PHL 251: Critical Thinking Professor: A.J. Merrill.

PHL 251: Critical ThinkingProfessor: A.J. Merrill

GOALS:

1. Begin to Reason Clearly and Critically

2. Apply Critical Thinking to Business & Personal Life Processes

3. Identify and Manage the Perception Process

4. Identify and Make Use of Assumptions

5. Identify and Make Use of Emotional Influences

6. Begin to Understand and Use Language Effectively

7. Identify and Understand Fallacious Reasoning

8. Explore Logic and Other Problem-Solving Processes

9. Begin Using Critical Thinking to Make Meaningful Life Choices

RoadMap:Topics & Objectives

1. Go Over Course Overview1. Go Over Course Overview

2. Go Over Communication Objectives2. Go Over Communication Objectives

3. Go Over Grading Philosophy3. Go Over Grading Philosophy

4. Go Over Feedback Procedures4. Go Over Feedback Procedures

Directions: Flow of Assignments

1. Individual Assignments1. Individual Assignments

2. Group Assignments2. Group Assignments

3. Exams & Prep3. Exams & Prep

Learning Team Formation

SignPosts: Helpful Hints

1. Learning Team Accountability1. Learning Team Accountability

2. Proper Preparation: Do The Thinking2. Proper Preparation: Do The Thinking

3. Proper Preparation: Preview Readings, 3. Proper Preparation: Preview Readings, Assignments, etc., Now, & Each Week.Assignments, etc., Now, & Each Week.

4. Effective Learning: Ask Questions Ahead of Time4. Effective Learning: Ask Questions Ahead of Time

5. Effective Learning: Understand How Your Mind 5. Effective Learning: Understand How Your Mind LearnsLearns

Critical Thinking Topics 1:

1. Critical Thinking Process

2. Logic & Critical Thinking

3. Perception Process

4. Perceptual Blocks to Clear Critical Thinking

The Matrix Video Clip:

The Utter Importance of Critical ThinkingThe Utter Importance of Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Process Chart

Decision

Truth=

Personal BiasAssumptionsPerceptionExperience

ParentsCultureMedia

EnvironmentBiology

Etc.View of Reality

Ethics

Values

Morals

Result

Actual Reality

SourceG

ood

Cha

ract

er

The habitual way in which we apply our

view of reality to our decisions on a consistent basis.

HelpHuman Limitation

Decision

Truth=

Personal BiasAssumptionsPerceptionExperience

ParentsCultureMedia

EnvironmentBiology

Etc. View of Reality

Ethics

Values

Morals

Result

Actual Reality

SourceG

ood

Cha

ract

er

The habitual way in which we

apply our view of reality to our decisions on a

consistent basis.

HelpHuman Limitation

HurtEmotional ReactivityFearPainLazinessRisk

Inte

rpre

tati

on o

f re

sult

s

Acceptancevs.

Denial

Merrill’s Reality Model

Decision

Truth=

Personal Bias•Assumptions

•Perception•Experience

•Parents•Culture•Media

•Environment•Biology

•etc.View of Reality

Ethics

Values

Morals

Result

Actual Reality

Goo

d C

hara

cter

The habitual way in which we

apply our view of reality to our decisions on a

consistent basis.

Help•Human Limitation

•Hurt•Emotional Reactivity•Fear•Pain•Laziness•Risk

Inte

rpre

tati

on o

f re

sult

s

Acceptancevs.

Denial

Source

Merrill’s Reality Model

Expected Result

Meet & Greet

Logic & Critical Thinking:

+ What Is Logic?

+ Star Trek

+ When Logic Can Help – and When it Cannot

Critical Thinking and Perception:

+ The Perceptual Process

+ Problems of Human Limitation

+ The Matrix

+ The Hubble Deep Field View

+ etc.

Hubble Deep Field

Some Factors in Perception

A Few Examples:A Few Examples:

+ Emotion+ Emotion

+ Environment+ Environment

+ Language+ Language

+ Genetics+ Genetics

+ Family / Culture / + Family / Culture / UpbringingUpbringing

+ Five Senses+ Five Senses

+ Experience+ Experience

+ Convenience / + Convenience / Laziness / ComfortLaziness / Comfort

+ Fear+ Fear

+ Concern over Other’s + Concern over Other’s OpinionsOpinions

+ etc. etc. etc.+ etc. etc. etc.

+ Self-Image+ Self-Image

+ View of Truth, World + View of Truth, World View, Values, Religion, View, Values, Religion, ……

Nine Dots Puzzle:

Connect the Dots –Connect the Dots –

With as few lines as possible,With as few lines as possible,

Without retracing any lines,Without retracing any lines,

Without picking up your pen from the paper…Without picking up your pen from the paper…

Critical Thinking Class 2 Startup:

Check on Learning TeamsCheck on Learning Teams

Check on QuestionsCheck on Questions

Review Up To Now BrieflyReview Up To Now Briefly

Critical Thinking: Class 2

Language and Critical ThinkingLanguage and Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking and PersuasionCritical Thinking and Persuasion

What Is Language?

Language and the Brain

Language as Thinking

Words as Labels for…

Language: Communication? Way of Experiencing…

Uses and Powers of Language

The Tower of Babel

Language Diversity:

+Variations Between – and Within – Languages

+Variations Among Language Users: Dialects (Do Accents, Let Class Do Accents… : )

Miscommunication: Language & Assumptions

Students Offer Examples

Language & Our Decision-Making Chart:

Language, Emotion, Persuasion and Critical Thinking

Discuss Billy Joel Song, Lyrics

Factors in Persuasion

Using Emotion

Bypassing Critical Faculties

…

…

…

Putting It Together:

1        How can people with different language bases communicate effectively?

2)       Acting / Communication Exercise: Charades, …

a.       Do you agree or disagree with the statement "All of our thinking includes numerous assumptions"?

a.       What is your attitude toward risk?

b.       In order to change what you think, do you have to change what you feel?

c.       How has computer technology affected human language?

d.       How can critical thinking skills aid interaction in a global marketplace?

e.       How do global economics impact language development?

AssumptionsIf Time: An Affair to RememberIf Time: An Affair to Remember

To a great extent, critical thinking is the ability to detect and analyze the assumptions underlying the actions, decisions, and judgments in our lives. The role of assumptions in critical thinking consists of three steps:

a.       Becoming aware that assumptions exist

b.       Making the assumptions explicit

c.       Assessing their accuracy and validity by asking:

1)       Do these assumptions make sense?

2)       Do they fit reality as we have understood and lived it?

Under what conditions do they seem to hold true? Under what conditions do they seem false?

Logic and Critical Thinking:

1. Information Gathering

2. Information Analysis

A. Induction

B. Deductive Syllogism

Logic & Problem-Solving

+ Diamond of Logic

+ Venn (Circle) Diagrams

+ Other Info Representation & Analysis Structures

+ Work & Home & Life-Goal Examples