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From Formedto Informed Opinions
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Nothing is so firmly believedas what we least know.
– Michel de Montaigne
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Nothing is so firmly believedas what we least know.
– Michel de Montaigne
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
To become educated is to movefrom cocksure ignorance to thoughtful uncertainty.
– Unknown
First, Some Definitions
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
First, Some Definitions
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
• Opinion: a conclusion or a judgment that, although it is open to question, seems true or probable to you
First, Some Definitions
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
• Opinion: a conclusion or a judgment that, although it is open to question, seems true or probable to you
• Fact: a thing that is indisputably true; the truth about events as opposed to interpretation
Examples of Facts
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Topeka is the capital of Kansas.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama posted a copy of his birth certificate online as a response to opponents who claimed that he was not a “natural born citizen” and, thus, ineligible to be President of the United States.
Examples of Opinions
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Of all the 50 states, Kansas may bethe most backward.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963,
by Lee Harvey Oswald.
The birth certificate that Barack Obama produced to verify that he was born in Hawaii in 1961 – and thus a qualified candidate for President of the United States – is a forgery.
Your Turn
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Your Turn
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
In groups of three, generate a short list of facts.
Then develop a claim about each fact that is based upon interpretation, thus adding the element of uncertainty.
Where Do Our OpinionsCome From?
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Received (inherited) opinions
Involuntary opinions
Adapted opinions
Linked opinions
And... (what we’re after)...
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
And... (what we’re after)...
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Informed opinions
How do we get there?
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
How do we get there?
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Critical Thinking
The Three Essential Attitudes
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
The Three Essential Attitudes
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. A willingness to recognize that our own belief or position is an opinion that could be mistaken.
The Three Essential Attitudes
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. A willingness to recognize that our own belief or position is an opinion that could be mistaken.
2. A willingness to acknowledge the possibility that another’s opinion could be correct.
The Three Essential Attitudes
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. A willingness to recognize that our own belief or position is an opinion that could be mistaken.
2. A willingness to acknowledge the possibility that another’s opinion could be correct.
3. A willingness to do the hard work necessary to acquire and evaluate information/evidence.
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
❝To say that [critical thinking] implies a skeptical state of mind is by no means to say that it implies a self-satisfied fault-finding state of mind. Quite the reverse: Because critical thinkers seek to draw intelligent conclusions, they are sufficiently open-minded that they can adopt a skeptical attitude toward their own ideas, toward their own assumptions, and toward the evidence they themselves tentatively offer, as well as toward the assumptions and evidence offered by others.❞
–Barnet & Bedau, p. 3-4
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
❝ The heart of critical thinking is a willingness to face objections to one’s own beliefs, a willingness to adopt a skeptical attitude not only toward authority and toward views opposed to our own but also toward common sense – that is, toward the views that seem obviously right to us.❞
–Barnet & Bedau, p. 3-4
Two Models of Critical Thinking
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Stock Issues
2. Elements of Thought
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Is what we’re talking about relevant?
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Is what we’re talking about relevant?
What’s the real cause of the problem?
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Is what we’re talking about relevant?
What’s the real cause of the problem?
Is this really that big of a deal?
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Is what we’re talking about relevant?
What’s the real cause of the problem?
Is this really that big of a deal?
Is the proposed answer realistic?
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Is what we’re talking about relevant?
What’s the real cause of the problem?
Is this really that big of a deal?
Is the proposed answer realistic?
Will it really solve the problem?
Stock Issues Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Topicality
2. Inherency
3. Significance
4. Workability
5. Solvency
6. Disadvantages
Is what we’re talking about relevant?
What’s the real cause of the problem?
Is this really that big of a deal?
Is the proposed answer realistic?
Will it really solve the problem?
What unintended effects might occur?
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Whenever we think,
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Whenever we think,we think for a purposewithin a point of viewbased on assumptionsleading to implications and consequences.
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Whenever we think,we think for a purposewithin a point of viewbased on assumptionsleading to implications and consequences.We use data, facts, and experiencesto make inferences and judgmentsbased on concepts and theoriesto answer a question or solve a problem.
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Whenever we think,
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Whenever we think,we think for a ____________within a ________________based on _______________leading to ______________ and consequences.
Elements of Thought Model
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Whenever we think,we think for a ____________within a ________________based on _______________leading to ______________ and consequences.We use ______, facts, and experiencesto make _____________ and judgmentsbased on ___________ and theoriesto answer a ____________ or solve a problem.
Consider also…
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Consider also…
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Checklist for Critical Thinking (p. 14)
Consider also…
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Checklist for Critical Thinking (p. 14)
2. Checklist for Examining Assumptions (p. 19)
Consider also…
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
1. Checklist for Critical Thinking (p. 14)
2. Checklist for Examining Assumptions (p. 19)
3. Checklist for Evaluating Letters of Response (p. 22)
Keep your eyes on the prize
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Keep your eyes on the prize
RHETORIC IFall 2009
Bruce ClaryInstructor
Moving from cocksure ignoranceto thoughtful uncertainty.