Critical thinking

Dr. David Hitchcock / 李哲

(Professor Hitchcock / 李教授)

Course information

• About me

• Teaching assistants:

Ms. Zhou Wenhui (周文慧) (Lydia)

Mr. Zhang Yifan (张易凡)

• Web site: http://www.ppxsw.net/

• Note: My slides will be posted to the course Web site soon after each class.

• E-mail: hitchckd@mcmaster.ca

Tell me about yourself (1)

What is your program of study?

A. economics

B. management

C. other

Tell me about yourself (2)

In what year of your program are you registered?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

E. other

Tell me about yourself (3)

What sex are you?

A. male

B. female

C. other

Tell me about yourself (4)

On which of the following kinds of issues would you most like to write your writing assignments?

A. issues of personal conduct, like when if ever it is OK to deceive someone else

B. issues of social policy, like whether China should have a contributory public pension plan like the Social Security system in the United States

C. scientific issues, like what are likely to be the effects of global climate change on Wuhan

D. issues of economic policy, like whether there should be regulation of the quality of milk or it should be left to market forces to determine what kind of milk is sold in China

E. issues of another type

Writing assignment

Four parts:

1. A core argument for your position on an issue (equivalent of 200 English words) 5%

2. A critique of your argument (equivalent of 200 English words) 5%

3. A response to this critique (equivalent of 200 English words) 5%

4. A synthesis of parts 1-3 (equivalent of 600 English words) 10%

Deadlines for the writing assignment

Core argument: Wednesday, June 1 (by 23:59)

Critique: Saturday, June 4 (by 23:59)

Response: Tuesday, June 7 (by 23:59)

Synthesis: Thursday, June 9 (by 14:00 please)

Details on the writing assignment

Please list on the sign-in sheet one or more issues on which you would be interested in writing.

(My last class chose these issues: abortion, capital punishment, drug policy, free trade.)

Write your assignments in Chinese.Submit each assignment by e-mail to the marker for

your issue.Details of what is expected (possible issues, marker

for each issue, grading criteria, sample, etc.) to be on the course Web site: http://www.ppxsw.net/ .

Any questions?

Other course requirements

• Attendance (participation expected) 10%

• Short assignments (to be assigned in each class, including reading of the textbook) 35%

• Examination in the last class (format to be announced) 30%

• Any questions?

Never trust anyone over 30.

Think about this statement. (15 seconds)

Write down your thoughts. (45 seconds)

Share your thoughts with a neighbor. Decide on one thought that the two of you are willing to share with the whole class. (2 minutes)

Tell 周文慧 (Lydia) or another assistant the thought that you are willing to share, and they will share it with the rest of us.

“Never trust anyone over 30”: my thoughts

Why should a person suddenly become untrustworthy when they turn 31?

This is an unfair stereotype of older people.

It was fashionable in the 1960s for young people to believe it. (I was under 30 then!)

If I were to tell you it is good advice, my saysowould be a bad reason for accepting the advice. Why? Because, if it is good advice, you should not trust me.

Why did I ask you to think about this statement?

“Always trust anyone over 50, especially if the person is a man, even more if the person is a professor, even more if the

person is a professor from a foreign country.”

Think about this statement. (15 seconds)Write down your thoughts. (45 seconds)Share your thoughts with a neighbor. Decide on one

thought that you are willing to share with the whole class. (2 minutes)

Tell 周文慧 (Lydia) or another assistant the thought that you are willing to share, and they will share it with the whole class.

“Always trust anyone over 50, especially if the person is a man, even more if the person is a

professor, even more if the person is a professor from a foreign country”: my thoughts

Why should a person suddenly become trustworthy when they turn 51?

This is an unfair stereotype of older people. Not everybody over 50 knows everything about everything. Even older people make mistakes.

Is it part of Chinese culture today to believe this statement?

Why did I ask you to think about this statement?

Here’s whyObjective 2 of the course: to foster in you a critical spirit• open-minded• fair-minded• searching for evidence• trying to be well-informed• attentive to others’ views and their reasons• proportioning belief to the evidence• willing to consider alternatives and revise beliefs

How to foster this spirit?• partly by the dialectical writing assignment: you have to critique your own

argument and respond to that critique• partly by displaying the critical spirit myself: You must question what I say. Ask me to explain if you do not understand. Ask me to justify what I say if you do not see why it is true. Ask the teaching assistant if you are shy. Don’t just believe what I say because I am a foreign professor over 50!

“Question my authority. That’s an order.”

Assigned exercise 1• Due by 3 p.m. today! (You can do it in the

classroom after I finish today, before you leave.)

• Send as e-mail (message or attachment) to me at hitchckd@mcmaster.ca

• In English!!!

• Read part of the first two chapters of the textbook (part to be assigned on next slide).

• Describe one thing in that part that you either (a) did not fully understand or (b) found interesting.

• Also answer exercise 4 on page 22.

• Any questions?

Part of textbook to be read for assigned exercise 1

First letter of your family name in pinyin

Sections tobe read for assigned exercise 1

Pages of these sections

First letter of your family name in pinyin

Sections tobe read for assigned exercise 1

Pages of these sections

A-C 1 intro, 1.1 1-5 M-P 2.2 intro, 2.2.1-2.2.3

34-41

D 1.2 intro, 1.2.1-1.2.3

5-11 Q 2.2.4 41-45

E-F 1.2.4-1.2.6 11-16 R-W 2.2.5 45-50

G-H 1.3.1-1.3.3 16-22 X 2.3 intro, 2.3.1-2.3.3

50-57

I-K 2 intro, 2.1.1-2.1.2

23-29 Y 2.3.4-2.3.7 57-61

L 2.1.3 29-34 Z 2.3.8-2.3.10 61-64

The critical thinking process: application to your writing assignment

• identify and analyze problem: formulate your question and think how to answer it

• clarify meaning: definition perhaps of key term

• gather evidence: peer-reviewed, archived references preferred

• assess evidence: Bias? Expertise? Conflicts? etc.

• infer conclusions: deduction, generalization, etc.

• consider other relevant information: important

• make overall judgment: your thesis

Clarifying meaning: definition by genus and differentia

• genus = the kind to which the thing named belongs• differentia = how the thing named differs from other things of the same

kindExample: Critical thinking is reasonable reflective thinking focused on

deciding what to believe or do• Genus: thinking• differentia: reasonable, reflective, focused on deciding what to believe or

doDangers to avoid when defining by genus and differentia• wrong genus (e.g. critical thinking defined as a type of attitude)• too broad (includes things that the term does not apply to, e.g. critical

thinking defined as good thinking)• too narrow (leaves out things that the term applies to, e.g. critical thinking

defined as reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe)

NoteA definition can be both too broad and too narrow. (e.g. critical thinking

defined as reflective thinking focused on deciding what to do).

Electricity is a source of energy used to run trains.

Is the proposed definition:

I. too broad?

II. too narrow?

A. I only

B. II only

C. both I and II

D. neither I nor II

Innovation is doing something in a new way that is better or more efficient.

Is the proposed definition:

I. too broad?

II. too narrow?

A. I only

B. II only

C. both I and II

D. neither I nor II

For tomorrow

• Before class, read as much of the rest of chapters 1 and 2 as you have time for.

• I will clarify parts of chapters 1 and 2 that readers did not fully understand.

• You will get in-class guided practice and feedback on the skills of chapter 2.

Have a nice day.