PHI 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1-3: Critical Thinking, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Stipulative Definition

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHI 1101
• Professor: Iva Apostolova

Document Summary

The ability to reason is the fundamental characteristic of human beings. The capacity to reason is central to what we are and how we think of ourselves. Mere thinking: when thoughts simply come, one after another. Reasoning: actively link thoughts together (inference), believing that one thought provides support for another. Thought #1 supports/justifies/makes it reasonable to believe in the truth of thought #2. Intellectual standards: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, logic. Reasoning/critical thinking involves some sort of systematic ordering of thoughts. Critical thinking: systematic evaluation of beliefs by rational standards. All reasoning is done from a point of view, based on assumptions, data, information and evidence. All reasoning is an attempt to solve a problem, settle an issue, expressed through concepts and ideas. Inference indicators: words that indicate that a thought is intended to support. Statement: sentence used to make a claim, can be true or false. Argument: set of statements with an inference.