PHIL 447N Week 1 Assignment: Short Paper on Execution
Please complete the assignment, Facts and Opinions. You will be writing a paper evaluating a short article on a topic of controversy or interest. Please see the document Week 1 Assignment Directions located in Doc Sharing for full instructions. Submit your completed paper to the Dropbox by the end of Week 1.
Language and communication are important in this course, so take care to write as well as you can. Use the Spell Checking and Grammar functions on your computer.
PHIL 447N Week 1 Discussion Question 1 – Making Claims (graded)
Explain how you would teach the difference between subjective claims and objective claims (Moore & Parker, p. 5-6) to someone who had never heard of critical thinking. Give specific details in your answer.
PHIL 447N Week 1 Discussion Question 2 – Cognitive Biases (graded)
Review the section of Chapter 1 on Cognitive Biases (p. 17-22). Find an example of one of the biases, identify the bias, and explain the distortion it causes. You may choose your example from personal experience, something you have read, heard on the radio, or seen on TV or the Internet. Be sure to cite your source if needed.
PHIL 447N Week 1 Quiz (MCQs)
- Question : (TCOs 2 and 3) In Chapter 1, we learned how to recognize the main issue in a passage. Consider the following example: “The point is that you have to believe what we experience through our senses because our senses are the only tools we have for interacting with the world.” The main issue is whether or not
- Question : (TCOs 2 and 3) In Chapter 1, we learned how to recognize the main issue in a passage. Consider the following example: “If you’re going to buy a computer, you might as well sign up for some lessons on how to use the thing too. After all, no computer ever did any work for its owner until the owner found out how to make it work.” The main issue is whether or not
- Question : (TCOs 1 and 2) In Chapter 1, we learned how to recognize the main issue in a passage. Consider the following example: “Most people you find on university faculties are people who are interested in ideas. And the most interesting ideas are usually new ideas. So, most people you find on university faculties are interested in new ideas. Therefore, you are not going to find many conservatives on university faculties, because conservatives are not usually interested in new ideas.” The main issue is whether or not
- Question : (TCOs 1 and 2) In Chapter 1, we learned how to recognize the main issue in a passage. Consider the following example: “The winner of this year’s spelling bee is a straight-A student whose favorite subject is science, which isn’t surprising, because students interested in science learn to pay attention to details.” The main issue is whether or not
- Question : (TCO 4) In Chapter 1, we learned how to recognize cognitive bias which are psychological factors unconsciously affecting belief formation. Consider the following example: “The TV show The Sopranos might have been a pretty good series without the profanity that occurred all the way through it. But without the profanity, it would not have been believable. Those people just talk that way. If you have them speaking Shakespearean English or middle-class suburban English, then nobody is going to pay any attention to the message because nobody will see it as realistic. It’s true, of course, that like many other programs with some offensive feature, whether it’s bad language, sex, or whatever, it will never appeal to the squeamish.” The cognitive bias used in this passage is: