Critical Thinking Foundations

📋 Course Outline

1. Structure of Arguments
2. Propositions and Claims
3. Deductive Reasoning
4. Inductive Reasoning
5. Validity and Soundness
6. Logical Argument Forms
7. Formal Fallacies
8. Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
9. Propositional Logic Symbols
10. Evaluating Evidence Credibility
11. Hume’s Problem of Induction
12. Cognitive Biases and Heuristics

📖 1. Structure of Arguments

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Argument: A complex symbolic or speech act structure where premises support a conclusion, either by guaranteeing its truth, making it probable, implying it, or asserting its acceptability (Novaes, 2021). It involves a set of reasons (premises) that aim to justify or support a claim (conclusion).

• Premise: A statement within an argument that provides support, justification, or reasons for accepting the conclusion. Premises are claims that underpin the main claim, or conclusion, of the argument (Novaes, 2021).

• Conclusion: The claim or statement that an argument aims to establish or prove, supported by premises. It is the main point that the premises are intended to justify or support.

• Structure of an Argument: The organized arrangement of premises leading to a conclusion, typically with premises listed before the conclusion, often indicated by marker words such as “therefore,” “hence,” or “thus” (Novaes, 2021).