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Lesson 1 Basic Concepts of Critical Thinking

This document defines and explains key concepts of critical thinking including claims, issues, arguments, premises, and conclusions. A claim is a statement that asserts something is true or false. An issue turns a claim into a question to determine if it is true or not. Arguments provide reasons to support a claim. Premises are the reasons given in an argument, and the conclusion is the claim the premises aim to support. The document provides examples of objective and subjective claims, as well as legitimate and illegitimate claims. It also explains how to identify premises and conclusions in arguments.

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61 views

Lesson 1 Basic Concepts of Critical Thinking

This document defines and explains key concepts of critical thinking including claims, issues, arguments, premises, and conclusions. A claim is a statement that asserts something is true or false. An issue turns a claim into a question to determine if it is true or not. Arguments provide reasons to support a claim. Premises are the reasons given in an argument, and the conclusion is the claim the premises aim to support. The document provides examples of objective and subjective claims, as well as legitimate and illegitimate claims. It also explains how to identify premises and conclusions in arguments.

Uploaded by

MEL45
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic concepts of

Critical Thinking:
Critical Thinking

• The careful application of reason in the determination of the truth


of a claim. It’s the evaluation of claims.

• The purpose of critical thinking is to come to correct conclusions.

• Critical thinking kicks in when we evaluate beliefs and actions-


when we critique them. Critical thinking is thinking that critiques.
Claim
Is a statement that asserts something to be the case or not to be the
case. They are the kinds of things that are true or false.

Claims are basic elements in critical thinking; they are the things we say,
aloud or in writing, to convey information—to express our opinions or
beliefs.
● Socrates is a man.
● The sky is blue.
● Abortion is legal in Guatemala.
● There are 28 students in this class.
● There is intelligent life in other planets.
● The color blue weights more than 4 pounds. (illegitimate claim)
Objective claims: Whether the claim is true or false is independent of whether
you or anyone else thinks it is true or false.

Example:
The sum of angles in a triangle is 180 degrees.
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala is a public university.
Ricardo Arjona is 6ft tall.
Guatemala has a national soccer team.

Subjective claims: Whether the claim is true or false depends on who you ask.
Example:
Watching Guatemala´s national soccer team is boring.
Ricardo Arjona is a great singer.
Doing exercise has little benefits for your health.
Legitimate claims: In order for a claim to be legitimate, we must have some
means by which to determine if it is true or if it is false.

Example:
The sum of angles in a triangle is 180 degrees.
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala is a public university.
Ricardo Arjona is 6ft tall.
Most people in Guatemala think that Ricardo Arjona is a great singer.

Illegitimate claims: Claims that cannot be proven and do not make sense.
Example:
Carbostats always contain at least one gymflixle.
The color blue weights more than 4 pounds.
What are not claims?

Questions: Who is at the door? Who is calling? where are you?


Exclamations: ouch, wow, great!
Phrases: The best pizza,
the best school.
just for fun.
Claim or not a claim?
1. Wonder woman would never get an abortion.
2. Abortion in Guatemala.
3. Aliens perform abortions in other planets.

It doesn't matter if a claim is imaginary, perceive or not, you agree or


disagree, controversial claim, it can be resolved or not.
Issues
An issue is a claim turned into a question to determine if it is true or
not.
"When we think critically about a claim, we call it into a question and
make it an issue”
We use two words to turn claims into questions: “Whether” or “is”.
● Is Socrates a man? / Whether Socrates is a man.
● Is the sky blue? /Whether the sky is blue
● Whether abortion should be necessary for underage girls.
Claims, construed as issues and supported (or not) by arguments, are
the central focus of critical thinking.
Arguments
Arguments are more claims, but these claims are provided as
reasons to think that another claim is true.

We produce an argument when we give a reason for thinking that a


claim is true.

Premise
A premise is a claim that is offered as a reason for believing another
claim(conclusion). Premises are found in the arguments that are
used to convince another person that what you are saying is true.

Conclusion
The claim for which a premise is supposed to give a reason is the
conclusion of the argument. The conclusion of the argument should
answer the question asked by the issue.
There are two components that a premise must have to support the
conclusion.
● The first one is that the premise can only offer support for the
conclusion if it is true.
● The second one is that it needs to be relevant to the conclusion.

If a premise meets these two requirements, it is said that the premise is


cogent.
Socrates is mortal because Socrates is a man and all men are mortal.
(Argument)

Socrates is a man (premise)


All men are mortal (premise)
Socrates is mortal (conclusion)

The sky is purple because at 6 p.m when the sun sets it looks purple.
(Argument)
At 6 p.m when the sun sets the sky is purple. (premise)
The sky is purple (conclusion)
Exercise: In these arguments, what are the premises and what are
the conclusions?
1. "In a democracy, the poor have more power than the rich, because
there are more of them and the will of the majority is supreme.”

2. Carl would like to help out but he won't be in town, so we will have
to find someone else who has a truck.

3. I will not invite my cousin John to my party because he is in the


United States and due to Covid-19 restrictions he cannot travel.
Claim

Guatemala was heavily affected by Covid 19.

Issue
Whether Guatemala was heavily affected by
Covid-19.

Argument

Guatemala was heavily affected by covid-19 virus


because out of the 340 towns throughout the country,
260 towns are in red alert.
Claim

People in Guatemala were strictly following the lockdown restrictions.

Issue

Whether people in Guatemala were strictly following the lockdown


restrictions.

Were people in Guatemala strictly following the lockdown restrictions?


Argument

Guatemalan people were not


strictly following the lockdown
restrictions because I saw on the
news that people were having
hidden parties and some people
were going out after the curfew
hours.

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