Obstacles to Critical Thinking PSYCHOLOGICAL OBSTACLES PHILOSOPHICAL OBSTACLES

Obstacles to Critical Thinking PSYCHOLOGICAL OBSTACLES PHILOSOPHICAL OBSTACLES 1. Self-Interested thinking 1. Subjective Relativism 2. The Power of the Group 2. Skepticism

Self-Interested thinking Self-interested Thinking = df. ‘Accepting or rejecting a claim, or set of claims, ONLY because it is in your self-interest to do so. ’ * How do we know someone is guilty of this? * How do we avoid it ourselves? Avoiding Self-Interested Thinking: 1. Watch out for strong emotions and things “getting personal. ” 2. Beware of distorted thinking to save face.

The Power of the Group Think – ‘Instead of thinking for yourself, you passively accept what some group (the majority, those with power/authority, your peers, the “cool” people) tells you to think. ‘ Appeal to Popularity – Because most people think X, X is most likely true. Appeal to Tradition/Common Practice – Because X has always been done this way, or we have always believed X, it must continue to be done this way, we must continue to believe it.

The Biases of the Mind FRANCIS BACON (1561 -1626) THE FOUR IDOLS (BIASES) 1) Idols of the tribe – biased human perceptions 2) Idols of the cave – bias unique to each individual 3) Idols of the Marketplace – bias due to language 4) Idols of the Theatre – biases from systems of thought (ideologies)

Theories of Perception Appearance vs Reality Representationalism – We do not experience the world directly. Our primary experience is a reconstruction of the world that our senses register, as our brains interpret those signals. Direct Realism – The World is exactly as it appears to our senses Indirect Realism – Our primary experience is of ideas in our minds. These ideas are representations of objects in the world

Epistemology – Theory (study) of knowledge How do I know anything? Do I even know anything? What does it mean to know something?

The Skeptics Knowledge = A belief that cannot be doubted at all Knowledge is Impossible. We can only have beliefs

Rene Descartes Father of Modern Philosophy b. March 31 1596 in La Haye France wrote Meditations in 1641 d. February 11 1650

Hyperbolic Doubt Hyperbole – an extreme exaggeration - For example: “You’re so ugly, when you were born, the doctor slapped your momma. ”

Senses & Memory? 1. Wee see things that aren’t there 2. We don’t see things that are there 3. We are wrong about what we see, hear, etc. 4. Memory is easily confused and mistaken 5. We are often taken by illusions

Am I really dreaming?

The Brain in a Vat

Subjectivism – the idea that truth is nothing more than what a person feels to be true for them. In other words, truth varies from person to person; you have your truth and I have mine. There is no such thing as an independent and objective truth.

Cultural Relativism Observation: Different Cultures have VERY different Moral Codes AND Principle of Subjectivism: There is no such thing as an objective & universal morality