Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing Part 2 Ed McCorduck CPN 101—Academic Writing II on Computer SUNY Cortland

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 Inductive vs. Deductive Reasoning

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 inductive reasoning: start with specific facts and then make a conclusion from those facts  the conclusion may be reliable or unreliable, not “true” or “false”

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 deductive reasoning: start with a general claim, apply it to specific instances or facts and then make a conclusion  the conclusion may be valid (but not necessarily true) if it follows from the premises; otherwise it’s invalid

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 syllogism: premise (general) +premise (specific) conclusion

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 All U.S. presidents have been male. Millard Fillmore was a U.S. president. Therefore, Millard Fillmore was male. valid, true

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 All U.S. presidents spoke English. Alvin Barkley spoke English. Therefore, Alvin Barkley was a U.S. president. invalid, false

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 All U.S. presidents have been sworn in in Washington, D.C. George Washington was a U.S. president. Therefore, George Washington was sworn in in Washington, D.C. valid, false

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, Part 2 All U.S. presidents spoke English John F. Kennedy spoke English. Therefore, John F. Kennedy was a U.S. president. invalid, true