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An introduction to

s.m.griffin@bham.ac.uk
What is critical thinking?

“Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly


and rationally – to engage in reflective and
independent thinking.”
Why make a study of critical thinking?
• It’s interesting
• It’s useful
• It’s fun!
• It has practical applications to you as a
student – and in your life afterwards…
In your student life, it will help you to…
• Deconstruct the ideas of your peers, lecturers
and other experts in your field
• Decide which arguments are valid, and which
are not
• Put your points across in a convincing manner
• Avoid relying on biased and subjective
opinions
• Write logical, structured essays
In life…
• It’s a domain-general thinking skill
• It’s very important in the new knowledge
economy.
• It enhances language and presentation skills
• It promotes creativity
• It’s crucial for self-reflection
• Good critical thinking is the foundation of
science and a liberal democratic society
What will this help you to achieve?
• Understand the logical connections between
ideas
• Identify, construct and evaluate arguments
• Detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in
reasoning
• Solve problems systematically
• Identify the relevance and importance of ideas
• Reflect on the justification of your own, and
others’, beliefs and values
ACTIVITY 1
First of all, it's essential to know what we mean
when we say the word 'argument'.

In pairs, discuss different meanings of the term


‘argument’ and try to come up with a working
definition that covers all interpretations. Be
prepared to share your findings with the group.
Arguments
• An argument is made-up of a set of
statements.
• One of these must be a conclusion that the
writer (or speaker) wants the reader (or
listener) to accept
• The other(s) are offered as reasons (premises)
as to why the conclusion is correct. If this
doesn’t happen, it’s not an argument.
Premises and conclusions
An argument needs at least one premise and one
conclusion. If it doesn’t, it’s not an argument.

PREMISE +
CONCLUSION

= ARGUMENT
Example argument

‘You should join your local gym.


Regular exercise is key to losing
weight and staying healthy, and local
gym memberships are cheaper than
ever!’
Conclusion

‘You should join your local gym.


Regular exercise is key to losing
weight and staying healthy, and local
gym memberships are cheaper than
ever!’
Premise 1

‘You should join your local gym.


Regular exercise is key to losing
weight and staying healthy, and local
gym memberships are cheaper than
ever!’
Premise 2

‘You should join your local gym.


Regular exercise is key to losing
weight and staying healthy, and local
gym memberships are cheaper than
ever!’
ACTIVITY 2
Look at the following arguments.

UNDERLINE the PREMISES

CIRCLE the CONCLUSIONS


Identify parts of an argument Q1

“You enjoy talking and socialising with others.


You should get a job that involves dealing with
different people.”
Identify parts of an argument A1

“You enjoy talking and socialising with others.

You should get a job that involves dealing with


different people.”
Identify parts of an argument Q2

“Beans are cheap. We had better eat beans on


toast for dinner – we are short of money this
week.”
Identify parts of an argument A2

“Beans are cheap.

We had better eat beans on toast for dinner –

we are short of money this week.”


Identify parts of an argument Q3

“There’s lots of snow forecast for later on. You


should stay home from work today – the police
have advised everyone to stay off the roads.”
Identify parts of an argument A3
“There’s lots of snow forecast for later on.

You should stay home from work today –

the police have advised everyone to stay off the


roads.”
Standard Format

• A way of making the premises and conclusion


crystal clear

• The next step on from identification


Standard Format

"We should not test cosmetics on rabbits, which


are conscious animals. This causes them pain
and stress, and we should not inflict pain on any
animal with consciousness."
Standard Format

"We should not test cosmetics on rabbits, which


are conscious animals. This causes them pain
and stress, and we should not inflict pain on any
animal with consciousness."
Standard Format
• (Premise 1) We should not inflict pain on
animals with consciousness.
• (Premise 2) Rabbits are conscious animals.
• (Premise 3) Testing cosmetics on rabbits
causes them pain and stress.
• (Conclusion) We should not test cosmetics on
rabbits
ACTIVITY 3

Take a look at the following arguments and


rewrite them in the standard format.
Standard Format Q1

“She must be at home. She is either at school or


at home and the teachers say she’s not at
school.”
Standard Format A1

Premise 1: She is either at school or at home.

Premise 2: The teachers say she’s not at school.

Conclusion: She must be at home.


Standard Format Q2
“If the council wants to build a toxic waste dump
here, they should compensate those who live in
the area. They are known to cause various
health problems to people living close by. These
people did not choose to live near a toxic waste
dump.”
Standard Format A2
Premise 1: The council wants to build a toxic waste dump
here.

Premise 2: Toxic waste dumps are known to cause various


health problems to those who live near them.

Premise 3: The people did not choose to live near a toxic


waste dump.

Conclusion: Those living near the proposed toxic waste dump


should be compensated, should the council decide to build
such a facility.
Necessary conditions for an argument
to be GOOD

1. All the premises must be TRUE


(Truth Condition)

2. The conclusion must follow from the


premises (Logic Condition)
Sessions in the critical thinking series

1. Introduction to critical thinking


2. Arguments
3. Credibility
4. Argument mapping
Accompanying Canvas course

https://birmingham.instructure.com/enroll/TR4DDN

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