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Critical Thinking & Current Events > MidTerm > Flashcards

MidTerm Flashcards

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1
Q

What is weak sense critical thinking? /5

A

to prove that you are correct

lazy thinker (most common)

find evidence that fits YOUR conclusion (conclusion 1st, evidence 2nd)

allows easy manipulation

results in a false consensus

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2
Q

What is a strong sense critical thinking? /5

A

to find the best possible argument

find evidence that dictates the conclusion (evidence 1st, conclusion 2nd)

can lead to a conclusion you do not accept BUT is true

rare and objective (not always)

takes into consideration the evidence that opposes your conclusion

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3
Q

What is confirmation bias?

A

the middleground between ‘what you want to believe’ and ‘online information’

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4
Q

What is a GOOD critical thinker? /6

A

open-minded

patient

good listener

minimize bias

observant

skeptical but not cynical

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5
Q

What does ‘skeptical not cynical’ mean?

A

argue but NOT contradict

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6
Q

What does it mean to be skeptical? /3

A

asking questions

looking for answers to these questions (not just accepting what is being told)

willing to change their minds if presented with proper arguments

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7
Q

What does it mean to be cynical? /3

A

rejecting information outright

does not do the work of a skeptic

scared of being tricked

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8
Q

What is an argument? /4

A

needs to have a contrary position

only emerge when there’s a disagreement

attempts to establish the truth of a claim

requires reasons + conclusion (skeptic)

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9
Q

What is a non-argument? /6

A

facts without a conclusion

personal opinions/emotions

leading questions

descriptions

explanations

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10
Q

What is an example of personal opinions/emotions a non-argument? /3

A

pounding fist

raising voice out of frustration/anger of the situation

general emotional emphasis

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11
Q

What is a leading question? /3

A

made to have the audience pre-determinedly agree or disagree

series of questions do not stand as reason

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12
Q

Why is a description not an argument? /3

A

it’s a series of facts

not evidence to the argument being discussed

asking for evidence, not a dictionary definition

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13
Q

Why are explanations not an argument? /2

A

is NOT an attempt to change one’s behavior/mind

use of ‘I’ or ‘me’

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14
Q

What are deductive arguments? /2

A

uncertain

arguments that MUST be true, IF they are both valid and sound

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15
Q

What is validity in deductive arguments?

A

impossible for the conclusion to be false if the premises are true

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16
Q

What is the soundness of a deductive argument?

A

if the argument is valid, all premises are true

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17
Q

What are inductive arguments? /4

A

arguments that do NOT deal in absolutes

all about probability

discussion about weak and strong inductive arguments in relation to their probability

NO adlibbing/ filling the blanks

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18
Q

What are the 2 ways of framing arguments? /2

A

Denotative

Connotative

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19
Q

What is denotative?

A

literal meaning of something

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20
Q

What is connotative?

A

symbolic/underlying meaning of a word

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21
Q

What is a misonomer?

A

wrong/misleading name or designation

ex. funny bone, seahorse

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22
Q

What are weasel words?

A

remove all meaning out of another word

ex. up to 70% off

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23
Q

What is euphemism?

A

understates the severity of something

ex. let go = fired, passed away = died

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24
Q

What is hyperbole? /4

A

overstates the severity of something

a. k. a an exaggeration

used when something is not taken seriously (emotions = non-argument)

use of profanities

ex. working like slaves

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25
What is visual imagery?
using/altering images to pass on a specific message ex. ads showing positive images while listing horrific side effects of pharmaceutical medication
26
What are terms of framing arguments? /5
misnomer weasel words euphemism hyperbole visual imagery
27
What is a premise?
evidence to an argument/conclusion
28
What is an acceptable premise? /4
supported by a sub-argument known to be true a priori is common knowledge (!) supported by a relevant figure of authority (!)
29
What does it mean for a premise to be 'supported by a sub-argument'?
a building block/chain link to strengthen a conclusion
30
What does it mean for a premise to be 'known to be true a priori'? /3
independent of experience does not need verification to be proven true by definition
31
Why is it cautious for a premise to be 'common knowledge'? /5
depends on the demographic of who is being asked geographically specific depends on the time-period is was known in can be wrong or turn out to be false = NOT NECESSARILY TRUE the more common it is, the less specific it becomes
32
Why is it cautious for a premise to be 'supported by a relevant figure of authority'? /8
can be a former figure of authority CAN MAKE MISTAKES has a type of specialization BUT no correlation to the subject being discussed needs certifiable proof outside their title must be reviewed by someone of the same field must be unbiased best if from a peer-reviewed journal/study NEVER 100% sure, but sure enough
33
What is a rejected premise? /5
can find a counterexample to the premise a priori false contradiction between premises vague or ambiguous lacks justification
34
Why is a possible counterexample immediately reject a premise? /2
only need one (1) to counter a whole argument premise is no longer valid
35
What is a priori false?
premise false by definition
36
What does it mean 'contradiction between premises'? /2
does not belong in supporting the argument immediately rejected
37
What does it mean when a premise is 'vague or ambiguous'? /3
use of weasel words no precision or detail has multiple external factors that can change the result = several perspectives = X
38
What does it mean when a premise 'lacks justification'?
no sub-argument
39
What is an argument fallacy? /3
something that is false common mistakes often seen in arguments tricks to get public approval
40
What are the different argument fallacies? /15
non-sequitur post-hoc fallacy begging the question circular reasoning red herring either/or false analogy bandwagon two wrongs make a right hasty generalization slippery slope improper use of authority nirvana fallacy sunk cost fallacy fundamental attribute error
41
What is a non-sequitur?
suggests a logical connection that is not necessarily there ex. If I come to class, I should get an A for participation = X
42
What is post-hoc fallacy? /2
when one event follows another and we wrongly conclude that there's a cause-effect relationship non-sequitur + temporal progression (time) ex. luck/coincidence
43
What is 'begging the question'? /2
argument that is premised on an assumption that may not be accurate use of 'obviously' or 'everybody knows'
44
What is circular reasoning? /2
avoids providing a point attempts to trick people by restating a premise or conclusion in a different way ex. the PM has Canada's best interests in mind, so he was elected into office
45
What is a red herring?
irrelevant fact is brought up to divert one's attention from the important/main subject ex. republicans claimed that Obama is a 'secret Muslim' because of his middle name
46
What is 'either/or'?
an issue is presented as only having 2 possible outcomes ex. "you are either with us or with the terrorists" - G. W Bush
47
What is a false analogy?
comparison between 2 things that are NOT similar, but presented as if they are ex. government is like business
48
What is a bandwagon?
use the desire to belong/join in as an alternative to presenting a coherent argument ex. if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow them?
49
What is a 'two wrongs make a right'?
justify behavior based on the actions of others ex. I am unhappy, so you should be unhappy as well
50
What is a hasty generalization?
jumping to conclusions based off insufficient evidence ex. my friend failed the course, so it must be hard
51
What is a slippery slope?
oversimplification that suggests certain NEGATIVE consequences will result if a certain course of action is not taken ex. if same-sex marriage is legal, will the people push to be allowed to marry animals?
52
What is a an improper use of authority?
quoting an "authority" to justify an argument, BUT the person quoted is not legitimate on the subject ex. Canada's major bank is quoted to support cuts to social spending
53
What is a nirvana fallacy?
rejecting a proposal because it's not perfect REGARDLESS if it's better than the available plausible alternatives
54
What is a sunk cost fallacy? /2
continuing on the current course EVEN THOUGH its readily apparent it is not working HOWEVER, you have already invested so much time, money, effort, energy, etc ex. sitting through a bad movie
55
What is a fundamental attribution error?
gravitate towards personality based explanations of observed behaviors ex. your friend fails an exam, so you assume she is lazy
56
What is cognitive bias? /5
behavioral economics people are rational actors = make to benefit their own self-interest Daniel Kahneman System 1 + 2 Expected Value = (odds of gain) x (value of gain) by Bernoulli
57
What is system 1? /5
brains are lazy automatic and impulsive geared for survival causes us to make mistakes one condition is easier to meet than 2
58
What us system 2? /4
consciously awake and considerate helps exert self-control problem-solving recent part of evolutionary history
59
What is the relationship between system 1 + 2?
constantly fighting on who should be in control
60
What is important about cognitive bias? /2
when making decisions give yourself time try not to give in into your emotions
61
What is availability bias? /2
things that we can picture more vividly, we believe are more likely to occur results in overestimation/underestimation
62
What is the anchoring bias? /3
comparison affects value the 1st piece of information stays embedded in one's mind has people reconsider their options
63
What is optimism bias?
think the law of average does not apply for that specific individual (ourselves)
64
What is implicit bias? /2
making assumptions that are not justified result of system 1
65
How do you overcome implicit bias? /3
when should the decision be made? slow down recognize the limitations of your knowledge
66
What is the sponge method? /4
passive way of reading does not differentiate between important and non-essential information easy but INEFFICIENT trying to absorb all the information at once
67
What is the panning for gold method? /5
active way of reading handful of small-key information is retained focuses on conclusions + reasons that support it rids of non-essential information standard form of making an argument
68
What is the standard form of making an argument? /3(6)
expressing an argument in the most minimal way possible ``` C = conclusion P1 = premise 1 P2 = premise 2 P# = premise # ``` WORKING BACKWARDS

Critical Thinking & Current Events (1 decks)

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