Critical Thinking
Discussion Questions Week 2
Altrena Hall
BCOM/275
August 1. 2013
Allyn Lean, BA, B Commerce, MSc Management
Discussion Questions Week 2
Consider the following statement: Most disagreements or differences of opinion are more often a result of faulty, misunderstood, or confusing premises, rather than faulty reason from a valid premise. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer. * * I agree with this statement. If thought are wrong due to misunderstandings or perhaps confusion, then there will be no common conclusion between two people. If two people agree or have the same or close to the same thought then they are more likely than unlikely to come to a common conclusion. *
Ch. 5 & 6 of Critical Thinking cover fallacies and rhetoric. What are two examples of persuasion that are not valid arguments according to the text? Why are these invalid arguments? * * The first example of persuasion that is not a valid is the argument of popularity. This is justifying or defending something based on common ground or simply because this is the way it has always been done. If more people believe something is fact, it is not evidence that it is fact. A peer pressure argument is also an invalid argument because it is urging someone to accept a claim. A person should accept a claim based on factual evidence and not because everyone else accepts this claim. *
What are some methods you might use to determine the reliability of the data you gather? Why is it important to analyze your data to determine if it is reliable? * * * Ways to check for the reliability of the data gathered is to check the credibility of the source. Compare data to similar sources, research multiple sources on the topic. Credibility can also be checked via the news media, talk radio, the internet, Wikipedia, or blogs. It is important to analyze the data to determine if it is reliable since invalid data could lead to poor
Altrena Hall
BCOM/275
August 1. 2013
Allyn Lean, BA, B Commerce, MSc Management
Discussion Questions Week 2
Consider the following statement: Most disagreements or differences of opinion are more often a result of faulty, misunderstood, or confusing premises, rather than faulty reason from a valid premise. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer. * * I agree with this statement. If thought are wrong due to misunderstandings or perhaps confusion, then there will be no common conclusion between two people. If two people agree or have the same or close to the same thought then they are more likely than unlikely to come to a common conclusion. *
Ch. 5 & 6 of Critical Thinking cover fallacies and rhetoric. What are two examples of persuasion that are not valid arguments according to the text? Why are these invalid arguments? * * The first example of persuasion that is not a valid is the argument of popularity. This is justifying or defending something based on common ground or simply because this is the way it has always been done. If more people believe something is fact, it is not evidence that it is fact. A peer pressure argument is also an invalid argument because it is urging someone to accept a claim. A person should accept a claim based on factual evidence and not because everyone else accepts this claim. *
What are some methods you might use to determine the reliability of the data you gather? Why is it important to analyze your data to determine if it is reliable? * * * Ways to check for the reliability of the data gathered is to check the credibility of the source. Compare data to similar sources, research multiple sources on the topic. Credibility can also be checked via the news media, talk radio, the internet, Wikipedia, or blogs. It is important to analyze the data to determine if it is reliable since invalid data could lead to poor