PHIL10160 Critical Thinking

Academic Year 2020/2021

"One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes their share. But we tend to take the situation for granted.” (Harry Frankfurt, 'On Bullshit').

Thinking is easy, but *reasoning* -- in particular, reasoning *well* - is hard. This course is concerned with the question: how might we reason better, so that we can have more accurate beliefs and make better choices? 

In the first part of the course, we learn about how our cognitive biases make it hard for us to reason well, and what the typical characteristics of a good reasoner are; what an *argument* is, and what makes an argument either good or bad; what makes one claim *evidence* for another claim, and how we might be misled by our evidence; and how to extract an argument from a piece of text, in order to assess whether it is good or bad.

In the second part of the course, we learn about rhetoric and the art of persuasion; bullshit; fake news; and conspiracy theories (such as that COVID-19 is spread by 5G masts). Finally, we'll think about *paradoxes* (such as that generated by the statement ‘This sentence is not true’), which seem to threaten our most basic assumptions about good reasoning.

The course is taught by Dr. Daniel Esmonde Deasy (Assistant Professor, UCD School of Philosophy) and is delivered in the form of 20 one-hour online lectures and 7 one-hour face-to-face tutorials. Online lectures will be delivered live during timetabled slots (and recorded for those who cannot attend). Each lecture will consist in (i) a 35 minute presentation by the lecturer and (ii) 15 minutes of questions and discussion.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of studying this course, students will learn to:

1. IDENTIFY key concepts in critical thinking such as 'reason', 'argument', 'premise', 'conclusion', 'evidence', 'valid', 'fallacy', 'cognitive bias' and 'paradox'
2. UNDERSTAND what makes an argument (rationally) good or bad
3. RECONSTRUCT and ASSESS short arguments presented in texts
4. DISTINGUISH lies, bullshit, and rhetoric

Indicative Module Content:

Key topics:

1. Reasoning (good and bad)
2. Cognitive Biases (common patterns of thought that lead to bad reasoning)
3. Fallacies (commonly accepted patterns of bad reasoning)
4. Arguments (what they are, how they are structured)
5. Evidence (what it is, how it works, what makes it strong or weak)
6. Logical validity (a quality of arguments whose conclusions must be true if their premises are true)
7. Inductive strength (a quality of arguments whose conclusions are likely to be true given the truth of their premises)
8. Rhetoric (the art of persuasion)
9. Lies and Bullshit
10. Conspiracy theories and fake news
11. Paradoxes

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

20
Tutorial

7
Autonomous Student Learning

98
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
1. TEACHING

Teaching for this module is centred around online lectures; tutorials; and (graded and non-graded) assignments.

The course is taught by Dr. Daniel Esmonde Deasy (Assistant Professor, UCD School of Philosophy) and is delivered in the form of 20 one-hour online lectures and 7 one-hour face-to-face tutorials.

The course is assessed on the basis of five Short Online MCQs (worth 50% of the final grade) and an Online Exam MCQ (worth 50% of the final grade).

Online lectures will be delivered live during timetabled slots (and recorded for those who cannot attend). Each lecture will consist in (i) a 35 minute presentation by the lecturer and (ii) 15 minutes of questions and discussion.

In tutorials, students will be divided into smaller groups and asked to collaborate on informal (i.e. non-graded) assignments related to the content of the module. For example, groups might be asked to identify the conclusions in short passages containing arguments, or to identify which statements provide reasons for another statement. The tutor will provide feedback in the tutorial on students' work. Students will also have the opportunity in tutorials to discuss the week's readings and the material presented in the lectures in detail, as well as to raise questions concerning the material with the tutor.

2. LEARNING

Learning for this module is centred around material presented in lectures; reading material shared by the lecturer; discussion and debate; informal tutorial exercises; and formal online assessments.

Students will be expected to read short set texts in advance of the lectures; to attend lectures; to actively participate in tutorials; and to engage with their continuous online assessments.

Students will be supported in their learning of the module material by both lecturers and tutors, both in lectures and tutorials; by email; and in set office hours. Students will be supported in their completion of both formal and informal assessments by clear feedback in lectures and tutorials.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Short Online MCQs. (Students can take up to six; only the best five are counted.) Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded Yes

50
Assignment: Online Exam MCQ. (A longer online MCQ covering material from the whole course.) Week 12 n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

1. Short MCQ answers will generate online feedback 2. There will be feedback to the whole class on each Short Online MCQ in the lecture immediately following the closure of the MCQ 3. Students will receive individual feedback in tutorials on informal assignments and exercises 4. Students will have the opportunity to comment on each other's work in tutorials