CAS PH 160 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Critical Thinking
Document Summary
A question about the quality of your beliefs is the fundamental concern of critical thinking, which isn"t about what you think but about how you think and whether it is worth believing. Critical thinking: a systematic evaluation or formulation of beliefs or statements by rational standards. Systematic b/c distinct procedures and methods (there are rules we are following) Rational standards = beliefs are judged by how well they are supported by reasons. Logic: study of good reasoning, or inference, and the rules that govern it. If we care whether our choices/beliefs are right/true, we must use the tools provided by critical thinking. A consequence of simply accepting others handed out-beliefs is a loss of personal freedom. If you passively accept beliefs, then they are not really yours. They are only yours if you yourself critically examine them to see if they are supported by good reasons. This way, you examine your life, for your beliefs largely define your life.
