Abstract
This paper is a five paragraph essay in which the nature of the critical thinking process is explained and illustrated, and the nature of arguments is explored.
What is an argument?
An argument can be thought of as a group of statements designed to persuade or convince someone that another statement must be true. An argument begins with one or more statements called premises, which support a resulting statement, called a conclusion. If all of an argument’s premises are true, and the premises guarantee that the conclusion must be true, then the argument is called deductive. If the premises show that the conclusion is probably true, or the conclusion exceeds the scope of the premises, then the argument is called inductive or ampliative. Indicators that a group of statements is actually an argument, and not just a collection of statements, could be the presence of words such as if, since, or because (which may preface a premise), and words like therefore or so (which may precede a conclusion). Following is an example of an argument: “The sky is full of black, angry looking clouds. There are lightning flashes in the clouds. The clouds are getting closer and closer to me. So it’s going to rain here soon.”
Cogent reasoning
The use of arguments to convince someone to believe something is called reasoning. If the reasoning makes sense and appears to be valid, then the reasoning is good and is called cogent. If the reasoning is bad, it is called fallacious. There are three requirements that must be met in order for reasoning to be cogent:
The premises must be believable
The reasoning must include all relevant facts
The reasoning must be valid
Valid Versus Strong Arguments
Deductive arguments are considered valid if all of the premises are truly justifiable and together they guarantee that the conclusions must be true. A valid deductive argument cannot simply be weak or strong; it must be absolutely true. Good inductive arguments have conclusions that are either probably true but are not guaranteed, or the conclusions reach beyond the stated premises. Since the conclusions of inductive arguments might possibly be false, good reasoning dictates that the premises of inductive arguments must be extremely convincing, and their conclusions must be logical and justifiable, in order for the inductive arguments to be considered strong or valid. Otherwise the inductive arguments may be perceived as weak.
Factors That Influence Critical Thinking
Over time, each person develops their own philosophies (background beliefs) based on life experience, observation, education, and other factors. Those beliefs often form during childhood, and the beliefs tend to become hardened and difficult to change as one grows older. The most important of those beliefs is called a worldview. Worldview refers to “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). One’s background beliefs and worldview greatly influence and guide their critical thinking process. One example of a background belief is that most news media is likely to be corrupt and is not to be trusted. Another example of a background belief is that human nature is fundamentally bad. A third example is that human nature is fundamentally good. A person’s thoughts and general thinking process cannot be easily separated from their background beliefs.
Example of a Rational Argument
I once used a rational argument to convince someone that iPhones are more useful to families than Android cell phones. I stated the following premises: iPhones are easier to backup and restore due to built-in iCloud functionality. Data can be easily and completely transferred from old iPhones to replacement iPhones, whereas transferring data from one Android cell phone to another is difficult and error-prone. Calendars, contact lists, and photos can easily and accurately be shared between family members who use iPhones. Sharing data among family iPhones is reliable, desirable, and almost effortless. Sharing data among family Android cell phones is difficult, confusing, and error-prone. Families can be more productive when they share schedules via a common calendar, and contacts via a common contact list. Therefore iPhones are more useful to families than Android cell phones.
References
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Worldview. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worldview