Chapter 2, Part A. Critical Thinking in Depth: Stages, Steps, and Dispositions
Chapter 2, Part A. Critical Thinking in Depth: Stages, Steps, and Dispositions
Learning Objectives
- Distinguish between propositions and other types of statements
- Understand argument structures and the different role of propositions (as premises and conclusions)
- Distinguish between inductive and deductive arguments
- Appreciate the difference between types of premises (i.e. empirical, rational, definitional, etc.)
- Know the five main steps of theory (developing knowledge)
- Understand the centrality of appraisals in critical thinking
- Appreciate the importance of clear definitions in order to get started in thinking
- Understand the power of inference
- Appraise arguments for validity
- Appraise arguments for soundness.
New concepts to master
- Proposition
- Premise
- Conclusion
- Argument
- Empirical Premise
- Rational Premise
- Definitional Premise
- Inductive logic
- Deductive logic
- Non-sequitur
- Appraisal
- Semantics
- Fallacy
- Rhetorical
- Inference
- Validity
- Sound.
Introduction
As the title implies, Chapter 2 will be mostly a ‘deep dive’ into the information provided in Chapter 1. We’ll go into much more detail and get a bit more technical as well. Chapter 1 was intentionally an inoffensive and surface-level look at some of the basics in order to lull you into a false sense of security. This chapter is so dense and jam-packed with new concepts and techniques for critical thinking that I had to split it into two parts. Chapter 2 is still intended to be introductory, though, and we’ll race through a bunch of topics that will have their own dedicated chapters later in this book. Take a deep breath, go slowly, and remember – this chapter has to end sometime!
Chapter 1 Review (and Intro to Propositions and Arguments)
Because last chapter’s material was rather surface-level and elementary, I don’t believe it will require an enormous amount of revision. Therefore, I’ll structure this revision section in a way that introduces you to some new – and absolutely fundamental – concepts in critical thinking. The graph you see just below (Figure 2.1.) summarises much of this new content.
In the last chapter, I structured the content around a series of questions. In this chapter, I’ll present it in a new way – as a formal argument. Chapter 1 laid out several premises or reasons that serve as the basis for the ‘Whys?’ and ‘Hows?’ of learning critical thinking. Let’s take a detour into some definitions before proceeding. Remember, these are concepts that are vital to improving your thinking. Concepts are the tools you use to think and are the vocabulary in which your thinking happens. If you don’t have these concepts, you can’t think very well. To understand what a premise is, what a conclusion is, what inference is, about arguments and validity is akin to gaining a black belt in thinking, so try not to rush over this more ‘technical’ and possibly even ‘boring’ conceptual stuff. Every time you learn a new concept, you have a new thinking skill