2-3 page Journal

 

Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 8, 9, 17 (Introduction); review Chapter 7

Lesson

Introduction
Remember – your actual journal entry should be somewhat brief; most of your time should be spent thinking about the questions asked and the issues raised. Your thoughts should then be distilled into a mini-argument that will respond affirmatively to the four tests for evaluating arguments: truthfulness of premises, logical strength, relevance, and non-circularity.

Instructions
For this journal assignment, briefly answer each of the following prompts:

• Inference: The differing meanings of “valid inference” and “warranted inference” are closely related to the differing purposes of deductive and inductive arguments – the purpose of deductive being to prove; the purpose of inductive to make the conclusion most probable.

  Look up the words “valid” and “warranted.” Each of these words, you will find, has what is known as a lexical definition – that is just the dictionary definition of the word. Words also have a certain connotations – meanings that go beyond their lexical definitions; associated ideas and concepts – think of terms such a “fur baby” as the name for a pet.
  Briefly discuss how the lexical definitions and connotations of “valid” and “warranted” can help us understand the differing purposes of deductive and inductive arguments.

• Fallacies: In Section 8.2, the text states that there are “fallacious argument templates” (Facione & Gittens, p. 167) and then gives a number of examples. The authors further state: “Analysis of the meanings of the terms used and the grammatical rules of the language reveal the source of error” (p.167).

  Choose one of the fallacies in this section, such as Denying the Antecedent or False Classification and pair it with the valid argument template. For example, if you choose Denying the Antecedent, the valid argument template will be Denying the Consequent. False Classification would pair with one of the fallacies in Reasoning About Classes of Objects.
  Explain, in your own words, how the fallacy is revealed through analysis of the valid argument template. Think of it this way – if you know how the heart works, you will know that certain malfunctions will prevent it from working.  For example, if you know that the coronary arteries supply the heart with blood, then you can reason that a blockage will stop that vital flow. So this journal prompt asks you to explain, in your own words, how one of the valid argument templates work – and how that exposes the fallacy connected with that type of argument.

• Civic Responsibility: At the end of Chapter 9 there is a Bonus Exercise that asks you to research and analyze the 2009 debate over the healthcare public option. If you were actually to complete that exercise, it would take quite a bit of time and effort.

  Do you think that completing such an exercise would be time well spent or time wasted? If well-spent, why? If time wasted, why?
  Is there any issue on which you think a comparable amount of time and effort would be worthwhile?
  As a critical thinker, do you believe that citizens have an obligation to be informed on topics of current interest? If yes, why, if no, why not?

 References

Facione, P. A., & Gittens, C. A. (2016). Think critically (3rd ed.). Pearson.

5

Critical Thinking Journal

Important Idea

In the introduction of Chapter five, the most significant concept is that there is a “why” question in every language. The question provides an understanding of curiosity of profound insight, and this curiosity has a reason as to why it exists. “Why” questions are reliable in resolving issues that need a reassuring claim (Facione & Gittens, 2016). For example, for individuals to comprehend certain principles and judgements, they must ask a “why” question to collect more information. Also, they can get explanations why something is the way it is. Responses to “why” queries show a conclusion of an interrogation and stops any thoughts. Generally, the concept of asking “why” is appreciated because it highlights things that persons of various cultures contemplate.

Critical Thinking

Some concepts that complicate the scrutiny of declarations are ambiguity and vagueness. Challenging vagueness explains the definition and interpretation of ideas difficult. A complex examination of the information means there is no clear reasoning leading misunderstandings and miscommunication in a specific context (Facione et al., 2016). Analysis of claims ambiguously or vaguely is perplexing because statements usually contain a lot of words, and some are wastes. Arguments that sound incomplete do not encourage a mutual understanding of the specific meaning of phrases. For example, in a referential uncertainty, a phrase indicating that “Smith is a big driver” does not specify whether big refers to fat or famous. Thus, the scrutiny of such information turns out to be puzzling. Some media stations are facing such kind of uncertainty or vagueness issues in their titles. A news headline may define a specific politician as “mass mover”. This phrase is not precise because readers continue to ask what the exact meaning would be. Is it that the political figure is persuasive, or does he traffic individuals physically?

Beliefs

I believe that evading fast food is a significant stage to better well-being. I believe in this because health-care based articles and periodicals have mentioned diabetes and overweight disorders as some of the conditions that affect an individual as a result of fast foods (Bahadoran, Mirmiran & Azizi, 2015). These foods include chips, fried chicken, burgers and sandwiches, among others. They contain a higher content of sugars and fats, thus increasing the body weight. In the urban settings where there are many fast-foods kiosks, there are obesity and diabetes issues because several of these inhabitants do not cook meals at home. They regard readily made foods and time-saving and convenient. Therefore, there is nothing else that can stop me from believing that avoiding fast foods is crucial in maintaining good health. Thus the concrete evidence of my belief being the rising number of obesity and diabetes cases in people who live in urban areas.

Testing the Belief through “Why” Analysis

Layer 1: People who documented the Bible picked up Jesus mention the verses because they observed his workings.

Layer 2: Avoiding fries, fried fish, pitas, sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs, and fried chicken, including chicken nuggets, is acceptable. It is a fact that they contain high fat and sugar contents which is risky to better well-being.

Layer 3: My final statement defines the actual severe concerns of not evading fast food. Unawareness of the consumption of fast foods reduces the lifespan of individuals and leads to premature deaths.

Layer 4: Firm health instructions of not consuming fast-foods are rational, just because the city residents are in danger of getting diabetes and overweight. These disorders are chronic, and expensive to manage. Such consideration creates a healthy community where everyone become aware of unhealthy foods.

References

Bahadoran, Z., Mirmiran, P., & Azizi, F. (2015). Fast food pattern and cardiometabolic disorders: a review of current studies. Health promotion perspectives, 5(4), 231.  doi: 

10.15171/hpp.2015.028

Facione, P. A., & Gittens, C. A. (2016). Think critically (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.