Critical Thinking: Analysis, Synthesis, And Evalution
Travis Human
01/16/2013
Outline
Chapter 3 - A Process of Critical Thinking
- In this Chapter it will explain to you how you use critical thinking everyday to make decisions and solve problems. When you use critical thinking you can explore many problems step by step and come up with reasonable solutions. There are three activities that are the core of critical thinking, they are: analysis, synthesis, and evalution.
A. Supporting Critical Thinking with Evidence
- As you are writing a college paper, you should think about the purpose for which you are writing it, the position, and the strategies for getting the readers to understand your ideas and to accept the points you are trying to make. Sound evidence supports your main idea or thesis, convincing readers by understanding your points.
- Types of Evidence
- Evidence is anything that demonstrates the soundness of a claim. Four reliable forms of evidence are: facts, statistics, firsthand observations, and expert testimony. Some other evidence could be: examples, illustrations, details, and opinions. If you are unsure on what type of evidence you should use on an assignment, be sure to ask your instructor whether you should use sources or rely on personal …show more content…
experiences and examples.
· Facts - Facts are statements that can be verified objectively, by observation or by reading a reliable account. Facts are usually stated dispassionately. Sometimes people say facts are true statements, but truth and sound evidence may be confused.
· Statistics - Statistics are facts expressed in numbers. Most writers, without trying to be dishonest, interpret statistics to help their causes. Even though a writer is free to interpret a statistic, statistics should not be used to mislead. If you doubt a statistic, compare it with figures reported by several other sources. You should never trust a statistical report tt is different from every other report unless it is backed by further evidence.
· Expert Testimoney - By "experts" we mean people with knowledge gained from study and experience in a particular field. The test of an expert is whether his or her expertise stands up to the scrutiny of others who are knowledgeable in that field. Also consider whether the expert has any bias or special interest that would affect reliability.
· Firsthand Observation - Firsthand observation is persuasive. It can add concrete reality to abstract or complex points. Always assure your readers that your observations are unbiased and true.
B. Using Evidence to Appeal to Your Audience
- One way to select evidence and to judge whether it is appropriate and sufficient is to consider the types of appeals- logical, emotional, and ethical. Most effective arguements work on all three levels, using all three types of appeals with evidence that supports all three.
· Logical Appeal - which is pathos, or "suffering" in Greek - When writers use a logical appeal, it means they appeal to the readers mind or intellect. This appeal relies on evidence that is true.
· Emotional Appeal - which is ethos, or "character" in Greek - When writers use an ethical appeal, they call on reader's sense of fairness and trust.
The writer selects and present evidence in a way that will make the reader trust them, respect their judgement, and believe what they say. First what you need to do is, establish your credentials in the field through experience, reading, or interviews that helped you learn about that subject. Then demonstrate your knowlege through the information you provide and the depth of understanding you convey. Establish a rapport with readers by indicating values and attitudes that you share with them and by responding seriously to opposing arguements. Last, use language that is clear, and appropriate in
tone.
C. Presenting Your Critical Thinking
- When you go to write a paper in college, you face having different people read it, people expect you to explain what you mean, what you advocate, and why you hold that position. Your audience wants to learn the specifics- reasons you find compelling, the evidence that supports what you have said, and connections that relate each idea to your postion. It is important to explain your reason and how you present your reasoning because it gains the confidence of your readers.
· Reasoning Deductively or Inductively - When stating a generalization, you present your broad, general point, view point, or conclusion. On the other hand, when you supply a particular, you present an instance, a detail, an example, an item, a case, or other specific evidence to demonstrate a general statement is reasonable. Most college papers are organized deductively, which begin with a general statement and then present particular cases to support or apply it. Most readers like this because they learn right away what the writer wants to show and writers like this because it states right away what they want to accomplish. On the other hand, other papers are organized inductively, which begin with the particulars- a persuasive number of instances, examples, or details, that lead up to the larger generalization that they support.
· Avoid Faulty Thinking - Common mistakes that you make can distort evidence or lead to the wrong conclusions. A good strategy that a writer can use to avoid making mistakes as they write is to, look carefully at the ways in which you, the author describes events, relates ideas, identfies reasons, supplies evidence, and draws conclusions.
Summary
In Chapter Three it explains how you as the writer uses critical thinking not only is everyday experiences, but also when you write papers. It explains how when writing papers you use critical thinking when you analyze, synthesis, and evaluate what you are going to write. It also explains how there is different forms of evidence you use when writing things. It explains how most writers think facts are true statments, but really truth and sound evidence may be confusing to most writers. In chapter three is also explains to the writer the difference of logical appeal and emotional appeal.
Response
One key idea I thought was important in chapter three was when it explains the process of thinking. The main reason I thought it was important was because someone who is going to writge a good paper needs to know the process of thinking because you need to know everything step by step in order to be able to write a really good paper. I also think its important because in order to be a good writer you should know the three activities of critical thinking. Another key idea that I thought was important in chapter three was the types of evidence. The main reason I thought it was important was because in order to be a good writer and to write a good paper you should know the types of evidence to use in a paper. Also most writers do not know the types of evidence so in that case that makes it to where the readers usually do not understand what they are trying to say in what they wrote.
01/16/2013
Outline
Chapter 3 - A Process of Critical Thinking
- In this Chapter it will explain to you how you use critical thinking everyday to make decisions and solve problems. When you use critical thinking you can explore many problems step by step and come up with reasonable solutions. There are three activities that are the core of critical thinking, they are: analysis, synthesis, and evalution.
A. Supporting Critical Thinking with Evidence
- As you are writing a college paper, you should think about the purpose for which you are writing it, the position, and the strategies for getting the readers to understand your ideas and to accept the points you are trying to make. Sound evidence supports your main idea or thesis, convincing readers by understanding your points.
- Types of Evidence
- Evidence is anything that demonstrates the soundness of a claim. Four reliable forms of evidence are: facts, statistics, firsthand observations, and expert testimony. Some other evidence could be: examples, illustrations, details, and opinions. If you are unsure on what type of evidence you should use on an assignment, be sure to ask your instructor whether you should use sources or rely on personal …show more content…
experiences and examples.
· Facts - Facts are statements that can be verified objectively, by observation or by reading a reliable account. Facts are usually stated dispassionately. Sometimes people say facts are true statements, but truth and sound evidence may be confused.
· Statistics - Statistics are facts expressed in numbers. Most writers, without trying to be dishonest, interpret statistics to help their causes. Even though a writer is free to interpret a statistic, statistics should not be used to mislead. If you doubt a statistic, compare it with figures reported by several other sources. You should never trust a statistical report tt is different from every other report unless it is backed by further evidence.
· Expert Testimoney - By "experts" we mean people with knowledge gained from study and experience in a particular field. The test of an expert is whether his or her expertise stands up to the scrutiny of others who are knowledgeable in that field. Also consider whether the expert has any bias or special interest that would affect reliability.
· Firsthand Observation - Firsthand observation is persuasive. It can add concrete reality to abstract or complex points. Always assure your readers that your observations are unbiased and true.
B. Using Evidence to Appeal to Your Audience
- One way to select evidence and to judge whether it is appropriate and sufficient is to consider the types of appeals- logical, emotional, and ethical. Most effective arguements work on all three levels, using all three types of appeals with evidence that supports all three.
· Logical Appeal - which is pathos, or "suffering" in Greek - When writers use a logical appeal, it means they appeal to the readers mind or intellect. This appeal relies on evidence that is true.
· Emotional Appeal - which is ethos, or "character" in Greek - When writers use an ethical appeal, they call on reader's sense of fairness and trust.
The writer selects and present evidence in a way that will make the reader trust them, respect their judgement, and believe what they say. First what you need to do is, establish your credentials in the field through experience, reading, or interviews that helped you learn about that subject. Then demonstrate your knowlege through the information you provide and the depth of understanding you convey. Establish a rapport with readers by indicating values and attitudes that you share with them and by responding seriously to opposing arguements. Last, use language that is clear, and appropriate in
tone.
C. Presenting Your Critical Thinking
- When you go to write a paper in college, you face having different people read it, people expect you to explain what you mean, what you advocate, and why you hold that position. Your audience wants to learn the specifics- reasons you find compelling, the evidence that supports what you have said, and connections that relate each idea to your postion. It is important to explain your reason and how you present your reasoning because it gains the confidence of your readers.
· Reasoning Deductively or Inductively - When stating a generalization, you present your broad, general point, view point, or conclusion. On the other hand, when you supply a particular, you present an instance, a detail, an example, an item, a case, or other specific evidence to demonstrate a general statement is reasonable. Most college papers are organized deductively, which begin with a general statement and then present particular cases to support or apply it. Most readers like this because they learn right away what the writer wants to show and writers like this because it states right away what they want to accomplish. On the other hand, other papers are organized inductively, which begin with the particulars- a persuasive number of instances, examples, or details, that lead up to the larger generalization that they support.
· Avoid Faulty Thinking - Common mistakes that you make can distort evidence or lead to the wrong conclusions. A good strategy that a writer can use to avoid making mistakes as they write is to, look carefully at the ways in which you, the author describes events, relates ideas, identfies reasons, supplies evidence, and draws conclusions.
Summary
In Chapter Three it explains how you as the writer uses critical thinking not only is everyday experiences, but also when you write papers. It explains how when writing papers you use critical thinking when you analyze, synthesis, and evaluate what you are going to write. It also explains how there is different forms of evidence you use when writing things. It explains how most writers think facts are true statments, but really truth and sound evidence may be confusing to most writers. In chapter three is also explains to the writer the difference of logical appeal and emotional appeal.
Response
One key idea I thought was important in chapter three was when it explains the process of thinking. The main reason I thought it was important was because someone who is going to writge a good paper needs to know the process of thinking because you need to know everything step by step in order to be able to write a really good paper. I also think its important because in order to be a good writer you should know the three activities of critical thinking. Another key idea that I thought was important in chapter three was the types of evidence. The main reason I thought it was important was because in order to be a good writer and to write a good paper you should know the types of evidence to use in a paper. Also most writers do not know the types of evidence so in that case that makes it to where the readers usually do not understand what they are trying to say in what they wrote.