PHL 221 CRITICAL THINKING
FIRST MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

There will be 75 questions on the exam. To guide your study, answer the review questions below. You may want to actually write out the answers as a way of preparing for the exam.

Define truth, knowledge and reality. What is the correspondence theory of truth and how is it different from the relativist theory? According to the arguments presented in reading and in class, which is the better theory and why? What is Shroedinger’s Cat and which theory does it support? What is the law of excluded middle? Why was the double-slit experiment brought up in class? According to the instructor, why is using using personal pronouns with words like "truth" and "reality" a "micro-aggression" against philosophy? How is it evidence of fuzzy thinking and conceptual confusion?

As defined in class, what is critical thinking? What is its goals? How are feelings and identity related to critical thinking? Is empathy a necessary part of critical thinking? How is critical thinking related to philosophy?

Under what conditions, if any, does Clifford say you are morally permitted to believe something without sufficient evidence? What is his ship owner example and what is it supposed to prove? Why does Clifford say unjustified beliefs (that is, beliefs without sufficient evidence) are morally wrong? According to Clifford, are your beliefs your own business? Why or why not? Following Clifford, what metaphor does the instructor use for a person walking around with unjustified beliefs?

Define the following terms: Argument, premise, conclusion, deductive, inductive, valid/invalid, strong/weak, sound/unsound. What is an implied premise or conclusion? What’s the difference between an implied premise and a background belief?

You should know the basic logical operators and how they determine the truth value of complex statements: negation, conjunction, disjunction and implication. You should also know the difference between the antecedent and the consequent in a statement of implication.

You will be given many examples of arguments and asked to identify premises and conclusion, including implied premises and conclusions. You will also be asked to identify whether an argument is one of the basic valid arguments forms (modus ponens, modus tollens, disjunctive syllogism, hypothetical syllogism and dilemma) or one of the basic formal fallacies (denying the antecedent and asserting the consequent). Review the examples in the reading and exercises discussed in class as those examples or similar ones may appear on the exam.