Let’s Ponder

Which of the following statements are true?

1. The sun is the center of the solar system
2. Asia is the largest continent of the world
3. Black is beautiful
4. It is more fun in the Philippines
5. Macrohon is part of Southern Leyte
province
 Were you able to easily
judge whether the statement
is true? Why?
Which of these statements
may be true for others
but not true in
your judgment?
Which of the statements
Do you personally believe
to be true but may be
disputed by other people?
Fact versus
Opinion
Fact
It’s observable or reality
It’s proved through the use of one’s
senses
It is a product of agreement or
consensus
It is tested and verified
It is unbiased
 The Philippines
is an archipelago
June comes
after May
Rectangle is a polygon
 Green is a
combination of
blue and yellow.
Our subject is
Philosophy.
Opinion
It’s influenced by bias
It’s based on one’s beliefs, views or feelings
It goes beyond providing facts
It may be an advanced belief about certain
things
It’s basis for making arguments and
convincing people for a certain claim
 The best time
of the year is
Christmas season.
All must go to church
every Sunday.
Boys are smarter
than girls.
You need to color
your house red.
 Eldest children
are the
responsible ones.
Exercises:
1. Adobo is the best Filipino food.
2. Jose Rizal is the Philippines’ National
Hero.
3. Green is the color of life.
4. If today is Monday, the day after
tomorrow is Wednesday.
5. All must attend an online class.
Spotting Faulty
Reasoning
Fallacies
a faulty argument, one that is not based
on sound reasoning or logic.
Fallacies
Ad hominem
Attacking the person presenting the
argument instead of the argument itself
Example:
I don’t trust you because you look like
a monkey
Fallacies
Appeal to tradition
The idea is acceptable because it has
been true for a long time.
Example:
The youngest son will inherit the son.
Fallacies
Begging the question (circulating truth)
Assuming the thing or idea to be
proven true.
Example:
I have the right to speech you cannot
stop me.
Fallacies
Cause and effect
Assuming a cause-and-effect
relationship between unrelated events.
Example:
Ever since you live in this house,
Everything has been going wrong.
Fallacies
Fallacy of composition
Assuming that what is true of a part is
true for the whole
Example:
Students from this section returned
my wallet. This class is a group of honest
people.
Fallacies
Fallacy of division
Assuming that what is true for the
whole is true for its parts
Example:
He is a Santos. I am certain he can
sing.
Observing Biases
Bias
Correspondence bias or attribution
effect
Tendency to judge a person’s
personality by his actions without
regard for external factors or influences
Example:
She is a teacher she cannot be wrong.
Bias
Confirmation bias
Tendency to look for readily accept
information that fits one’s own beliefs or
views and to reject ideas or views that go
against it
Example:
Marrying more than one is a sin. I am a
Christian.
Bias
Framing
Focusing on a certain aspect of a
problem while ignoring other aspects
Example:
I saw him going out of the house last
night, I am sure he did it.
Bias
Hindsight
The tendency to see past events as
predictable or to ascribe a pattern to
historical events
Example:
The Taal volcano will erupt anytime
soon. It happens the same in previous years
Bias
Conflict of Interest
A person or group is connected to or
has a vested interest in the issue being
discussed.
Example:
He ordered us to wear face mask
because he owns a face mask factory.
Bias
Cultural bias
Analyzing an event or issue based on
one’s cultural standards
Example:
Americans are always like that . They
are playing saviors since Spanish time in
the Philippines.
Reflect:
Have you experienced a situation
where what you believed to be true
turned out to be untrue?
How did you find out?
How did this experienced affect you?
Remember:
Don’t confuse the truth
with the opinion
of the majority.