonable discussions or debates with others and it will also help us to better understand the other person's view or position. Also, if we are interested in winning, we can better do so by applying the principle of charity cognitive biasare due to the fact that our brains are "wired" to interpret or categorize the world and our experiences in certain ways. This wiring of our brain has caused us to habitually interpret or categorize the world and our experiences in specific ways and this creates specific biases which are intricately connected with how we understand the world and our experiences (cognition has to do with learning and understanding).aliefautomatic "belief like attitude" which usually contradicts our rational beliefs.Imagine that you are on top of a skyscraper and you are perfectly safe but as you look down below, you fear that you might fall. You would have the rational belief that you are perfectly safe but the alief that you are in danger.heuristica rule of thumb that we often use in our experiences to make quick decisions. A heuristic can also be thought of as a shortcut. Heuristics are not guaranteed to work all of the time but they work most of the time.confirmation biasthe tendency to look for information (evidence) that confirms what we already believe and to reject information (evidence) that contradicts what we already believe.representativeness biasinvolves the use of a prototype. A prototype or archetype is a model or idea in our minds which we use to interpret new experiences or situations. The example in Section 4 states that a person with a ski mask walking into a bank is likely to lead us to think that this person is about to rob the bank. The prototype of a person with a ski mask inside a bank represents that kind of experience or situation.