WGU C168 Critical Thinking and Logic Ch 1 to 5 Updated 2023/2024 Complete Guide

Three interlinking dimension of Critical Thinking - Analyzing one's own thinking -breaking it down into its component parts. - identifying its weaknesses while recognizing its strengths Improving one's own thinking- reconstructing it to make it better. Goal of Critical Thinking - bring one's best thinking to bear in every realm of one's life and in any set of circumstances one faces Critical thinking is characteristically - self-directed self-disciplined self-monitored self-corrective Two barriers native to everyone: - egocentrism-or the tendency to view everything in relationship to oneself; and sociocentrism-or the assumption that one's own social group is inherently superior to all others Impediments to Sound Thinking - Generalizations, stereotyping, false beliefs, fixed views, dismissing or attacking conflicting views, deceptive thinking. A well cultivated critical thinker - - raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely - gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively - comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards - thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences - communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems. First-order thinking - Spontaneous and non-reflective Contains insight, prejudice, good and bad reasoning Indiscriminately combined Second-order thinking - First-order thinking that is consciously realized (i.e., analyzed, assessed, and reconstructed) Strong-Sense Critical Thinking - • Consistent pursuit of what is fair and just • Strives to be ethical • Empathizes with other's viewpoints • Will entertain arguments with which they do not agree • Change views when confronted with superior reasoning • Employ thinking reasonably rather than manipulatively • Requires fair-mindedness & learning of basic critical thinking skills Weak-sense critical thinking - Ignores Flow in own thinking Argument winning-through deceit Lacks fair-mindedness Rhetorical, emotional intellectual virtues - Humility, courage, empathy, integrity, perseverance, confidence in reason and intellectual autonomy Virtue of Intellectual Humility - Admitting one's own ignorance Awareness of ones's biases Aware of egocentrism Fairmindedness (vice= intellectual ignorance) Virtue of Intellectual Courage - Ability to confront new ideas and beliefs even if painful Considering beliefs, do not go with the flow Ability to challenge popular opinion Being fair to all view including minority views (vice = intellectual cowardice) Virtue of Intellectual Empathy - Listening to other points of view in a sincere attempt to understand them Follow the line of reasoning that other might be employing Willingness to agree when there is good reason for doing so Related to Fair-mindedness Strawman Fallacy (vice = Intellectual self centeredness) Virtue of Intellectual Integrity - Imposing the same intellectual standards on all Admitting flaws in our own thinking A desire for the truth, not to win an argument Think in a consistent and compatible way (vice=intellectual dishonesty) Virtue of Intellectual Perseverance - Marked by endurance Methodical in our thinking Not being satisfied with easy answers Preserve through others point of views (vice=intellectual laziness) Virtue of Intellectual Confidence in Reason - Belief that reason can best serve all Empowers individual to think for themselves Confidence in reason Reaching well-informed opinions Universal viewpoint (vice = distrust of reason) Virtue of Intellectual Autonomy (freedom) - Free to examine one's self Accept the view of others after critical examination of views Relationship to fairmindedness Reasoning things out from other points of views (vice = intellectual conformity) Pay-off for being Fair minded - can see the truth; strives always to think fairly; and cannot be easily duped or manipulated Three functions of the Mind - Thinking Feeling Wanting Fair-mindedness - Bringing an unbiased perspective to all relevant viewpoints exemplifies this trait of a critical thinker John Milton, Paradise Lost - The mind is its own place and in itself can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell. Elements of Reasoning - Parts of thinking Fundamental structures of thought Reasoning - What you do when your mind draw a conclusion based on reasons. Make sense of something by giving it some meaning in one's mind 8 Element of Critical Thinking - Purposes Questions Information Inferences Concepts (ulize) Assumptions Implications Points of View 9 Standards of critical thinking - Clarity Accuracy Precision Relevance Depth Breadth Logic Significance Fairness