Critical Thinking

Imagine a class where students are actively and personally engaged in thinking critically while also discovering how to apply those thinking skills in everyday life. Now imagine those same students confidently participating in class, working efficiently through the exercises outside class, and performing better in the course. With "Connect Critical Thinking," students can achieve this success. "Connect Critical Thinking" is a first: a learning program with pedagogical tools that are anchored in research on critical thinking. Along with Moore & Parker's engaging writing style and the wealth of topical exercises and examples that are relevant to students' lives, "Connect Critical Thinking" helps ensure that students can come to class confident and prepared. What other course provides students with skills they can apply so broadly to success in school and success in life? Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 3 Brief Table of Contents......Page 4 Table of Contents......Page 7 List of Boxes......Page 18 Preface......Page 24 Acknowledgments......Page 26 A Note to Our Colleagues......Page 28 About the Authors......Page 30 Chapter 1 What Is Critical Thinking, Anyway?......Page 33 In Depth: Critical Thinking, the Long Version......Page 35 Beliefs and Claims......Page 36 Objective Claims and Subjective Claims......Page 37 Moral Subjectivism......Page 38 Issues......Page 39 Arguments......Page 40 Cognitive Biases......Page 49 In Depth: Rational Choice?......Page 51 Truth and Knowledge......Page 55 A Word About the Exercises......Page 56 Recap......Page 57 Additional Exercises......Page 58 Arguments: General Features......Page 69 Unstated Premises and Conclusions......Page 70 Deductive Arguments......Page 71 Inductive Arguments......Page 72 Real Life Abe Lincoln Knew His Logic......Page 73 Deduction, Induction, and Unstated Premises......Page 75 “Balance of Considerations” and IBEs......Page 77 Pictures......Page 78 “A because B”......Page 79 Ethos, Pathos, and Logos......Page 80 Clarifying an Argument’s Structure......Page 84 Distinguishing Arguments from Window Dressing......Page 86 On Language Stupid Liberal!......Page 87 Recap......Page 88 Additional Exercises......Page 89 Chapter 3 Clear Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Clear Writing......Page 101 In the Media Say What?? . . .......Page 103 Real Life Vagueness at the Border......Page 104 Ambiguity......Page 106 Semantic Ambiguity......Page 107 Grouping Ambiguity......Page 108 Syntactic Ambiguity......Page 109 In Depth: More Examples of the Composition and Division Fallacies......Page 110 On Language Making Ambiguity Work for You......Page 111 Generality......Page 112 Defining Terms......Page 115 Purposes of Defi nitions......Page 116 Kinds of Defi nitions......Page 117 In Depth: Are We Innately Selfish?......Page 118 Writing Argumentative Essays......Page 119 Good Writing Practices......Page 121 On Language And While We’re on the Subject of Writing......Page 122 Writing in a Diverse Society......Page 123 Additional Exercises......Page 125 Chapter 4 Credibility......Page 136 Real Life The Nigerian Advance Fee 4-1-9 Fraud: The Internet’s Longest-Running Scam Is Still Running Strong......Page 137 The Claim and Its Source......Page 138 In the Media Guaranteeing an Interested Party, or the Fox Audits the Henhouse......Page 139 In the Media Incredible Claims!......Page 140 Real Life When Personal Observation Fails . . .......Page 141 Does the Claim Confl ict with Our Background Information?......Page 143 Real Life Do Your Ears Stick Straight Out?......Page 144 Real Life Fib Wizards......Page 145 Real Life Not All That Glitters......Page 147 Real Life Whom Do You Trust?......Page 148 Real Life War-Making Policies and Interested Parties......Page 150 Real Life Smoking and Not Paying Attention Can Be Deadly......Page 152 Consolidation of Media Ownership......Page 154 Government Management of the News......Page 155 In the Media Jumping to Conclusions in the News......Page 156 In the Media Saving Private Lynch......Page 157 The Internet, Generally......Page 159 In the Media Evaluating Website Credibility: A Tip from the Professionals......Page 160 In the Media Webcheckers......Page 162 Advertising......Page 163 Real Life When Is an Ad Not an Ad? When It’s a Product Placement!......Page 165 On Language WAY Too Good To Be True!......Page 166 Recap......Page 167 Additional Exercises......Page 168 Chapter 5 Persuasion Through Rhetoric: Common Devices and Techniques......Page 178 Euphemisms and Dysphemisms......Page 179 Real Life The Death Tax......Page 180 In the Media Innuendo with Statistics......Page 181 Downplayers......Page 182 Stereotypes......Page 184 In the Media We Get Dumber in Company of Blondes......Page 185 Innuendo......Page 186 Loaded Questions......Page 187 Ridicule/Sarcasm......Page 188 Hyperbole......Page 189 On Language Legislative Misnomers......Page 190 Rhetorical Analogies and Misleading Comparisons......Page 191 In the Media A Misleading Mathematical Visual......Page 193 Real Life Cause for Alarm?......Page 194 In Depth: Visual Hyperbole, Ridicule, or Just Beefcake?......Page 195 Proof Surrogates......Page 196 Repetition......Page 197 Persuasion Using Visual Images......Page 198 In the Media Now You See Him—Now You Don’t......Page 199 In the Media The Daschle Salute......Page 200 In Depth: Don’t Get Carried Away!......Page 201 Recap......Page 202 Additional Exercises......Page 203 Chapter 6 More Rhetorical Devices: Psychological and Related Fallacies......Page 216 The Argument from Outrage......Page 217 In the Media Wishful Thinking......Page 219 Scare Tactics......Page 220 Other Fallacies Based on Emotions......Page 221 Real Life Knee Operation Judged Useless......Page 222 Real Life Patriotic Passion......Page 223 In Depth: The “True For . . .” Cop-Out......Page 226 In the Media A Red Herring in a Letter to Time......Page 227 Everyone Knows . . .......Page 228 Real Life Is It Still a Lie If Everybody Does It?......Page 229 Rationalizing......Page 231 Two Wrongs Make a Right......Page 232 Recap......Page 233 Additional Exercises......Page 234 Chapter 7 More Fallacies......Page 242 The Inconsistency Ad Hominem......Page 243 In Depth: Ad Hominem......Page 244 Poisoning the Well......Page 245 The Genetic Fallacy......Page 246 Straw Man......Page 248 In the Media Seig Heil? . . . or Shut Up?......Page 249 False Dilemma......Page 250 Real Life Which Is It Going to Be, Springfield?......Page 252 The Line-Drawing Fallacy......Page 253 Slippery Slope......Page 254 Misplacing the Burden of Proof......Page 255 In the Media A Double Slippery Slope......Page 256 In Depth: Innocent Until Proved Guilty......Page 258 Begging the Question......Page 259 Real Life Getting Really Worked Up over Ideas......Page 260 On Language Begging . . . or Begging For?......Page 261 Additional Exercises......Page 262 Chapter 8 Deductive Arguments I: Categorical Logic......Page 285 Categorical Claims......Page 287 Venn Diagrams......Page 288 Translation into Standard Form......Page 289 On Language The Most Versatile Word in English......Page 291 In Depth: More on Individual Claims......Page 292 The Square of Opposition......Page 294 Conversion......Page 296 Contraposition......Page 297 In Depth: Venn Diagrams for the Three Operations......Page 298 Categorical Syllogisms......Page 303 Real Life Some Do; Therefore, Some Don’t......Page 304 The Venn Diagram Method of Testing for Validity......Page 305 Categorical Syllogisms with Unstated Premises......Page 308 Real-Life Syllogisms......Page 309 Real Life The World’s Second Most Common Syllogism......Page 310 The Rules Method of Testing for Validity......Page 313 Recap......Page 315 Additional Exercises......Page 316 Chapter 9 Deductive Arguments II: Truth-Functional Logic......Page 327 Truth Tables......Page 328 In Depth Test Yourself......Page 333 Symbolizing Compound Claims......Page 334 In Depth: Truth-Functional Logic and Electrical Circuits......Page 335 “If” and “Only If”......Page 336 Real Life Truth-Functional Trickery......Page 337 Real Life Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t . . .......Page 338 Necessary and Sufficient Conditions......Page 339 “Unless”......Page 340 “Either . . . Or”......Page 341 Three Common Valid Argument Patterns......Page 343 Three Mistakes: Invalid Argument Forms......Page 346 The Truth-Table Method......Page 349 Real Life An Al Gore Chain Argument......Page 352 The Short Truth-Table Method......Page 353 Group I Rules: Elementary Valid Argument Patterns......Page 357 Real Life If the Dollar Falls . . .......Page 359 Real Life Logician at Work......Page 360 Group II Rules: Truth-Functional Equivalences......Page 362 Conditional Proof......Page 369 Recap......Page 372 Additional Exercises......Page 373 Chapter 10 Thinking Critically About Inductive Reasoning......Page 381 In Depth: Everyday Statistical Syllogisms......Page 382 Reasoning from the General to the Specific (Statistical Syllogisms)......Page 383 Reasoning from the Specific to the General (Inductive Generalizing from a Sample)......Page 384 Everyday Inductive Generalizing from a Sample......Page 386 The Way Inductive Arguments from Analogy Work......Page 395 Other Uses of Analogies......Page 398 Real Life Bears!......Page 399 Real Life Whom Do You Trust?......Page 400 Reasoning from General to General......Page 405 Informal Error-Margin and Confidence-Level Indicators......Page 407 Hasty Generalization......Page 408 Biased Generalization......Page 409 Real Life The Great Slip-Up of 1948......Page 410 Weak Analogy......Page 411 On Language Ask Us No (Loaded) Questions; We’ll Tell You No Lies......Page 412 Vague Generalities......Page 413 Recap......Page 414 Additional Exercises......Page 415 Chapter 11 Causal Explanation......Page 421 Physical Causal Explanations......Page 422 Behavioral Causal Explanations......Page 423 Real Life Behavioral Causal Explanations......Page 424 Nontestable Explanations......Page 425 Circular Explanations......Page 427 Unnecessary Complexity......Page 428 The Method of Difference......Page 434 The Method of Agreement......Page 435 In the Media Working at Night to Be Listed as “Probable” Cause of Cancer......Page 437 The Best Diagnosis Method......Page 438 On Language The Wrong Initials Can Shorten Your Life......Page 439 Confirming Causal Hypotheses......Page 444 Controlled Cause-to-Effect Experiments......Page 445 In the Media Here’s to Wine and Cheese......Page 446 Alternative Methods of Testing Causal Hypotheses in Human Populations......Page 447 Mistakes in Causal Reasoning......Page 455 Overlooking Statistical Regression......Page 457 In the Media Decoding Your Handwriting Style......Page 459 Proof by Absence of Disproof......Page 460 Causation in the Law......Page 461 On Language The Great 9/11 Mystery......Page 462 On Language AC and IBE......Page 463 Additional Exercises......Page 464 Real Life Are Women Less Competitive?......Page 470 Chapter 12 Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning......Page 471 Value Judgments......Page 472 Two Principles of Moral Reasoning......Page 473 In Depth: Deducing the Right Thing to Do......Page 475 Deriving Specifi c Moral Value Judgments......Page 476 Consequentialism......Page 478 Duty Theory/Deontologism......Page 480 Real Life Inmate Who Got New Heart While Still in Prison Dies......Page 482 Religious Relativism......Page 483 Virtue Ethics......Page 484 In Depth: Why Moral Problems Seem Unresolvable......Page 487 Legal Reasoning......Page 492 Justifying Laws: Four Perspectives......Page 493 Eight Aesthetic Principles......Page 495 Using Aesthetic Principles to Judge Aesthetic Value......Page 498 Evaluating Aesthetic Criticism: Relevance and Truth......Page 500 Why Reason Aesthetically?......Page 502 Recap......Page 503 Additional Exercises......Page 505 Selection 1: Three Strikes and the Whole Enchilada......Page 508 Selection 3: Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11......Page 509 Selection 4: Excerpts from Federal Court Ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance......Page 511 Selection 5: The Threat from Same-Sex Marriage......Page 512 Selection 6 : Death Penalty Has No Place in U.S.......Page 514 Selection 7: Please, No More Gambling!......Page 515 Selection 8: Hetero by Choice?......Page 516 Selection 9: Bonnie and Clyde......Page 517 Selection 11B: Gay Marriage “Unnatural”......Page 518 Selection 13: Is God Part of Integrity?......Page 521 Selection 14A and 14B: Question: Do College and University Administration Have the Right to Establish Standards for Faculty Dress and Grooming?......Page 523 Selection 15B: Don’t Overreact to Smoke......Page 524 Selection 16B: Buying or Selling Notes Is Wrong......Page 526 Selection 17B: Gun Laws Are No Answer......Page 527 Selection 18: Letters from the National Rifle Association......Page 529 Selection 19B: We Need More Prayer......Page 531 Glossary......Page 533 Answers, Suggestions, and Tips for Triangle Exercises......Page 541 Credits......Page 567 Index......Page 569