Self assment quiz :

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199856671/student/chapter3/selfquiz/

CH 2 (Obstacles to Critical Thinking)

You answered 14 out of 16 questions correctly, for a score of 87.5%.

1. Correct. You answered: a. True.

From the standpoint of critical thinking, we have taken things too far when we accept
claims for no good reason.

The correct answer was: a. True.

2. Correct. You answered: b. False.

It is always wrong to accept a claim that furthers our own interests.

The correct answer was: b. False.

3. Correct. You answered: a. True.

The remedy for the problem of selective attention is to make a conscious effort to look
for opposing evidence.

The correct answer was: a. True.

4. Correct. You answered: b. False.

Critical thinking is self-interested thinking.

The correct answer was: b. False.

5. Correct. You answered: a. True.

Everyone has a worldview.

The correct answer was: a. True.

6. Correct. You answered: a. True.

There are some things about ourselves that are relative because they are one way for us
and another way for someone else.

The correct answer was: a. True.

7. Correct. You answered: b. False.

 To know something, we must be certain of it.

The correct answer was: b. False.

8. Incorrect. You answered: b. Cannot be false.

According to social relativism, the beliefs of a society:

The correct answer was: c. Cannot be mistaken.

9. Correct. You answered: d. Does not make it true.

Your believing that something is true:

The correct answer was: d. Does not make it true.

10. Correct. You answered: b. Groundless.

The sign of a maturing intellect is having the will and the courage to gradually prune
beliefs that are:

The correct answer was: b. Groundless.

11. Incorrect. You did not provide an answer.

A common flaw in reasoning is the failure to consider evidence or arguments that:

The correct answer was: c. Do not support preferred claims or positions.

12. Correct. You answered: b. Have a personal stake in the conclusions you reach.

You are most likely to let your self-interest get in the way of clear thinking when you:

The correct answer was: b. Have a personal stake in the conclusions you reach.

13. Correct. You answered: a. Cannot establish the truth of a claim.

Self-interest alone:

The correct answer was: a. Cannot establish the truth of a claim.

14. Correct. You answered: c. Fears, attitudes, and motivations.

Category 1 obstacles to critical thinking include:

The correct answer was: c. Fears, attitudes, and motivations.

 15. Correct. You answered: b. Morally wrong.

Some philosophers have asserted that believing a proposition without good reasons is:

The correct answer was: b. Morally wrong.

16. Correct. You answered: a. Proportion your belief to the strength of reasons.

For critical thinkers, the best way to deal with group pressure is to:

The correct answer was: a. Proportion your belief to the strength of reasons.

What are psychological obstacles to critical thinking?

-egoism, self-interested thinking (We may accept a claim solely because it advances our interests or just
because it helps us SAVE FACE)
-groups pressure (obstacles include conformist pressures from groups that we belong to and
ethnocentric urges to think that our group is superior to others)
-pareidolia=patternicity
-hypnogogic hallucinations
-systematic human irrationality--ex: gambler's fallacy
-selective attention
-in-group loyalty and out-group hostility
-stereotyping

When are you most likely to let your self-interest get in the way of clear thinking?

when you have a big personal stake in the conclusions you reach

What does it mean to say that critical thinking takes place in an "environment" that is often hostile to
it?

-Critical thinking takes place in our minds (mental environment) consisting of our experiences, thoughts
and feelings.
-Some of these elements in this inner environment can sabotage our efforts to think critically or make
critical thinking more difficult

What factors must be present for critical thinking to be realized?

-the process must be systematic

-there must be true evaluation or formulation
-must be based on rational standards
What are the most common impediments to critical thinking?

1. those that arise b/c of HOW we think (psychological factors like fears, attitudes motivation and
desires)
2. those that occur b/c of WHAT we think (b/c of certain philosophical ideas that we have--beliefs about
beliefs)

Is there anything inherently wrong with accepting a claim that furthers your own interests? Is there
anything wrong with accepting a claim solely because it furthers your own interests?

-There's nothing inherently wrong with accepting a claim that furthers your own interest, but the
problem arises when you accept a claim solely b/c it furthers your interest.
-self-interest alone cannot establish the truth of a claim, so to base beliefs of self-interest alone is to
abandon critical thinking

True or False. No one is immune to psychological obstacles :True

What did W.K. Clifford say about the mortality of believing claims?

-beliefs w/o evidence is immoral b/c our actions are guided by our beliefs. And if out beliefs are
unfounded, or actions are likely to be imprudent

From the standpoint of critical thinking, what event signals that we have allowed our bias in favor of
ourselves go too far?

We have taken things too far when we accept claims for no good reason or when we have a surge of
strong emotions

When are you most likely to let your self-interest get in the way of clear thinking?

when you have a big personal stake in the conclusions you reach

What should you do if you sense a rush of emotion when you think about a particular issue?

If you sense a rush of emotions when you deal /w a particular issue, stop. Think about what's happening
and why. Then continue at a slower pace and with greater detail to basics of critical thinking, making
sure that you're not ignoring evidence and getting sloppy with evaluations.

What is the most powerful group pressure of all?

we are better pressure: the pressure that comes from presuming that our own groups is the best (better
than other groups)--ethnocentric urges to think that our group is superior to others.

How could subjective relativism make critical thinking unnecessary?

-critical thinking is about determining whether statements are true or false. Subjective relativism is the
idea that truth depends on what someone believes. So, if we can make a statement true just by
believing that it is true, then critical thinking would be unnecessary. Thus, the subjectivist fallacy would
be an excuse to forgo critical inquiry.
Is critical thinking concerned with objective or the subjective truth of claims

objective truth of claims

-objective truth is about the world, about the way the world is regardless of what we may believe about
it

What kind of doubt is involved in the acquisition of knowledge?

reasonable doubt

Does our knowledge require certainty?

No
-We know many things not b/c they're beyond all possible doubt but b/c they're beyond all reasonable
doubt
-Rejecting a reasonable claim to knowledge just b/c of the possibility that you may be wrong is neither
reasonable nor necessary

How does the influence of a group that you belong to affect your attempts to think critically?

Group pressure can affect your attempts to think critically by allowing your need to be part of the group
or your identification with the group undermine critical thinking. To conform to group
statement/beliefs, you use group pressure alone (this includes ethnocentric urge to think that your
group is better than others) to try to support a claim, resulting in a lapse of critical thinking.

Describe how self-interested thinking and our almighty selves is an impediment to critical thinking
(psychological barrier)

-In the service of almighty self (we try to protect, maintain, comfort ourselves), we distort our
judgement (SELF-INTEREST THINKING) and raise risk for error
-Forms of self-interest thinking: Deciding to accept a claim solely on the grounds that it advances your
interests & accepting claims for no other reason then that may help save your face (accept/defend
claims to cover up crack in image)
-There's nothing inherently wrong with accepting a claim that furthers your own interest, but the
problem arises when you accept a claim solely b/c it furthers your interest.
-self-interest alone cannot establish the truth of a claim, so to base beliefs of self-interest alone is to
abandon critical thinking

What kind of thinking is this an example of? ''This university shouldn't raise tuition b/c I'm a student''
or ''I believe the city should lower the taxes on convenience stores b/c I own a convenience store

self-interested thinking in which you accept a claim just solely b/c it advances your own interests

2 clues that signal that our self-interest is distorting our judgement

- emotional protestations (strong emotions can warp our thinking)

-rejecting all relevant evidence (won't/can't consider reasons that are perfectly clear)
selective attention

a phenomenon in which we notice certain things and ignore others (usually w/o being aware that we're
doing it)
-preferential treatment for some statements but not others

What is this an example of? I want a claim to be true so I look for evidence in its favor but ignore
evidence against it

Selective attention

What are some ways to avoid self-interested thinking?

-watch out when things get personal & you become emotionally vested in an issue (getting worked up
over a claim or conclusion is reason to suspect that your thinking could be prejudiced or not ask clear as
it should be)
-avoid selective attention and ensure that nothing has been left out of consideration (esp evidence or
arguments that don'y support your position/claims) by making conscious effort to look for opposing
evidence
-be alert to the ways critical thinking can be undermined

What are the forms of group pressure?

-peer pressure
-appeal to popularity
-appeal to common practice
-we-are-better pressure=ethnocentric urges to think that our group is superior to others.

What are the consequences of group thinking?

can easily generate narrow-mindedness, resistance to change and stereotyping

stereotyping

drawing conclusions about people without sufficient reasons

What's the best way to deal with the power of the group?

proportion your belief to the strength of reasons

when the pressure to conform comes from your peers

peer pressure AKA appeal to the masses;

when the pressure to conform comes from the mere popularity of a belief

appeal to popularity

when the pressure to conform comes from what groups of people do or how they behave

appeal to common practice

True of False. We all have a worldview b/c we all have adopted (or inherited) certain fundamental
ideas about the world. :True

worldview

a philosophy of life, a set of fundamental ideas that helps us make sense of a wide range of important
issues in life
-this includes our values (moral/political), metaphysical (real, exist), & epistemic (how we come to
know/justify our beliefs--rational, evidence, logic)

subjective relativism

the idea that truth depends on what someone believes

-truth is relative to persons; truth is a matter of what a person believes not a matter of how the world is
or how things are. This means something can be true for one person but not for another
-This implies that we can make a statement true if we believe it to be true and that we can't be possibly
at error in anything as long as we sincerely believed.

subjectivist fallacy

accepting the notion of subjective relativism or using it to try to support a claim

What are the flaws of subjective relativism and social relativism?

-they have the same flaws

-if we could make a statement true just by believing it's true (subjective relativism), we would be morally
infallible (we could not possibly be wrong about anything that we sincerely believe). BUT personal
infallibility is absurd
-according to social relativism, societies are infallible meaning that the beliefs of whole societies can't be
mistaken. But the notion of societal infallibility is not possible.
-both are self-defeating. It defeats itself b/c its truth implies its falsity

social relativism

the view that truth is relative to societies

-claims that truth depends not on an individual's beliefs but on society's belief and that beliefs of whole
societies cannot be mistaken

What is this an example of? A claim is true for Chinese but false for Americans. A claim is true for
Baptist but false for atheists.

social relativism

True or False. Social relativism is attractive to many b/c it implies egalitarianism--the notion that the
beliefs of different societies are equal: True

Social relativism and subjective relativism both render critical thinking ____. : superfluous
(unnecessary)

philosophical skepticism: belief that we know much less than we think we do or nothing at all
philosophical skeptics: thinkers who raise doubts about how much we know

Describe one form of philosophical skepticism

One form says that knowledge requires certainty--if we are to know anything, we must be certain of it.
This means that our knowledge isn't knowledge unless it's beyond any possibility of doubt.

Getting emotionally worked up about a claim or conclusion could be an indication that your thinking is
________:self-interested and not as clear as it should be

Consequences of self-interested thinking: prevents careful evaluation of claims, limits critical inquiry,
blinds you to the facts, provokes self-deception, engender rationalization, lead you to suppress/ignore
evidence and beget wishful thinking, leaves you open to propaganda and manipulation by ppl who
appeal to your personal desires, slows personal growth

Consequences of self-interested thinking: prevents careful evaluation of claims, limits critical inquiry,
blinds you to the facts, provokes self-deception, engender rationalization, lead you to suppress/ignore
evidence and beget wishful thinking, leaves you open to propaganda and manipulation by ppl who
appeal to your personal desires, slows personal growth

What are philosophical obstacles to critical thinking?

worldview ...subjective relativism

social relativism
philosophical skepticism
-politics, religion and moral commitments are common sources of bias

What are psychological obstacles to critical thinking?

-egoism, self-interested thinking (We may accept a claim solely because it advances our interests or just
because it helps us SAVE FACE)
-groups pressure (obstacles include conformist pressures from groups that we belong to and
ethnocentric urges to think that our group is superior to others)
-pareidolia=patternicity
-hypnogogic hallucinations
-systematic human irrationality--ex: gambler's fallacy
-selective attention
-in-group loyalty and out-group hostility
-stereotyping

According to the text, why is it important to look for opposing evidence when evaluating claims?

Failure to look for opposing evidence increases the chance of error

True or False. It is important to be alert to ways that critical thinking can be undermined b/c if you
understand the techniques/principles of critical thinking and have practiced applying them to various
situations, you're more likely than not to detect your own one-sided self-centered thinking when it
occurs :True
The dead giveaway that you are skewing your thinking is _____.

A surge of strong emotions

What are some examples of accepting a claim for no other reason than to save your face?

-you make a mistake, so you blame it one someone or something else

-you behave badly and your try to justify your behavior
-you make a judgement or observation that turns out to be wrong and you're too embarrassed or proud
to admit it

Francis Bacon called common mistakes to critical thinking _____. What are the 4 that he identified?

idols of the mind

idols of the tribe
idols of the cave
idols of the marketplace
-idols of the theater

idols of the tribe

-based on how we think

-the problems in thinking that arise from human nature generally. This includes perception/memories
(they have limitations)
-ex: pareidoilia or patternicity
-this is the fallacy of presuming that our biased perceptions are automatically a true reflection of the
objective world, that knowledge is to be found inside us without reference to the real world

idols of the marketplace

-based on how we think

-obstacles to critical thinking that arises from the use of language (our imprecise/careless use of
language)
-ex: manipulative use of lanaguage, scare tactics

idols of the theater

-based on what we think

-Biases that are rooted in ideology, systems of beliefs, religion, politics, sexism, racism, classicism, anti-
feminism/semitism

What are these examples of? poor people are lazy. woman don' make good engineers.

idols of the theater

idols of the cave

-based on how/what we think
-biases unique to each person
ex: self-interest, upbringing
-these develop from each person's personality, education and experiences

What is selective attention?

A kind of bias thinking in which we notice certain things and ignore others even though we should be
noticing both.

According to the text, how could subjective relativism make critical thinking unnecessary?

If we make statements true just by believing it to be true, then critical thinking would seem
unnecessary.

According to the text's definition of critical thinking, what factors must be present for critical thinking
to be realized?

The process must be systematic, it must be a true evaluation or formulation of claims, and it must be
based on rational standards.

What are the two main categories of common obstacles to critical thinking?

Those hindrances that arise because of how we think (Our fears, attitudes, motivations, and desires) and
those that occur because of what we think (Our beliefs about beliefs).

What is stereotyping?

Drawing an unwarranted conclusion or generalization about an entire group of people.

From the standpoint of critical thinking, what event signals that we have allowed our bias in favor of
our selves go too far?

When we accept claims for no reason.

According to the text, what effect can our urge to save face have on our thinking?

We may accept or defend claims just to protect our image.

When are you most likely to let your self-interest get in the way of clear thinking?

When you have a significant personal stake in the conclusion you reach.

According to the text, what should you do if you sense a rush of emotion when you think about a
particular issue?

Stop. Think about what's happening and why. Then continue at a slower place and with greater
attention to the basics or critical reasoning, double checking to ensure that you are not ignoring or
suppressing evidence or getting sloppy in your evidence.
What is selective attention?

A kind of bias thinking in which we notice certain things and ignore others even though we should be
noticing both.

According to the text, how might selective attention affect your thinking when you are examining
evidence for or against a claim?

We may ignore facts that contradict our beliefs and search our facts that support them.

How might the influence of a group that you belong to affect you attempts to think critically?

By allowing your need to be part of a group or your identification with a group to undermine critical
thinking.

According to the text, what is the most powerful group pressure of all? Ethnocentrism

What is the appeal to popularity?

When, the pressure comes from the mere popularity of a belief.

What is a worldview?

A philosophy of life, a set of fundamental ideas that helps us make sense of a wide range of important
issues in life.

What is subject relativism?

The idea that truth depends on what someone believes.

According to the text, how could subjective relativism make critical thinking unnecessary?

If we make statements true just by believing it to be true, then critical thinking would seem
unnecessary.

Is critical thinking concerned with the objective or the subjective truth of claims?

Objective truth claims

What is social relativism?

The view that truth is relative to societies. The claim is that truth depends not on an individuals beliefs,
but on society's beliefs.

What is philosophical skepticism?

We know much less than we think we do or nothing at all.

Does our knowledge require certainty?

No, for we seem to know many things even though we do not have absolutely conclusive reasons.

What kind of doubt is involved in the acquisition of knowledge?

Reasonable doubt
https://quizlet.com/67739146/ch-2-obstacles-to-critical-thinking-flash-cards/

Chapter 1
You answered 12 out of 16 questions correctly, for a score of 75%.

1. Correct. You answered: b. False.

Critical thinking is rarely used outside of academia

The correct answer was: b. False.

2. Correct. You answered: a. True.

Common conclusion indicators include therefore, hence, and consequently.

The correct answer was: a. True.

3. Correct. You answered: b. False.

Probably the best advice for anyone trying to identify arguments is to look for the
premises first.

The correct answer was: b. False.

4. Correct. You answered: a. True.

Some common premise indicator words are because, since, and given that.

The correct answer was: a. True.

5. Correct. You answered: a. True.

An explanation tells us why or how something is the case, but an argument gives us
reasons for believing that something is the case.

The correct answer was: a. True.

6. Correct. You answered: b. False.

If you clearly state your beliefs on a subject, then you have presented an argument.

The correct answer was: b. False.

7. Correct. You answered: a. True.

 An argument is a group of statements in which some of them (the premises) are intended
to support another of them (the conclusion).

The correct answer was: a. True.

8. Incorrect. You answered: b. The conclusion.

The statements (reasons) given in support of another statement are called:

The correct answer was: c. The premises.

9. Correct. You answered: a. Worthy of strong acceptance.

Statements backed by good reasons are:

The correct answer was: a. Worthy of strong acceptance.

10. Incorrect. You answered: d. An assertion that is neither true nor false.

A statement is:

The correct answer was: c. An assertion that something is or is not the case.

11. Incorrect. You answered: d. Our unconscious desires.

According to the text, critical thinking complements:

The correct answer was: b. Our emotions.

12. Correct. You answered: c. Using careful judgment or judicious evaluation.

The word critical in critical thinking refers to:

The correct answer was: c. Using careful judgment or judicious evaluation.

13. Correct. You answered: a. We have good reasons to accept it.

A belief is worth accepting if:

The correct answer was: a. We have good reasons to accept it.

14. Correct. You answered: c. Determining the quality of our beliefs.

Critical thinking concerns:

The correct answer was: c. Determining the quality of our beliefs.

15. Correct. You answered: b. Premises and conclusions make up only a small portion of the
total wordage.

In most extended argumentative passages:

The correct answer was: b. Premises and conclusions make up only a small portion of the
total wordage.

16. Incorrect. You answered: b. Valid reasoning.

The process of reasoning from premises to a conclusion based on those premises is

known as:

The correct answer was: d. Inference.