CRWT CRITICAL THINKING AND LOGIC Flashcards
(17 cards)
is the study of the criteria used in evaluating inferences or arguments.
Logic
is a process of reasoning in which a new belief is formed on the basis of or
in virtue of evidence or proof supposedly provided by other beliefs.
Inference
is a collection of statements or propositions, some of which are intended
to provide support or evidence in favor of one of the others.
Argument
is something that can either be true or false. We usually think
of a statement as a declarative sentence, or part of a sentence.
statement or proposition
are those statements or propositions in it that are intended to provide the support or evidence.
Premises of an argument
is that statement or proposition for which the premises are intended to provide support (in short, it is the point the argument is trying to make).
conclusion of an argument
An argument is ________ if the author intends it to be so strong that it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false, or in other words, that the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises. A deductive argument attempts (successfully or unsuccessfully) to provide full proof of the conclusion.
deductive
An argument is ________ if the author intends it only to be so strong that it is
improbable that the premises could be true and the conclusion false, or in other words, that the conclusion is likely if the premises are true. An inductive argument only attempts (successfully or unsuccessfully) to provide evidence for the likely truth of the conclusion, rather than outright proof.
inductive
is valid if it has a form that would make it impossible for the
premises to be true and the conclusion false, or if the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises.
deductive argument
is an argument that is both valid and factually correct.
sound argument
An _______ __________ may have true or false premises, and a true or false conclusion. A valid argument may have false premises with either a true or a false conclusion. The only combination that is ruled out is a valid argument with true premises and a false conclusion. Sound arguments always have true conclusions.
invalid argument
An argument begs the question when it makes use of a premise that no one who didn’t already accept the conclusion would believe. Simply put, an argument begs the question when it reasons in a circle or presupposes the truth of the very thing it’s trying to prove.
Begging the Question
This fallacy is committed when something is concluded to be true simply because it hasn’t been proven to be false, or is concluded to be false just because it hasn’t been proven to be true. Reasoning in such a way is invalid. Something can be true even if no one has succeeded in showing it to be true.
The Appeal to Ignorance Fallacy
This fallacy is committed when someone concludes that something must be true in virtue of what he or she wants to be true (or doesn’t want to be false) instead of what the evidence suggests. Unfortunately, just because there are better consequences to something’s being true rather than false does not provide evidence that it is true.
The Wishful Thinking Fallacy
This fallacy is committed when an argument or position is rejected not in virtue of its logical merits, but rather in virtue of the character, personality, background or motivation of the person giving the argument or holding the position. However, a position can be true, and an argument can be sound, no matter how deplorable the person is. Who holds a belief has nothing to do with whether or not it’s true.
The “Ad Hominem” Fallacy
is something that someone believes to be true.
Opinion
It’s something that is true.
Fact
