Fair & false analogies

To compare the human heart with a pump is a fair analogy, as this is essentially the function of the heart i.e. to move blood around the circulatory system via arteries & veins.

To suggest that cloning humans is dangerous and could lead to the production of a Frankenstein's monster is a false argument because if we clone a sheep we get a sheep which is exactly the same.
Cloning may or may not be a good thing but arguments against it must be based on fair analogies & sound logical argument, not scare-mongering.

Critical thinking

Definition of Critical Thinking: Critical Thinking is a cognitive activity associated with using the mind. Critical Thinking involves a wide range of skills and attitudes that includes

·        Being able to read between the lines, seeing beneath the surface, and recognizing false or unfair assumptions.

·        Identifying other people’s positions, arguments and conclusions.

·        Drawing conclusions about whether arguments are valid and justifiable, based on good evidence and sensible assumptions.

·        Presenting a point of view in a structured, clear, and reasonable way that

convinces others.

Benefits of Critical Thinking:

1.     Improved attention and observations.

2.     More focused reading

3.     Improved ability to identify the key points in a text or other message rather than becoming distracted by less important materials.

4.     Improved ability to respond to the appropriate points in a message.

5.     Knowledge of how to get your point across more easily.

6.       Skills of analysis that you can choose to apply in a variety in situations.

Barriers to critical thinking:

1.     Misunderstanding of what is meant by criticism: some people assume that criticism means making negative comments.  Actually critical thinking means identifying both negative and positive aspects.

2.     Over-estimating our own reasoning abilities: Most of us think of ourselves as rational beings. We always tend to believe that our belief systems and reasoning systems are the best.

3.     Lack of methods, strategies and practice: some people don’t know which steps to take to improve their critical thinking skills and some others are unaware of the strategies of critical thinking.

4.     The emotional attitude: it is important to acknowledge that there is more than one way of looking at an issue; sometimes you feel distressed emotionally because of challenging arguments so you refuse to listen to and understand the other’s point of view.

5.     Insufficient focus and attention to details: critical thinking requires good attention to detail, more than just a general overview of  subject matter.

   6.Egocentric thinking: thinking only of things in relation to yourself.

      Egocentric thinking is viewing everything in relation to oneself. This hinders           critical thinking, which requires open-mindednes. 

   
7. Social Conditioning: the effect of our society on our way of thinking

Social conditioning can be a benefit or drawback to your ability to think
critically.Each of us is unique. Age, IQ, race, genes, gender, culture, family, friends, and a wide array of other factors have a dramatic effect on how we view the world and the people we interact with.

  What is a fallacy? A fallacy is an argument that uses poor reasoning. An argument can be fallacious whether or not its conclusion is true. A fallacy can be either formal or informal.

1. Personalization of the argument :  attempts to counter another’s claims or conclusions by attacking the person, rather than addressing the argument itself. True believers will often commit this fallacy by countering the arguments of skeptics by stating that skeptics are close-minded. Skeptics, on the other hand, may fall into the trap of dismissing the claims of UFO believers, for example, by stating that people who believe in UFO's are crazy or stupid.

2. Ignorance: a specific belief is true because we don't know that it isn't true. Defenders of extrasensory perception, for example, will often overemphasize how much we do not know about the human brain. UFO proponents will often argue that an object sighted in the sky is unknown, and therefore it is an alien spacecraft.

3. Argument from authority: stating that a claim is true because a person or group of perceived authority says it is true. Often this argument is implied by emphasizing the many years of experience, or the formal degrees held by the individual making a specific claim. It is reasonable to give more credence to the claims of those with the proper background, education, and credentials, or to be suspicious of the claims of someone making authoritative statements in an area for which they cannot demonstrate expertise. But the truth of a claim should ultimately rest on logic and evidence, not the authority of the person promoting it.


4. Argument from personal inability:  I cannot explain or understand this, therefore it cannot be true. Creationists are fond of arguing that they cannot imagine the complexity of life resulting from blind evolution, but that does not mean life did not evolve.

6. Confusing association with cause: like stating that the increase of the use of drugs among young people is due to unemployment or poverty. Drug use is a result of many social, psychological and economic factors.


7. Inconsistency applying criteria or rules to one belief: for example, some consumer advocates argue that we need stronger regulation of prescription drugs to ensure their safety and effectiveness, but at the same time argue that medicinal herbs should be sold with no regulation for either safety or effectiveness.


8. No connection between the argument and the conclusion: this refers to an argument in which the conclusion does not necessarily follow from the premises. In other words, a logical connection is implied where none exists.

9. Assuming a cause and effect relation between two events because they happen at the same time or follow each other: A preceded B, therefore A caused B, and therefore assumes cause and effect for two events just because they are temporally related .

10. Reduction of legitimacy of the argument by stretching the logic in order to force an absurd conclusion. For example a UFO enthusiast once argued that if I am skeptical about the existence of alien visitors, I must also be skeptical of the existence of the Great Wall of China, since I have not personally seen either.

.
10.  ‘You too’ theory: This is an attempt to justify wrong action because someone else also does it. "My evidence may be invalid, but so is yours."

(http://www.theskepticsguide.org/logicalfallacies.asp)

Barriers to Critical Thinking

 

1.     Thinking all criticism is negative. Criticism can be constructive and useful, even essential.

2.     Over-estimating our own reasoning abilities.

3.     Lack of methods, strategies or practice. Exposure to rote learning, for example, does not encourage critical thinking.

4.     Reluctance to question the opinions of experts, or so-called experts.

5.     Affective or emotional reasons e.g. if a theory challenges deeply-held beliefs and/or long-held assumptions, it can be difficult to accept.

6.     Mistaking information for understanding e.g.

Student: ‘I want you the teacher, the expert, to give me the answers to questions. I want to know the right answer’.

Teacher: ‘I want you to become critical thinkers i.e. I want you to challenge experts’ answers and produce your own answers through active questioning’.

Climate change?

Global warming is widely perceived today, worldwide, as a major problem facing mankind. Simply defined, it is the heating up of the earth's atmosphere due to higher greenhouse gas emissions. The fear is that increased temperatures will lead to melting polar ice-caps and rising sea levels, which could cause flooding affecting millions in densely-poulated low-lying areas of the world, and an increase in the occurrence of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

The film An Inconvenient Truth, directed by Davis Guggenheim, 2006, presented by Al Gore, dramatically highlights the dangers involved. We watched the movie and read reviews of it, mostly favourable, e.g. Brandon Fibbs, but some critical, e.g. Scott Nash & Eric. The film was very well presented, with lots of statistical information, graphs and charts as well as some very dramatic photographic evidence. In addition we measured our carbon foorprints & mine was 4.1.The class average for CRB was 3.778.

All this is food for thought, but I have some reservations. I don't consider myself to be an extravagant consumer of food or energy & I don't see how becoming vegetarian or vegan will save the planet, yet that was the implicit assumption in some of the questions we answered to obtain our footprint. In addition, how can we find a solution if not everyone agrees about the scope of the problem? Nicholas Stern, in A Blueprint for a Safer Planet, has suggested that controlling global C02 emissions is desirable, achievable & affordable, but Nigel Lawson, in A Load of Hot Air, has refuted this:

'The Stern Review sought to argue that atmospheric greenhouse gas (chiefly carbon dioxide) concentrations could be stabilised at relatively low global cost, and the resulting benefit from preventing much further warming would far outweigh that cost. This analysis has been wholly discredited by pretty well every prominent economist who has addressed the issue.'

If there is no widespread agreement as to the scope of the problem, and the costs involved in dealing with it, then we have a long way to go before we find a solution.


Bibliography:

An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. DVD. Paramount Classics, 2006

Lawson, Nigel. "A Load of Hot Air." Rev. of A Blueprint for a Safer Planet: How to Manage Climate Change & Create a new Era of Progress & Prosperity, by Nicholas Stern, Bodley Head, 2009. The Spectator 29 Apr. 2009.

Brandon Fibbs, http://brandonfibbs.com/2006/05/24/an-inconvenient-truth/

Scott Nash & Eric http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inconvenient_truth/articles/156,http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

Benefits of critical thinking

Good critical thinking involves:

·        Improved attention & observation

·        More focused reading

·        Improved ability to identify key points in a text or meassage and not being distracted by less important material

·        Knowledge of how to get your own point across more easily

·        Skills of analysis that you can apply to various situations

Ancillary skills:

·        Observation

·        Reasoning

·        Decision-making

·        Analysis

·        Judgement

·        Persuasion

 

Realistic self-appraisal

Many people probably over-estimate their critical thinking skills

 

Emotional self-management

We may not like evidence that contradicts our own opinions orbeliefs

 

Perseverance, accuracy  precision

Critical thinking involves accuracy  & precision & a dedication to finding the correct answer. It includes:

     Attention to detail

     Identifying trends & patters

     Repetition

    Taking different perspectives

   Objectivity 

    Considering implications & distant consequences