PHL 221 CRITICAL THINKING
SECOND MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
There will be 75 questions on the exam. You are allowed a 3x5 card
of notes (both sides). Go over your notes from class sessions for
weeks 4 through 6 (live or audio podcasts) and any videos, along
with the readings and then take the two sets of practice questions.
To guide your study, use the review questions below:
INFORMAL LOGIC
What's the difference between a formal and an informal fallacy? When
are appeals to authority fallacious?
In an argument with evidence drawn from reliable sources, is it
important to know anything about the person making the argument?
How, if at all, do issues of privilege, power and difference relate
to understanding and evaluating a logical argument?
What are three general types of informal argument strategies? What
is argument by analogy? In what kinds of arguments is analogical
reasoning most prevalent and useful? What important goal of critical
thinking and need of a rational person does argument by analogy
leverage? What’s problematic with Judas Jarvis Thompson’s violinist
analogy? What is a reductio ad absurdum argument? How are
argument by analogy and reductio arguments similar kinds of
arguments?
For the informal fallacies, make sure you understand the definitions
and can identify particular examples. I also might ask questions
about the fallacies, such as
"Which fallacy most relies on the 'herd mentality?'" Review the
examples used in the handouts and in class, as I may use some of
those examples or very similar ones in many of the exam questions.
ECONOMICS
What is economics? Why are efficiency gains such an important part
of economics? What point is Bastiat trying to make in his "Petition
of the Candlestick Makers?" What argument type is he employing? Why
are some of the reasons imported goods are often cheaper than
domestically produced goods? What are the three different stages of
economic development discussed in class? Why is it advantageous for
countries that are at different stages of development to trade with
one another?
What is the broken window fallacy? How does it illustrate what
Bastiat means by "that which is seen" and "that which is unseen"?
What are some of the "unseen" effects of government policies?
What does economist Joseph Schumpeter mean by "creative
destruction"? Why is it a crucial and inherent part of economic
progress? According to information presented in class, does
automation destroy jobs and put a damper on the economy? Why or why
not? What is UBI and how is it related to automation?
Why are large corporations and chain stores often more efficient
than small, local ones? How can local stores still compete?