WGU Critical Thinking -D265
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_d1hpym
1. Critical thinking: primarily the ability to think carefully about thinking and rea-
soning—to criticize your own reasoning. "Criticize" here is not meant in the sense
of being mean or talking down or making fun of. Instead, it is used in the sense of,
for example, how a coach might take a critical stance toward a players' skills—he
throws high every time, she does not lead with her foot, they ride too forward in
the saddle, etc. "Critical" here means something more like "reflective," "careful," or
"attentive to potential errors."
2. Being curious and thinking creatively:: not believing things are simple and
settled, being willing to go the next step and think about all of the possible positions
and arguments before settling into a position.
3. Separating the thinker from the position:: being able to discuss a position
without attacking or judging the person holding the position, without getting caught
up in our own attachment to the position or its antithesis, and without having our
identities wrapped up in a particular viewpoint or opinion.
4. Knowing oneself enough to avoid biases and errors of thought:: being aware
of the flawed patterns of reasoning we are disposed to engage in, being aware of
cognitive biases and mental heuristics (rough rules that work well enough to survive
but don't work in many cases) that we're prone as a species to have, all in the interest
of counteracting these biases and flaws.
5. Having intellectual honesty, humility, and charity: very important:: being
honest about what we know and how we know it, what evidence we have and
what questions are not yet settled; being humble in recognizing the vast number
of things we don't yet know or understand and in recognizing how very difficult it is
to truly know anything at all and so recognizing that the standards are high and we,
most of the time, don't meet them (and that's okay); and being charitable or having
the disposition to attribute the best intentions and most sophisticated positions and
arguments that we can imagine to our opponents in arguments.
6. Understanding arguments, reasons, and evidence:: thinking carefully about
thinking, about arguments and positions.
7. Propositions: statements that can be true or false.
8. Non-propositions: Sentences that are not statements about matters of fact (or
fiction). They do not make a claim that can be true or false.
9. Exhort: to urge strongly, Example: Let's go to get dinner! Let's go hiking on
Tuesday!
10. Command: give an authoritative order. Example: Go to the store later to buy me
some cheese. Don't do that.
11. Plead/Request: ask for something from someone, often on the verge of begging.
Example Would you please stop that? Please read me a bedtime story!
1/9
, WGU Critical Thinking -D265
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_d1hpym
12. Question: something asked, a statement that requires an answer Example:
What is the capital of Florida? How much do the pineapples cost?
13. Perform: carry out, accomplish, or fulfill (an action, task, or function) Example:
I hereby adjourn this meeting. I pronounce you husband and wife!
14. Simple propositions: have no internal logical structure, meaning whether they
are true or false does not depend on whether a part of them is true or false. They
are simply true or false on their own.
15. Complex propositions: have internal logical structure, meaning they are com-
posed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false depends on whether
their parts are true or false.
16. Premise: is a proposition lending credence to the conclusion. It is supposed to
be a group of statements that, if you accept they are true, make the case that you
rationally must (or, weaker, should) accept the conclusion.
17. Bad inferential structure:: Every argument with the same structure as this
argument is bad (invalid or weak). The premises do not, in fact, demonstrate or
maybe even support the conclusion. In other words, we can accept the premises as
true without being compelled to accept the conclusion. There is something wrong
with this argument's general structure.
18. False premise:: This particular argument has a premise/assumption that is
false. There is something wrong with this argument's particular content.
19. Conclusion Indicators: all have the general sense of "I have told you some
things or I am about to tell you some things, now here is what I want you to believe."
They feel conclusive. Here are some especially common ones: Therefore, so, it
follows that, hence, thus, entails that, we may conclude that, implies that, wherefore,
as a result
20. Premise indicators: have the general sense of "from this fact I am going to infer
something else." Here are some common: Because, for, given that, in that, as, since,
as indicated by
21. Inference/Argument.: is any purportedly rational movement from evidence or
premises to a conclusion. Example: "I believe x, because of y, z, and w" or "Because
a, b and c, we have to believe that d."
22. bad argument premises: is one where the premises fail to support the conclu-
sion
23. good argument's premises: actually do support the conclusion.
24. Deduction: Arguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the con-
clusion
25. Induction: Arguments where the premises make the conclusion probable
26. Abduction: Arguments where the best available explanation is chosen as the
correct explanation
2/9
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_d1hpym
1. Critical thinking: primarily the ability to think carefully about thinking and rea-
soning—to criticize your own reasoning. "Criticize" here is not meant in the sense
of being mean or talking down or making fun of. Instead, it is used in the sense of,
for example, how a coach might take a critical stance toward a players' skills—he
throws high every time, she does not lead with her foot, they ride too forward in
the saddle, etc. "Critical" here means something more like "reflective," "careful," or
"attentive to potential errors."
2. Being curious and thinking creatively:: not believing things are simple and
settled, being willing to go the next step and think about all of the possible positions
and arguments before settling into a position.
3. Separating the thinker from the position:: being able to discuss a position
without attacking or judging the person holding the position, without getting caught
up in our own attachment to the position or its antithesis, and without having our
identities wrapped up in a particular viewpoint or opinion.
4. Knowing oneself enough to avoid biases and errors of thought:: being aware
of the flawed patterns of reasoning we are disposed to engage in, being aware of
cognitive biases and mental heuristics (rough rules that work well enough to survive
but don't work in many cases) that we're prone as a species to have, all in the interest
of counteracting these biases and flaws.
5. Having intellectual honesty, humility, and charity: very important:: being
honest about what we know and how we know it, what evidence we have and
what questions are not yet settled; being humble in recognizing the vast number
of things we don't yet know or understand and in recognizing how very difficult it is
to truly know anything at all and so recognizing that the standards are high and we,
most of the time, don't meet them (and that's okay); and being charitable or having
the disposition to attribute the best intentions and most sophisticated positions and
arguments that we can imagine to our opponents in arguments.
6. Understanding arguments, reasons, and evidence:: thinking carefully about
thinking, about arguments and positions.
7. Propositions: statements that can be true or false.
8. Non-propositions: Sentences that are not statements about matters of fact (or
fiction). They do not make a claim that can be true or false.
9. Exhort: to urge strongly, Example: Let's go to get dinner! Let's go hiking on
Tuesday!
10. Command: give an authoritative order. Example: Go to the store later to buy me
some cheese. Don't do that.
11. Plead/Request: ask for something from someone, often on the verge of begging.
Example Would you please stop that? Please read me a bedtime story!
1/9
, WGU Critical Thinking -D265
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_d1hpym
12. Question: something asked, a statement that requires an answer Example:
What is the capital of Florida? How much do the pineapples cost?
13. Perform: carry out, accomplish, or fulfill (an action, task, or function) Example:
I hereby adjourn this meeting. I pronounce you husband and wife!
14. Simple propositions: have no internal logical structure, meaning whether they
are true or false does not depend on whether a part of them is true or false. They
are simply true or false on their own.
15. Complex propositions: have internal logical structure, meaning they are com-
posed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false depends on whether
their parts are true or false.
16. Premise: is a proposition lending credence to the conclusion. It is supposed to
be a group of statements that, if you accept they are true, make the case that you
rationally must (or, weaker, should) accept the conclusion.
17. Bad inferential structure:: Every argument with the same structure as this
argument is bad (invalid or weak). The premises do not, in fact, demonstrate or
maybe even support the conclusion. In other words, we can accept the premises as
true without being compelled to accept the conclusion. There is something wrong
with this argument's general structure.
18. False premise:: This particular argument has a premise/assumption that is
false. There is something wrong with this argument's particular content.
19. Conclusion Indicators: all have the general sense of "I have told you some
things or I am about to tell you some things, now here is what I want you to believe."
They feel conclusive. Here are some especially common ones: Therefore, so, it
follows that, hence, thus, entails that, we may conclude that, implies that, wherefore,
as a result
20. Premise indicators: have the general sense of "from this fact I am going to infer
something else." Here are some common: Because, for, given that, in that, as, since,
as indicated by
21. Inference/Argument.: is any purportedly rational movement from evidence or
premises to a conclusion. Example: "I believe x, because of y, z, and w" or "Because
a, b and c, we have to believe that d."
22. bad argument premises: is one where the premises fail to support the conclu-
sion
23. good argument's premises: actually do support the conclusion.
24. Deduction: Arguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the con-
clusion
25. Induction: Arguments where the premises make the conclusion probable
26. Abduction: Arguments where the best available explanation is chosen as the
correct explanation
2/9
