SSH 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Critical Thinking

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Social Sciences and Humanities
• Course: SSH 105
• Professor: Andrew Hunter

Document Summary

Critical thinking: the systematic evaluation or formulation of beliefs beliefs or statements by rational standards. Critical thinking focuses on not what causes a belief, but on whether it is worth believing. Cognitive biases are universal: we tend to judge facts differently depending on just how they are stated or framed: we tend to overestimate how common dramatic events are and underestimate how common more boring events are. Logic: the study of good reasoning, or inference, and the rules that govern it. A consequence of blindly accepting views or beliefs is a loss of personal freedom. If you passively accept beliefs that have been handed to you by your parents, your culture, or your teachers, then those beliefs are not really yours. Your beliefs are yours only if you critically examine them for yourself to see if they are supported by good reasons. Many believe that critical thinking makes one excessively critical, emotionally cold, and creatively constrained.