WGU - C168 Critical Thinking and
Logic Exam/381 Questions and
Answers
What are the three dimensions of critical thinking? - -1. Analyzing one's
thinking
2. Evaluating one's thinking
3. Improving one's thinking
-What are the four characteristics of critical thinking? - -1. self-directed
2. self-disciplined
3. self-monitored
4. self-corrective
-_____ is the tendency to view everything in relation to oneself. - -
egocentrism
-_____ is the assumption that one's own social group is inherently superior to
all others. - -sociocentrism
-What are three things a well-cultivated critical thinker does while
reasoning? - -1. Raises vital questions
2. Gathers and assesses relevant information
3. Reaches well-reasoned conclusions and solutions
4. Thinks open-mindedly
5. Communicates effectively with others
-Americans have always done it that way, and as the greatest country in the
world, it's always worked for us in the past.
How can we trust the engineering work on this building? The structural
engineers weren't educated in the U.S.
These statements are a result of what kind of thinking? - -First-order
thinking
-The assumptions we've relied upon may be flawed. Let's review them
again. I'd like to talk this over with some colleagues. They may have some
insights we are missing.
These statements are a result of what kind of thinking? - -Second-order
thinking
, -What are some examples of weak critical thinkers? - -1. They ignore the
flaws in their own thinking
2. They seek to win an argument through intellectual trickery or deceit
3. They make no true effort to consider alternative viewpoints
4. They are willing to hide or distort evidence
-What are some examples of strong critical thinkers? - -1. The consistently
pursue what is intellectually fair and just
2. They strive to be ethical
3. They will entertain arguments with which they do not agree
-Intellectual Humility - -Characterization
Commitment to discovering the extent of one's own ignorance on any issue
Recognition that one does not—and cannot—know everything
Consciousness of one's biases and prejudices
Aware of the limitations of one's viewpoint
Recognition that one should claim only what one actually knows
Awareness that egocentrism is often self-deceiving (i.e., convinces the mind
that it knows more than it does)
Its Opposite
Intellectual arrogance
Overestimation of how much one knows
No insight into self-deception or into the limitations of one's viewpoint
Relationship to Fair-Mindedness
Fair-mindedness requires us to first recognize the ignorance and flaws in our
own thinking and to comport ourselves accordingly. It requires self-
awareness and a willingness to examine the limitations of one's own point of
view.
Being a fair-minded thinker means habitually applying the standards of
reasoning to one's own thinking in an effort to improve it.
-Intellectual Courage - -Characterization
Confronting ideas, viewpoints, or beliefs with fairness, even when doing so is
painful
Examining fairly beliefs which one has strong negative feelings and toward
which one has previously been dismissive
Challenging popular belief
Leads us to recognize that ideas which society deems dangerous or absurd
may hold some truth or justification
Fortifies us to confront false or distorted ideas embraced by social groups to
which we belong
Its Opposite
,Intellectual cowardice
Fear of ideas that do not conform to one's own
Deters serious consideration of ideas, beliefs, or viewpoints perceived as
dangerous
Threatened by ideas when they conflict with our self-identity (e.g.,
conservative or liberal, believer or nonbeliever, etc.)
Relationship to Fair-Mindedness
Critical thinkers don't link their self-identities to their beliefs. They define
themselves according to how they arrive at their beliefs (i.e., the intellectual
process)
Refusing to connect one's identity with one's beliefs fosters greater
intellectual courage and fair-mindedness
-Intellectual Empathy - -Characterization
Inhabiting the perspectives of others in order to genuinely understand them
Requirements
Ability to reconstruct other people's viewpoints and reasoning
Ability to reason from premises, assumptions, and ideas not one's own
Motivation to concede when one was wrong in the past despite a strong
conviction of being right at the time
Ability to imagine being similarly mistaken in a current situation
Its Opposite
Intellectual self-centeredness
Thinking centered on self
Renders us unable to understand others' thoughts, feelings, and emotions
Won't permit us to consider problems or issues from a vantage point other
than our own
Relationship to Fair-Mindedness
Fair-mindedness requires a sincere attempt to inhabit the perspectives of
other people in order to fathom their thinking
One can't be fair to the reasoning of others if one has not genuinely tried to
understand it
-Intellectual Integrity - -Characterization
Holding oneself to the same rigorous intellectual standards that one expects
others to meet
Practicing daily what we preach to others
Admitting flaws and inconsistencies in our own thinking
Identifying weaknesses in our own thinking
Basic measure: extent to which one's beliefs and actions are consistent (i.e.,
one doesn't say one thing and do another)
it's oppopsite
, Intellectual dishonesty
Marked by contradictions and inconsistencies of which the perpetrator is
unconscious
Hiding our hypocrisy from ourselves (due to naturally egocentric mind)
Regarding ourselves as fair even when we expect others to follow much
more rigorous standards than those we impose on ourselves
Relationship to Fair-Mindedness
Fair-mindedness requires us to think and act in compatible ways
Those blind to contradictions and inconsistencies in their own thinking and
behavior can't reason well through ethical issues involving themselves
-Intellectual Perseverance - -Characterization
Working one's way through intellectual complexities despite frustrations
inherent in doing so
Not giving up when confronted by complicated problems that don't lend
themselves to easy solutions
Hallmarks
Reasoning through complex issues carefully and methodically
Following rational principles rather than trusting initial impressions and
simplistic answers
Realizing that true understanding or insight comes only when one grapples
with confusion and unsettled questions over time
Its Opposite
Intellectual laziness
Giving up quickly when confronted with a tough intellectual challenge
Reflects a low tolerance for mental struggle or frustration
Relationship to Fair-Mindedness
Lack of intellectual perseverance impedes fair-mindedness
We can't understand others' (complex) viewpoints unless we're willing to
undertake the hard intellectual work of reasoning through them
-Confidence in Reason - -Characterization
Proceeds from the belief that both the individual's and society's higher
interests are best served by unfettered reason
Encourages people to arrive at their own conclusions through their own
powers of rational thinking
Faith that we can learn to:
think for ourselves
reach well-informed viewpoints
draw reasonable conclusions
think clearly, accurately, relevantly, and logically
persuade one another through sound reasoning and evidence
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