Strategies for Decision Making Your Background Beliefs Each one of us has a worldview – an interpretive framework through which we view life. Worldviews are composed of our core beliefs and commitments. They are the sum total of the background beliefs that we have.   This week, you will share some of your core beliefs […]

Strategies for Decision Making The Nature of Arguments   Critical thinking makes use of arguments. In this week’s lesson, you gained an overview of what arguments are and what it means for something to be a good or bad argument. In your week one assignment, you will be writing a five paragraph essay in which […]

Do you believe that social media platforms should be required to monitor their sites for messages of terror? What responsibilities, if any, do you think these sites should have?

Strategies for Decision Making •             Question 1Words such as “because,” “since,” and “for” usually signal the presence of                 Question 2For the purposes of this course, an argument is a verbal altercation.   •             Question 3Reasoning is either […]

Strategies for Decision Making Question 1In your own words, explain the difference between validity and soundness.   Question 2In your own words, construct a syllogism showing that John has parents.   Major premise: Jack and Jane have three children.   Minor premise: John is one of Jack and Jane’s children.   Conclusion: Hence, John has […]

Strategies for Decision Making Question 1Which of the following is an example of old media?   Question 2Which of the following is an example of new media?   Question 3The norms and modes of public discourse today are marked by which feature(s)   Question 4Which of the following is an example of a traditional gatekeeper? […]

Strategies for Decision Making Question 1Although the mass media are a modestly good source of breaking news, smaller-scale outlets are much better at analysis, at supplying background information, and at investigative reporting.   Question 2There is no such thing as a “value free” approach to news media.   Question 3The Internet is shrinking while television […]

Strategies for Decision Making Question 1Loyalty and provincialism are related to prejudice.   Question 2Loyalty inclines us to see our own society and its beliefs in a more favorable light than the evidence may warrant.   Question 3Prejudice makes it easy and natural for us to believe what most others in our society believe.   […]

Strategies for Decision Making Question 1Even perfectly good statistics can be misused.   Question 2Polls can be misleading because of   Question 3Identify the fallacy: Labelling A as the cause of B on evidence that is insufficient, negative, unrepresentative, or in serious conflict with well-established high-level theories   Question 4Identify the fallacy: Employing statistics that […]

Strategies for Decision Making •Question 1       Identify the fallacy: Misrepresenting someone’s position to make it easier to refute         •Question 2       Identify the fallacy: Giving only two choices when more are possible                                    […]