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What is Critical Thinking?

This page provides an overview of the Critical Thinking course taught by Allan Di Donato, a philosophy professor at Central Piedmont Community College, with nearly 20 years of experience.

 

Structured Summary: Critical Thinking Course Overview​

1. Introduction to the Course and Instructor​

  • Instructor: Alan Ditonato, teaching philosophy and humanities for nearly 20 years.
  • Course: Humanities 115 – Critical Thinking, designed to be accessible and engaging, especially for online learners.
  • Approach: Informal, conversational style, mirroring in-person teaching.
  • Background: Experience in logic, ethics, cultural studies, and leading study abroad programs.

2. Course Topics & Schedule​

  • Key Themes:
    • Cognitive Bias & Persuasion: Understanding how biases and rhetoric shape thinking and decision-making.
    • Advertising Tactics: Analyzing how media and store layouts exploit psychological predispositions.
    • Logic & Argumentation:
      • Informal Logic: Focus on fallacies (ambiguity, relevance, presumption).
      • Inductive Reasoning: Certainty, probability, scientific/historical methods, causal reasoning.
      • Deductive Logic: Categorical logic, propositional logic, syllogisms, and formal argument structures.
    • Philosophy of Science: Exploring the intersection of science, logic, and critical analysis.
  • Case Study: Darwinism vs. Intelligent Design – A controversial, interdisciplinary topic to apply critical thinking skills (science, education, politics, religion).
  • Goal: Develop skills to analyze arguments, spot fallacies, and distinguish science from pseudoscience.

3. What is Critical Thinking?​

  • Definition: The careful application of reason to determine the truth of claims.
  • Core Skills:
    • Distinguish rational from emotional claims.
    • Separate fact from opinion.
    • Identify logical flaws, contradictions, and ambiguous information.
    • Construct cogent, evidence-based arguments.
    • Avoid overstated conclusions and extraneous details.
    • Evaluate evidence and propose alternative options.

4. Key Vocabulary & Concepts​

  • Belief/Opinion/Judgment: Interchangeable terms for ideas held about a subject.
  • Claim: A statement with a truth value (true or false).
    • Objective Claim: Truth value independent of personal opinion (e.g., "Earth is round").
    • Subjective Claim: Truth value depends on personal opinion (e.g., "Vanilla ice cream is the best").
  • Truth: Correspondence between claims and reality (Aristotelian view).
  • Knowledge: Justified true belief (JTB theory).
  • Issue: A question or assertion requiring a decision about truth (e.g., "Should we adopt this policy?").

5. Types of Claims & Issues​

  • Factual (Objective) vs. Non-Factual (Subjective):
    • Factual: Can be verified by agreed-upon criteria (e.g., "There is a planet beyond Pluto").
    • Non-Factual: Based on personal taste or preference (e.g., "Eggplant is funnier than broccoli").
  • Value Judgments: Evaluative claims (e.g., "This is good/bad").
    • Moral Value Judgments: Ascribe moral qualities (e.g., "Stealing is wrong").
  • Subjectivism vs. Relativism:
    • Subjectivism: Moral/value judgments are purely personal opinions.
    • Relativism: Moral/value judgments vary by culture, but both can be "right."

6. Arguments: Structure & Types​

  • Components:
    • Premises: Supporting claims.
    • Conclusion: The claim being argued for.
  • Types:
    • Deductive: Conclusion necessarily follows from premises (certainty).
    • Inductive: Conclusion probably follows from premises (probability).
  • Note: Arguments aim to support claims, not just explain or persuade.

7. Practical Application​

  • Determining Subjective vs. Objective Issues:
    • If disagreement means at least one party is wrong, it’s likely objective.
    • If established methods exist to settle the question, it’s objective.
  • Examples:
    • Objective: "Africa has the most animal species."
    • Subjective: "Wilt Chamberlain was better than Michael Jordan."
    • Moral: "The death penalty is morally acceptable" (often debated as objective or subjective).

8. Course Takeaways​

  • Critical Thinking as a Process: Actively assess opinions, claims, and arguments.
  • Avoid Pitfalls: Clarify ambiguity, question assumptions, and seek evidence.
  • Interdisciplinary Relevance: Skills apply to science, philosophy, ethics, and everyday decision-making.

Next Steps: The course will delve into cognitive biases, followed by deeper exploration of logic, argumentation, and case studies.

Question for Reflection: How might you apply these critical thinking skills to a real-world issue you care about?