Macalester College



Critical Thinking Fall 2014PHIL 110-01; 110-02Main 010Professor Diane Michelfelder Office: Main 110Office hours: W 12-1; F 9:40-10:40, and by appointment Office phone number: 651-696-6197E-mail: michelfelder@macalester.eduWhat this course is aboutEveryday life displays a rich dynamics within which we try to think things through to logical conclusions; distinguish between solid arguments on the one hand and stupid ones on the other; determine the value of claims, often for competing goods, that others are presenting and make efforts to figure out what to believe or not to believe based on the evidence that is given; gauge the probability of whether something might or might not occur; and thoughtfully construct arguments to present to others in a variety of conversational situations. The purpose of this course is to make you more skilled in these kinds of everyday reasoning. Part of the course will be focused on understanding the logical structures of the different types of arguments—for instance, arguments that involve statistical generalizations or ones where we reason to the best explanation-- that we frequently employ in the course of everyday life. We will cover common missteps that people often make in everyday reasoning, including missteps that people make in making judgments based on probability, so that you will be able to better recognize these when you see them and to avoid making them yourselves. We will look at some principles of probability and how these might be used in making good judgments in situations of uncertainty where risks need to be calculated as best as possible. The course will also involve in-class group work that will help develop your skills in evaluating and making arguments. Toward the end of the course, we will take a step back and take a critical look at some aspects of critical thinking itself, as well as some recent work focused on the untrustworthiness of human reasoning processes. To put the overall purpose of this course as succinctly as possible: the purpose is to narrow the gap in your own life between thinking and critical thinking so that the more thinking you do, the more critical your processes of reflection become. Course learning goalsBecause the aim of critical thinking is to deepen your skills at everyday kinds of reasoning, the primary learning goals for this course are focused on expanding your capabilities for:Understanding the logical structures of the primary kinds of arguments used in the everyday contexts of life;Analyzing arguments within these classes for their strengths and weaknesses;Evaluating sources and quality of data;Recognizing common fallacies in reasoning, including reasoning involving determining probabilities and the presence of causation;Understanding and being able to engage in good critical thinking in contexts of risk and uncertainty;Constructing good arguments using principles of informal reasoning;Reflecting on your own critical thinking practices; andListening to the arguments of others without prejudging these arguments in advance.What you’ll be readingWalter Sinnott Armstrong and Robert Fogelin. 2014. Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th Ed. Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Note: Please be sure you purchase this edition.Ian Hacking. 2001. An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. What you’ll be doingHomework: There will be a total of 10 homework assignments for this course. In general, homework will be assigned in class on Friday and due on the following Monday. Assignments must be turned in on time to count toward your course grade. Each assignment will be worth 10 points. Tests: This course will have three tests, during the 4th, 7th, and 11th weeks. These will not be cumulative. Material covered between the end of the 11th week and the last day of classes will be tested for on the final exam. We will try to set aside a little time in the class session preceding the test to go over the material that will be covered. There may also be a review session organized by the class preceptors.Final exam: The final exam will be take-home. It will give you an opportunity to show how you’ve developed as a critical thinker, both in terms of your knowledge of basic principles as well as your ability in applying skills you have refined as a result of this course.Course preceptors: Philosophy majors John Katuska ’15 and Cynthia Scott ’15 will be the preceptors for this course. John will be the preceptor for PHIL 110-01, and Cynthia will be the preceptor for PHIL 110-02. They will be available to answer questions about your homework assignments and about the course material in general. They may also hold review sessions and will be involved in grading homework and tests. You can contact John at jkatuska@macalester.edu. Cynthia’s e-mail address is cscott3@macalester.edu.Course and classroom integrityIn this class, we will strive to have an environment geared as best as possible toward facilitating individual learning and that models best scholarly practices. It is anticipated that what you will turn in for this course will be your own work and not that of others. Please know that in reviewing it, I will adhere to the College’s Academic Integrity Policy as published in the Student Handbook. You might want to take a moment to familiarize yourself with this policy if you have not already done so.DevicesThe best device you can bring to this class is your own attentive mind. Through the gift of your attention, you help support the integrity of the learning environment. While it is OK to use a laptop to take notes, for the sake of your own learning and out of respect for others please refrain from googling, tweeting, doing Facebook, checking incoming e-mails, etc. And, of course, please do put your cell phones on a setting so they will not make an audible sound if someone calls or texts you. Try to pretend that you do not have them with you for the time we are together.Taking this class implies your acceptance of this policy. Repeated violations will result in a lowered class participation grade. I recognize of course that if there is an emergency you may need to take a call. If that’s the case, please let me know before the class period starts.How your work will be evaluated: Your final grade for this class will be based on the following percentages: Homework assignments15%Tests 60% (20% each)Final exam15%Class participation10%Because this is a philosophy course, there will be ample opportunity for you to contribute to class discussions. Your class participation grade will be based primarily on the quality of your contributions to these discussions. Regular attendance will also be taken into account. I will expect that each of you will come to class having done the readings for that day, and be prepared to participate by raising questions, commenting on the readings, taking part in in-class exercises, responding to points brought up by others, and the like.Schedule of readings and assignmentsThis schedule may change; any changes will be announced in class and also e-mailed. Reading assignments from the Sinnott-Armstrong & Fogelin text are indicated as SAF; assignments from the book by Ian Hacking are indicated as IH. A few reading assignments will not be taken from these books. They will be distributed to you over e-mail.Week OneWednesday, 3 SeptemberWelcome and orientation to the courseFriday, 5 SeptemberArguments and their purposesReading: SAF, pp. 3-13Assignment #1 given Week TwoMonday, 8 September Recognizing arguments; argument markersand other termsReading: SAF, pp. 41-46; bring IH to class for an in-class exerciseAssignment #1 due Wednesday, 10 SeptemberIs this argument a good one? Some standardsfor evaluationReading: SAF pp. 91-99; IH, pp. 1-7 Friday, 12 SeptemberSuppressed premises and fundamental principlesReading: SAF, pp. 96-104Assignment #2 givenWeek ThreeMonday, 15 SeptemberPropositional logic and truth-functional connectivesReading: SAF, pp. 113-132Assignment #2 due Wednesday, 17 SeptemberTesting for validity by means of truth tablesRe-read SAF, pp. 113-132Thursday, 18 SeptemberPhilosophy Department Picnic in Marvin Plaza4:30—6:00Friday, 19 SeptemberConditionalsReading: SAF, pp. 134-150Week Four Monday, 22 SeptemberTEST #1Wednesday, 24 SeptemberInductive reasoningAn overview of the basic forms of inductive argumentsReading: SAF, pp. 179-183; IH, pp. 11-18Friday, 26 SeptemberWhat are we looking for in a good statistical argument?The variety of sampling techniquesReading: SAF, pp. 183-188 and class handout Assignment #3 givenWeek FiveMonday, 29 SeptemberBias in statistical argumentsPractice in evaluating statistical argumentsReading: SAF, pp. 188-193; research study tobe distributed by e-mailAssignment #3 dueWednesday, 3 OctoberThe nature of causal reasoningNecessary and sufficient conditionsReading: SAF, pp. 215-219Friday, 5 OctoberTechniques for evaluating causal argumentsReading: SAF, pp. 220-228Assignment #4 givenWeek SixMonday, 6 OctoberPractice in evaluating causal argumentsReading: SAF, pp. 228-238Assignment #4 dueWednesday, 8 OctoberAbductive reasoning and inference to the bestexplanationReading: SAF, pp. 195-204Friday, 10 October Arguments from analogyReading: SAF, pp. 204-210Assignment #5 givenWeek SevenMonday, 13 OctoberConstructing and evaluating analogical argumentsReading: Class handoutAssignment #5 dueWednesday, 15 OctoberTEST #2Friday, 17 October Introduction to probabilityNo reading assignmentWeek EightMonday, 20 OctoberSimple probability and the Gambler’s FallacyReading: SAF, pp. 239-246; IH, pp. 23-33Wednesday, 22 OctoberConditional probabilityReading: SAF, pp. 246-252; IH, pp. 47-56Assignment #6 givenFriday, 24 OctoberFall Break—no class meetingWeek NineMonday, 27 OctoberBayes’ theoremReading: SAF, pp. 253-261Assignment #6 dueWednesday, 29 OctoberPersonal probabilities Reading: IH, pp. 151-160Friday, 31 OctoberUsing Bayes’ theorem to calculate personal probabilitiesReading: IH, pp. 171-188Assignment #7 givenWeek TenMonday, 3 NovemberSeparating good bets from badReading: SAF, pp. 263-268; IH, pp.79-90Assignment #7 dueWednesday, 5 NovemberMaximizing expected valueReading: IH, pp. 98-113Friday, 7 NovemberDecisions under ignorance or uncertaintyReading: SAF, pp. 268-272Assignment #8 givenWeek ElevenMonday, 10 NovemberMore on the rule of dominance Reading: IH, pp. 114-126 Assignment #8 due Wednesday, 12 NovemberMore on other decision rulesNo reading assignmentFriday, 14 NovemberTEST #3Week TwelveMonday, 17 NovemberSlippery slope and other fallacies of vaguenessReading: SAF, pp. 275-289Wednesday, 19 NovemberFallacies of ambiguityReading: SAF, pp. 291-305Friday, 21 NovemberFallacies of relevanceReading: SAF, pp. 307-321Assignment #9 givenWeek ThirteenMonday, 24 November Fallacies of vacuityRefutationReading: SAF, pp. 323-349 Assignment#9 dueWednesday, 26 NovemberNo class meeting—Thanksgiving breakFriday, 28 NovemberNo class meeting—Thanksgiving breakWeek FourteenMonday, 1 DecemberLooking critically at critical thinking fallaciesReading: Luciano Floridi, “Logical Fallacies as Informational Shortcuts”; David Bollier, The Promises and Perils of Big Data, pp.3-20 (available online) Wednesday, 3 DecemberAre we really that bad at thinking clearly? (and why it matters to say that the answer is “yes”) Reading: Selections from the “You are Not so Smart” blog. (Specific entries to be determined later).Friday, 5 December Are we really that bad at thinking clearly?, continuedReading: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow,Chapters 8, 9, 10, 15 & 16. On library reserve.Assignment #10 givenWeek FifteenMonday, 8 DecemberCoffee, cake, and course wrap-upAssignment #10 dueThursday, 11 DecemberTake-home exams due at noon for both sectionsPlease turn your exams in to me in my office. ................
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