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Critical Thinking: A Student's

The document discusses critical thinking, including problems with cultural moral relativism, wishful thinking, and qualities of good critical thinkers. It covers barriers to critical thinking such as biases and assumptions. The document is from an introduction to critical thinking textbook.

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Maram Sh
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47 views10 pages

Critical Thinking: A Student's

The document discusses critical thinking, including problems with cultural moral relativism, wishful thinking, and qualities of good critical thinkers. It covers barriers to critical thinking such as biases and assumptions. The document is from an introduction to critical thinking textbook.

Uploaded by

Maram Sh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 10

Critical Thinking: A Student’s

Introduction

Chapter 1
Introduction to Critical
Thinking

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.


Last Class Review

Last time we talked about:

1. Barriers to critical thinking


2. Egocentricism
3. Self-interested thinking
4. Superiority bias
5. Sociocentricism
6. Group bias – Tribalism – Conformism
7. Assumptions - Stereotypes
8. Relativism
9. (Moral) Subjectivism – Cultural (moral) subjectivism
10. Cases © 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-2
Problems with Cultural Moral
Relativism

Makes it impossible for one to:


• Criticize other cultures’ moral beliefs and values, even
those that intuitively seem to be terribly wrong
• Criticize one’s own societies’ prevailing moral beliefs and
values

Rules out the idea of moral progress


Can lead to conflicting moral duties

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-6


More on Cultural Moral Relativism

The main reasons people are attracted to cultural


moral relativism are not good reasons at all
• The fact that it is hard to discover what is true—even if it is
impossible to discover what is true—does not mean that
there is no truth or that truth is determined by
opinion/consensus
• We probably won’t be able to discover whether or not God
exists; but whether he does or not is not a matter of opinion
• Cultural moral relativism does not promote tolerance
• Suggests that if you live in an intolerant society, you are
morally obligated to be intolerant
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-7
Wishful Thinking

Believing what you want to be true (without


evidence or despite evidence to the contrary)
For example, people fear the unknown and invent
comforting myths to render the universe less
hostile and more predictable
• Belief in tabloid headlines
• Healing crystals and quack cures
• Communication with the dead
• “It won’t happen to me” beliefs

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-8


Healing Crystals and quack cures

2-
9
Qualities of a Critical Thinker, 1

• Strives for clarity, precision, accuracy, and other


intellectual standards that characterize careful,
disciplined thinking
• Sensitive to the ways in which critical thinking can
be skewed by egocentrism, wishful thinking, and
other psychological obstacles to rational belief
• Intellectually honest (admits ignorance and limits)
• Listens with an open mind

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-10


Qualities of a Critical Thinker, 2

• Bases beliefs on facts and evidence


• Is aware of the biases and preconceptions that
shape the way he/she perceives the world
• Thinks independently
• Is able to get to the heart of an issue, without
being distracted by details
• Possesses intellectual courage to face and assess
fairly ideas that challenge his/her beliefs
• Pursues truth and has intellectual perseverance
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-11
Review

Today we talked about:

1. Problems with cultural moral relativism


2. Wishful thinking
3. Qualities of good critical thinkers

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-12


See you next time!

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. 1-13

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