Detailed Information

Critical Thinking

In difficult times, well-being starts with a clear mind. The aim of this course is to enable students to think critically and argue coherently. You will learn to analyse the structure of an argument, to distinguish logical from psychological reasons and to identify the most common errors in reasoning. The different forms of justification of knowledge (deduction, induction, statistical evidence) will be examined, together with the concepts of truth and validity of arguments. Symbols and technicalities will be kept to a minimum.

No previous knowledge is required.

Dates Venue/Location Fee €
29 Jan 2018 to 26 Mar 2018 Belfield

160.00



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Online Zoom

6 Wednesdays 19:00 - 21.00 pm

Oct 28, Nov 04, 11, 18, 25, Dec 02

• Analysis of arguments.

• Logical and psychological arguments.

• Validity and truth.

• Deduction and Induction.

• Formal and informal fallacies.

• Causality, statistical evidence.

 

• Present a critical justification of their process of thought

• Distinguish an argument from an explanation or a description

• Analyse an argument into its premises and conclusion

• Distinguish inductive from deductive argumentation

• Explain the relationship between validity and truth in reasoning

• Identify formal and informal fallacies

• Explain the importance of relevance in argumentation

• Identify equivocation and ambiguity in argumentation

The following is a selection of recommended texts for those interested in reading further around the course content. We advise that you do not buy books in advance of the course as your tutor will discuss the list and suggest the most relevant reading for particular interests.

Bowell, Tracy and Kemp, Gary, (2010), Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide, Routledge

Carlin Watson, Jamie and Arp, Robert, (2011), Critical Thinking: An Introduction to Reasoning Well, Continuum

 

This course is for anyone who wants to improve their ability to think and argue critically.

Angelo Bottone is an associate lecturer at the School of Arts of the Dublin Business School, where he teaches Introduction to Philosophy and Critical Thinking. He holds a PhD in philosophy at University College Dublin. He has published two books on John Henry Newman and several articles on Paul Ricoeur, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Philosophy of Religion. He also translated Newman’s The Idea of a University into Italian.