Last Class: FINAL EXAM!!! Critical Reasoning Pre-MidtermChapters 1-43 QuestionsCHAPTER 1: Introduction to Critical ThinkingCHAPTER 2: Recognizing Arguments CHAPTER 3: Basic Logical Concepts (Deductive & Inductive)CHAPTER 4: Language 3 Questions on fallacies CHAPTER 5: Logical Fallacies I: Fallacies of Insufficient ReasonCHAPTER 6: Logical Fallacies II: Fallacies of Insufficient Reason 4 Questions on Arguments and MediaCHAPTER 8: Evaluating Arguments and Truth Claims CHAPTER 14: Thinking Critically About the Media 2 articlesYou will have to answer a few questions after reading a short article. You will not need outside information to answer these questions except for your critical reasoning skills 2 AdsYou will have to identify a gimmick used in a particular print ad (from a list provided) 2 Bonuses.5 each Thank you!Thank you for a wonderful semester! Best of luck on the Final Exam! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email me! Week 5: Class 1 Critical Reasoning Chapter 1: Introduction to Critical Thinking Critical Thinking StandardsBarriers to Critical ThinkingCharacteristics of Critical Thinkers Chapter 2: Recognizing Arguments Argument: A claim (conclusion) defended with reasons (premises). Identifying Premises and ConclusionWhat is Not an Argument Chapter 3: Basic Logical Concepts “In evaluating any argument, one should always ask two key questions: (1) Are the premises true? and (2) Do the premises provide good reasons to accept the conclusion?” (Bassham 53)DeductionInduction Chapter 3 continued. . . How to Tell whether an Argument is Deductive or InductiveDeductive arguments try to prove that their conclusions are true given the premises. Inductive arguments try to show that their conclusions are likely given the premises. Chapter 3 continued… Common Patterns of Deductive Reasoning. Common Patterns of Inductive Reasoning Chapter 4: Language Many philosophers mark language as what sets us apart from the animals. “If a lion could speak, we could not understand him.” (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, p.223) Chapter 4: Language “In this chapter we focus on the skills of choosing the right word, defining words, and identifying the emotive and slanted messages some words carry” (Bassham 86) Word Choice Matters! Where is this from? On Paper WritingBassham is pretty harsh on students! He asks, whose fault is it that your professor didn’t “get” your paper? His answer: yours!It is not up to your professor (or boss, or client, etc.) to “get” you. It is very important to be as clear as possible! Practice this in your HW for this week—DON’T LEAVE IT TO ME TO GUESS WHETHER YOU UNDERSTAND THE TEXT! Imprecise Language: Vagueness“A word (or group of words) is vague when its meaning is fuzzy and inexact.” Again, words are vague if they have fuzzy or inexact boundaries and hence give rise to unclear borderline cases. The mother of the ...

1. Last Class: FINAL EXAM!!!
Critical Reasoning
Pre-MidtermChapters 1-43 QuestionsCHAPTER 1: Introduction
to Critical ThinkingCHAPTER 2: Recognizing Arguments
CHAPTER 3: Basic Logical Concepts (Deductive &
Inductive)CHAPTER 4: Language
3 Questions on fallacies
CHAPTER 5: Logical Fallacies I: Fallacies of Insufficient
ReasonCHAPTER 6: Logical Fallacies II: Fallacies of
Insufficient Reason
4 Questions on Arguments and MediaCHAPTER 8: Evaluating
Arguments and Truth Claims CHAPTER 14: Thinking Critically
About the Media

2. 2 articlesYou will have to answer a few questions after reading
a short article. You will not need outside information to answer
these questions except for your critical reasoning skills
2 AdsYou will have to identify a gimmick used in a particular
print ad (from a list provided)
2 Bonuses.5 each
Thank you!Thank you for a wonderful semester! Best of luck on
the Final Exam! If you have any questions, comments, or
concerns, please email me!
Week 5: Class 1
Critical Reasoning
Chapter 1: Introduction to Critical Thinking

3. Critical Thinking StandardsBarriers to Critical
ThinkingCharacteristics of Critical Thinkers
Chapter 2: Recognizing Arguments
Argument: A claim (conclusion) defended with reasons
(premises). Identifying Premises and ConclusionWhat is Not an
Argument
Chapter 3: Basic Logical Concepts
“In evaluating any argument, one should always ask two key
questions: (1) Are the premises true? and (2) Do the premises
provide good reasons to accept the conclusion?” (Bassham
53)DeductionInduction
Chapter 3 continued. . .
How to Tell whether an Argument is Deductive or
InductiveDeductive arguments try to prove that their
conclusions are true given the premises. Inductive arguments try
to show that their conclusions are likely given the premises.
Chapter 3 continued…
Common Patterns of Deductive Reasoning. Common Patterns of
Inductive Reasoning

4. Chapter 4: Language
Many philosophers mark language as what sets us apart from the
animals.
“If a lion could speak, we could not understand him.”
(Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, p.223)
Chapter 4: Language
“In this chapter we focus on the skills of choosing the right
word, defining words, and identifying the emotive and slanted
messages some words carry” (Bassham 86)
Word Choice Matters!
Where is this from?
On Paper WritingBassham is pretty harsh on students! He asks,
whose fault is it that your professor didn’t “get” your paper?
His answer: yours!It is not up to your professor (or boss, or
client, etc.) to “get” you. It is very important to be as clear as

5. possible! Practice this in your HW for this week—DON’T
LEAVE IT TO ME TO GUESS WHETHER YOU
UNDERSTAND THE TEXT!
Imprecise Language: Vagueness“A word (or group of words) is
vague when its meaning is fuzzy and inexact.”
Again, words are vague if they have fuzzy or inexact boundaries
and hence give rise to unclear borderline cases. The mother of
the young mountain climber wants him to give it up.Give what
up? Mountain climbing? Heroin? Who is “him”?American Dad
is inappropriate.What does “inappropriate” signify?
Imprecise Language: Overgenerality
Words are overgeneral if the information they provide is too
broad and unspecific in a given context.When are you going to
study for the midterm? –Later. When’s later? –after the
party…This is overgeneral because it is actually an answer, just
not at all meaningful or helpful!
Imprecise Language: AmbiguityAmbiguity refers to a doubtful
sense of a word or phrase. Many words have more than one
meaning.A word or expression is ambiguous if it has two or
more distinct meanings and the context does not make clear
which meaning is intended. Ambiguity is what makes puns and
many jokes funny, but used unintentionally it can destroy the
effectiveness of an argument.

6. An ambiguous word is imprecise because it is unclear which of
two or more distinct meanings (each of which may be quite
precise) is the one intended by the author.
One more…
Ambiguities, continued…Ambiguities that result from
uncertainty about the meaning of an individual word or phrase
are called semantic ambiguities.
Ambiguities that result from faulty grammar or word order are
called syntactical ambiguities.
Ambiguities, continued…What is a verbal dispute?A dispute
that occurs when people appear to disagree on an issue but in
actuality have simply not resolved the ambiguity of a key term.
What is a factual dispute?A dispute that occurs when opponents
disagree not over the meanings of words but over the relevant
facts.
Topic: Death Penalty and capital punishment
Open: The death penalty has always faced much opposition. Can
the death penalty possibly be a morally acceptable punishment?

7. A popular bumper sticker says, "We kill people to show people
that killing people is wrong." The slogan is short, simple, and to
the point. But is there really such irony in capital punishment as
the slogan implies?
End: The death penalty has no benefit, whether one looks at it
from a moral or material perspective. Killing a murderer does
nothing more than perpetuate the cycle of violence and killing.
California Death Penalty System Is Unconstitutional, Federal
Judge Rules
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/us/california-death-
penalty-unconstitutional-federal-judge-says.html?_r=0
What Will Doom the Death Penalty
Capital Punishment, Another Failed Government Program?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/opinion/what-will-finally-
doom-the-death-penalty.html
The Innocent on Death Row
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/opinion/the-innocent-on-
death-row.html