Obstacles to Critical Thinking PDF

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Matthew Seacord...

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Phil 102-3009 1/23/18 #9021 Pg. 1

Obstacles to Critical Thinking From chp. 2 Psychological obstacles 1. Self-interested Thinking (I think the new garbage dump should be on the other side of town, so I don’t have to smell it.) 2. Ego-based thinking, saving face (my roommate must have forgot to lock the door because I couldn’t have done it.) 3. When things get too personal (Ed always gets worked up in abortion debates….Ed was adopted.) 4. Selective attention [confirmation bias] (for gambling I have lucky underwear.) Someone asked if this was related to conspiracy theories, the professor said, “somewhat but to consider a minor belief a ‘conspiracy theory’ is a fallacy. 5. Group Pressure – {Peer pressure – accepting claims because the people you hang out with tend to believe it.} {Appeal to popularity – belief is widely held} {Appeal to common practice – obviously it is ok to eat meat, everyone does it.} {assuming one’s group(s) is best – cultural bias, cultural egotism, pretentiousness} Philosophical obstacles (is what the editor discusses in the book) 1. Subjective Relativism – Is X true? (Bob thinks so, Beth thinks it is not) If it were true, then we would be infallible (Bob believes that his girlfriend would never cheat on him). It is self-defeating “All truth is relative” 2. Culture/Social Relativism – Infallible and Self-defeating Moral Relativism

Phil 102-3009 1/23/18 #9021 Pg. 2

1. Moral relativism is often confused with tolerance. (Society X = tolerant, Society Y = We should exterminate anyone who doesn’t think like us) 2. Counter Intuitive Implication – We can’t criticize other cultures i.e. Nazis. We can’t criticize our own moral code. Progress becomes incoherent. 3. What we can Learn {It doesn’t mean we are always right.} It doesn’t mean that there is always a single objective moral truth. Skepticism: Descartes “I am going to doubt everything that could possibly be doubted” Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. 1. Knowledge = certain knowledge [no possible doubt] NOT A PLAUSIBLE CRITERION OF KNOWLEDGE. Things that prevent us from looking at our beliefs is what the editor is trying to discuss

After lecture, we did a group exercise, 2.3 #1,2, 5-7, no points Think of an example of confirmation bias...