Chapter 2 Flashcards
Appeal to popularity (or masses)
The view that some belief or practice is acceptable “merely” because it is popular
Peer Pressure
Social pressure to conform in one’s beliefs or practices
Philosphical skepticism
Awareness of the fallibility of human knowledge
Philosophical skeptics
Those (including all critical thinkers) who embrace some degree of skepticism
Social Relativism
View that truth is relative to societies
Subjective Relativism
View that truth depends on individual belief
Subjectivist Fallacy
Supporting a claim on the basis of subjective relativism
Stereotyping
Drawing hasty conclusions about groups of people without sufficient evidence
Worldview
Philosophy of life - what kind of world we live in, what should be the case in this world and what we know about it.
The environment of critical thinking and mistakes
We all make fallacies (mistakes!)
What should be do to avoid fallacies
- Watch for errors in thinking
- Restrain any attitudes and feelings that can distort or warp our reasoning
- Achieve a level of objectivity
3 elements to help us become better critical thinkers
- Awareness
- Practice
- Motivation
The study of how to persuade people
Rhetoric
The power of persuasion (rhetoric) can be used for _________.
Good or bad
Common impediments to critical thinking (categories)
- Hinderances (problems, barriers) from HOW we think (fears, motivations, attitudes etc.)
- Hinderances from WHAT we think (philosophical beliefs or ideas)