Critical thinking is necessary to evaluate information effectively. It involves distinguishing facts from opinions, evaluating supporting evidence, and detecting bias. Facts can be proven true or false, while opinions are subjective judgments that can be supported by evidence from reliable sources. Not all information is accurate, as some writers have political or commercial biases and use emotionally charged language to influence readers regardless of the facts. Developing critical thinking skills allows one to analyze information rigorously and discern what is most important.

1.  Critical Thinking is necessary to be successful in
college, careers, and life.
 The ability to think critically allows one to test
and evaluate the validity of information and to
distinguish what is important and relevant vs.
what is trivial, irrelevant and even illogical.
 Especially in this interconnected world of
instant information and gratification, to sift
through the “fluff” and outright deception is
important.

2.  Not all information is true, accurate, or factual, and
some writers or companies have a Biased agenda,
be it political, commercial or another bias.
 Often, Emotionally charged
language may be used to
“get a response” or a
specific
Outcome whether
the information is true or
not.

3.  1. Distinguishing Fact from Opinion.
 2. Evaluating Supporting Evidence.
 3. Detecting Bias.
 Fact vs. Opinion
 What is a Fact? (102 Wadsworth)
 What is an Absolute Truth?
 What is an Opinion? (102).
 What does “Supported” vs.
“Unsupported” Opinion mean?
 Are Supported Opinions Facts?
 What are three ways to Support
Opinions? (103).

4.  Evaluating Supporting Evidence
 All Evidence – no matter what kind – must be
Reliable, Sufficient, Representative, and Relevant.
 Who wrote it? What are their credentials? Is it
considered valid/reliable in a particular field of study?
Does it have factual errors or even grammar
errors/typos? Does it seem fair (non-Biased)? Is the
information documented? Why is Wikipedia a good
example?
 Is the evidence sufficient: does it have an adequate
amount of information? Does it come from more than
one source? No matter how valid or reputable an
Expert Opinion is, more than one person/source
should be included.

5.  “Evidence is representative if it reflects a fair range of
sources and viewpoints. Writers should not just choose
evidence that supports their position and ignore evidence
that does not” (Kirszner and Mandell 106).
 Don’t’ allow Biases to govern choices of evidence.
 Finally, evidence should be relevant – it must specifically
apply to the subject being discussed (see example pg. 105
top). Also, it must be current to be relevant as well.
 For example, if writing an argument about crime in the
United States, don’t use statistics from the 1980s or 1990s
to support your claim, unless you are comparing crime
rates over the decades.

6.  Detecting Bias
 “…the tendency to base conclusions on emotions or
preconceived ideas [stereotypes] rather than on
evidence (105).
 Close-Up: Detecting Bias
 The Writer’s Stated Beliefs
 Sexist or Racist Language
 Slanted Language
 Biased Tone
 Biased Choice of Evidence
 Biased Choice of Experts
 Examples of Bias in the media and News outlets?