Concise Guide to Critical Thinking Chapter 6

When Claims Conflict: If a claim conflicts with other claims we have good reason to accept, we have good grounds for doubting it. If a claim conflicts with our background information, we have good reason to doubt it.

Fact and Opinion Fact— A state of affairs A true statement Opinion— A belief “That’s a matter of opinion” can mean: Opinions differ. Not a matter of objective fact; entirely subjective.

Background Information The huge collection of very well supported beliefs that we all rely on to inform our actions and choices. Includes: Basic facts about everyday things. Beliefs based on very good evidence (including our own personal observations and the statements of excellent authorities. Strongly justified claims that we would regard as “common sense” or “common knowledge.”

Beliefs and Evidence It’s not reasonable to believe a claim when there is no good reason for doing so. We should proportion our belief to the evidence.

Beliefs and Evidence The more evidence a claim has in its favor, the stronger our belief in it should be. Weak evidence for a claim warrants weak belief; strong evidence warrants strong belief.

Experts and Evidence Expert: Someone who is more knowledgeable in a particular subject area or field than most others are. Experts are more likely to be right because: (1) They have access to more information on the subject than we do. (2) They are better at judging that information than we are.

Experts and Evidence If a claim conflicts with expert opinion, we have good reason to doubt it. When the experts disagree about a claim, we have good reason to doubt it.

Fallacious appeal to authority The fallacy of relying on the opinion of someone deemed to be an expert who in fact is not an expert.

Personal Experience It’s reasonable to accept the evidence provided by personal experience only if there’s no good reason to doubt it. Factors that can give us good reason to doubt the reliability of personal experience: Impairment Expectation Innumeracy

Advertising We generally have good reason to doubt advertising claims and to be wary of advertising’s persuasive powers. WHY? The purpose of advertising is to sell or promote something. Advertising has a reputation for—and a history of—misleading messages.

The hard truth about all media Not everything you read is true. Countless sources on the Internet and in conventional media are unreliable. It’s often difficult to tell the difference between fake or false news and real news.

The hard truth about all media Advertising cannot be trusted to give you unbiased information. A lot of what you read online is false, misleading, vicious, self-serving, clueless, or crazy.

Evaluating Sources Read critically. Size up authors, bloggers, and publishers. Sort out claims.

Evaluating Sources Compare sources. Try to discern the source’s purpose. Check alternative news sources.