SSH 105 (CRITICAL THINKING) FINAL EXAM
Statement/claim - Answers -an assertion that something is or is not the case
Proposition - Answers -the specific thought or idea that the statement expresses (the
idea behind the statement)
True or False - Different statements can express the same proposition - Answers -true
ex: different languages... "It is snowing" "Il neige"
True or False - The same statement can express different propositions - Answers -true
(depending on who, when, where)
ex: "I am hungry"
different people saying "I am hungry" means different things
Interrogative sentences - Answers -used when we ask questions
Imperative sentences - Answers -used when we are commanding an order
Declarative sentences - Answers -used when we are describing a sentence
which type of sentence expresses propositions? - Answers -declarative sentences
declarative sentence example - Answers -"Sammy ate a burger for lunch"
Premise - Answers -a statement that is offered in support of a conclusion
Conclusion - Answers -a statement that is held to be supported by one or more
premises
Argument - Answers -a set of statements where the conclusion is supported by the
premises OR a set of statements where the premises support the conclusion
name 3 texts that are NOT arguments - Answers -Merely descriptive
Authors opinion/singular opinions (no supporting evidence)
"If-then" statements
steps of argument analysis - Answers -Is it an argument?
Reconstruct
Evaluate
Inference - Answers -a process of reasoning (using premises) from premise to a
conclusion
Literary merit - Answers -argument is well written, original, interesting
,Rhetorical power - Answers -argument has a tendency to convince or persuade people
Rational strength - Answers -the premises of an argument provide good reasons to
think that the conclusion is true
Can an argument be strong/have rational strength if the premises are false? - Answers
-yes; as long as argument provides good support for the conclusion
Critical thinking - Answers -the systematic analysis or formulation of arguments by
rational standards
3 types of knowledge - Answers -Knowledge by acquaintance
Knowledge-how
Propositional knowledge (knowledge-that)
3 necessary conditions for propositional knowledge (knowledge-that) - Answers -belief,
truth, justification
Belief - Answers -in the case that you know something, it must be the case that you
believe it ("Today is Thursday")
Truth - Answers -if a proposition is known, part of what that means, is that the
proposition is true (2+2=4)
Justification - Answers -involves having good reasons
Belief + Justification (ex) - Answers -the earth is flat
Truth + Justification (ex) - Answers -things we know that we don't believe like facts
about far away planets
Truth + Belief (ex) - Answers -believing Santa is real
4 views on truth/knowledge - Answers -realism, nihilism, relativism (subjective and
social), skepticism
Realsim - Answers -There ARE truths in the subject area
These truths DO NOT depend on anyone's belief about them (OBJECTIVE)
Realism example - Answers -jelly bean jar game -> there is a correct answer about how
many beans are in the jar and does not depend on anyones beliefs
Realist - Answers -you can be a realist about areas that consist of objective facts or
that have answers which are either correct/incorrect
, PROS (realism) - Answers -Simple/straightforward
Works well in many areas
CONS (realism) - Answers -Does not work well in subjective areas (ex: beauty,
deliciousness, or humour) -> what one person likes, another person might dislike)
Nihilism - Answers -There are NO truths/facts in the subject area
Nihilism example - Answers -moral nihilism
moral nihilism - Answers -the view that moral statements have no truth-value (they
aren't true or false)
Nihilist - Answers -you think there is no knowledge to be gained in an area -> without
truth, there would be no knowledge
Can you be a nihilist about everything? - Answers -no; sometimes there are correct
answers
ex: you can't think there is no fact about how many jellybeans are in the jar
PROS (nihilism) - Answers -Makes disagreements easier to handle since there's no
right or wrong answer
CONS (nihilism) - Answers -Implausible in many subject areas
Nihilism about everything is self-defeating (contradicting yourself)
Relativism - Answers -There ARE truths in the subject area
These truths DEPEND on someone's belief about them (SUBJECTIVE)
What do the relativist and the realist disagree on? - Answers -weather the truths are
objective or subjective
2 types of relativism - Answers -subjective, social
Subjective relativism - Answers -truth depends on the individual ("that's the truth for
me")
Social relativism - Answers -truth depends on a societies/cultures beliefs ("thats true for
us")
humour is an example of _________ relativism because jokes that are funny in one
culture/country may not be in another - Answers -social
PROS (relativism) - Answers -Works well in areas like beauty, deliciousness, or humor
Statement/claim - Answers -an assertion that something is or is not the case
Proposition - Answers -the specific thought or idea that the statement expresses (the
idea behind the statement)
True or False - Different statements can express the same proposition - Answers -true
ex: different languages... "It is snowing" "Il neige"
True or False - The same statement can express different propositions - Answers -true
(depending on who, when, where)
ex: "I am hungry"
different people saying "I am hungry" means different things
Interrogative sentences - Answers -used when we ask questions
Imperative sentences - Answers -used when we are commanding an order
Declarative sentences - Answers -used when we are describing a sentence
which type of sentence expresses propositions? - Answers -declarative sentences
declarative sentence example - Answers -"Sammy ate a burger for lunch"
Premise - Answers -a statement that is offered in support of a conclusion
Conclusion - Answers -a statement that is held to be supported by one or more
premises
Argument - Answers -a set of statements where the conclusion is supported by the
premises OR a set of statements where the premises support the conclusion
name 3 texts that are NOT arguments - Answers -Merely descriptive
Authors opinion/singular opinions (no supporting evidence)
"If-then" statements
steps of argument analysis - Answers -Is it an argument?
Reconstruct
Evaluate
Inference - Answers -a process of reasoning (using premises) from premise to a
conclusion
Literary merit - Answers -argument is well written, original, interesting
,Rhetorical power - Answers -argument has a tendency to convince or persuade people
Rational strength - Answers -the premises of an argument provide good reasons to
think that the conclusion is true
Can an argument be strong/have rational strength if the premises are false? - Answers
-yes; as long as argument provides good support for the conclusion
Critical thinking - Answers -the systematic analysis or formulation of arguments by
rational standards
3 types of knowledge - Answers -Knowledge by acquaintance
Knowledge-how
Propositional knowledge (knowledge-that)
3 necessary conditions for propositional knowledge (knowledge-that) - Answers -belief,
truth, justification
Belief - Answers -in the case that you know something, it must be the case that you
believe it ("Today is Thursday")
Truth - Answers -if a proposition is known, part of what that means, is that the
proposition is true (2+2=4)
Justification - Answers -involves having good reasons
Belief + Justification (ex) - Answers -the earth is flat
Truth + Justification (ex) - Answers -things we know that we don't believe like facts
about far away planets
Truth + Belief (ex) - Answers -believing Santa is real
4 views on truth/knowledge - Answers -realism, nihilism, relativism (subjective and
social), skepticism
Realsim - Answers -There ARE truths in the subject area
These truths DO NOT depend on anyone's belief about them (OBJECTIVE)
Realism example - Answers -jelly bean jar game -> there is a correct answer about how
many beans are in the jar and does not depend on anyones beliefs
Realist - Answers -you can be a realist about areas that consist of objective facts or
that have answers which are either correct/incorrect
, PROS (realism) - Answers -Simple/straightforward
Works well in many areas
CONS (realism) - Answers -Does not work well in subjective areas (ex: beauty,
deliciousness, or humour) -> what one person likes, another person might dislike)
Nihilism - Answers -There are NO truths/facts in the subject area
Nihilism example - Answers -moral nihilism
moral nihilism - Answers -the view that moral statements have no truth-value (they
aren't true or false)
Nihilist - Answers -you think there is no knowledge to be gained in an area -> without
truth, there would be no knowledge
Can you be a nihilist about everything? - Answers -no; sometimes there are correct
answers
ex: you can't think there is no fact about how many jellybeans are in the jar
PROS (nihilism) - Answers -Makes disagreements easier to handle since there's no
right or wrong answer
CONS (nihilism) - Answers -Implausible in many subject areas
Nihilism about everything is self-defeating (contradicting yourself)
Relativism - Answers -There ARE truths in the subject area
These truths DEPEND on someone's belief about them (SUBJECTIVE)
What do the relativist and the realist disagree on? - Answers -weather the truths are
objective or subjective
2 types of relativism - Answers -subjective, social
Subjective relativism - Answers -truth depends on the individual ("that's the truth for
me")
Social relativism - Answers -truth depends on a societies/cultures beliefs ("thats true for
us")
humour is an example of _________ relativism because jokes that are funny in one
culture/country may not be in another - Answers -social
PROS (relativism) - Answers -Works well in areas like beauty, deliciousness, or humor
