WGU C168 Critical Thinking and Logic. Questions And Answers Rated A+

- Analogy: Drawing a comparison between 2 things in order to show a meaningful resemblance between them. It implies that if 2 things are alike in one respect, they will be alike in other respects - Intuition: A hunch, "gut feeling," or premonition - Personal observation: What we see first hand - Appeal to authority: Justifying a position by citing an expert or authority who supports it - Case example: A detailed account of a person or event; a striking or dramatic anecdote - Testimonial: An account of someone else's personal experience - Survey/questionnaire: A research method or instrument for measuring people's attitudes or beliefs - Research study: A systematic set of observations collected through scientific methods - Personal experience: What we experience; what we ourselves do or go through - Sources of Evidence -Median -Mean -Mode - An average can be expressed 3 different ways 1. We cannot pick and choose our ethical principles subjectively 2. If we are reasonable, we should respect clear-cut ethical principles 3. We must learn how to apply ethical concepts and principles to ethical issues 4. We should distinguish ethical principles from other domains (law, religion, ideology, societal norms and taboos) 5. We should recognize egocentrism and sociocentrism as significant barriers to sound ethical reasoning - Five foundations for ethical thinking Absolute number - The total or aggregate of something, expressed as a number without relationship to other numbers Accuracy - Being near to the true value or meaning of somethingAccuracy (std) - -To represent something as it actually is. -Think accurately when our reasoning expresses how thing actually are. Question: "How can we determine if that is true?" Activated Ignorance - False information that is mistakenly believed to be true and acted upon. Activated Knowledge - Truthful information that is employed to pursue more knowledge and/or is acted upon. Ad hominem fallacy - Dismissing an argument by attacking the person who offers it rather than by refuting its reasoning. all content is organized by concepts; and all content is logically interdependent. - two other key insights into the question of thinking through content: All eight elements - Which elements of reasoning are operative when we think through a problem? Analogy - Inference that if 2 things are alike in one respect, they will be alike in other respects Appeal to authority fallacy - To justify support for a position by citing an esteemed or well-known figure who supports it. Appeal to experience fallacy - Claiming to speak with the "voice of experience" in support of an argument (even when that experience may not be relevant). Appeal to fear fallacy - Citing a threat or possibility of a frightening outcome as the reason for supporting an argument.Appeal to popularity/ popular passions fallacy - Citing majority sentiment or popular opinion as the reason for supporting a claim. Assumptions - The unstated or hidden beliefs that support our explicit reasoning about something. Assumptions (ele) - -Reasoning has to begin somewhere. They lie at the heart of arguments -Everything we take for granted as true in order to figure out something else. Attacking evidence fallacy - Seeking to falsely discredit the underlying evidence for an argument and thereby questioning its validity. Authority Point-of-View Transparency Scope and Depth Accuracy - five key factors in establishing the accuracy and validity of information Before the learner has begun his or her course of study - When is the optimal time for a learner to apply the Elements of Reasoning to the logic of a subject? Begging the question - Asserting a conclusion that is assumed in the reasoning. Bias - A partiality or prejudice that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation. Breadth (std) - -Considers the issue at hand from every relevant viewpoint (Broad) -Directs us to look around us, at alternative or opposing perspectives Question: "Do we need to consider another point of view?" ClarityThinking that is easily understood reflects the standard of clarity. - Thinking that is easily understood reflects which of the intellectual standards? Clarity - Being unambiguous and easily understood Clarity (std) - -Clearness -Our thinking is clear when it is easily understood. -Cannot determine either the accuracy or relevance of a statement if it is unclear. Question: "Could you elaborate on that point?" Common factor - In analyzing causation, looking for a single shared factor Tourists infected with a tropical disease all took the same flight Common factor method - In analyzing causation, looking for a single shared factor Concepts Theories are examples of concepts. - Theories are examples of: Concepts - General categories or ideas by which we interpret or classify information used in our thinking Concepts (ele) - -General categories or ideas by which we interpret or classify information used in our thinking. -Critical thinking requires us to be aware of the concepts we hold and consider how they drive our reasoning. Concomitant variation - In analyzing causation, looking for a pattern of variation between a possible cause and a possible effect