Chapter 1. Introducing Critical Thinking and Philosophical Inquiry
§4 Critical Thinking Basics
Technical Fundamentals
To master the process of critical thinking, we must first understand the “Lego blocks” of logic: the specific types of sentences and structures used to build and evaluate claims.
4.1 Statements [Claims]
A statement (or claim) is an assertion that something is or is not the case. The defining characteristic of a statement is that it is either true or false.
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Rule of Belief: The strength of your belief in a statement should depend entirely on the quality of the reasons provided in its favor.
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Examples:
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“Hydrogen has one proton.”
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“7 + 5 = 12”
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“Objects fall toward the center of the earth at 9.81 m/s².”
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“Sacramento is the capital of California.”
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4.2 Non-statements and Value Judgments
Not every sentence makes a claim. Non-statements are sentences that do not assert that something is or is not the case; therefore, they cannot be true or false.
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Types of Non-statements:
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Questions: “Is Seattle the capital of Washington?”
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Commands: “Eat only cotton candy ice cream!”
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Greetings/Exclamations: “Good morning” or “Wow!”
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Value Judgments: These are evaluations that are neither strictly true nor false in a factual sense (e.g., “Rap music is better than punk rock” or “Lady Gaga is the greatest singer ever”).
4.3 Arguments
In critical thinking, an argument is not a fight or a disagreement. It is a technical term for a specific logical structure: a group of statements in which some (the premises) are intended to support another (the conclusion).
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The Structure: An argument must have at least one premise, but it can only have one conclusion.
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Inference: This is the logical “link” or move that connects the premises to the conclusion.
4.4 Argument Identification: Indicator Words
To identify arguments in the wild, look for “indicator words” that signal which part of the text is a reason and which part is the main claim.
| Premise Indicators (Signal Reasons) | Conclusion Indicators (Signal Claims) |
| Because / Since | Therefore / Thus / So |
| Given that / In view of the fact | Consequently / As a result |
| Due to the fact that | It follows that |
| For the reason that | Ergo / Hence / Accordingly |
4.5 Arguments vs. Explanations
It is easy to confuse an argument with an explanation because they both often use the word “because.” However, they serve different purposes:
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Argument: Provides reasons for believing that something is true. (Evidence $\rightarrow$ Conclusion)
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Explanation: Tells us why or how something is already the case. (Cause $\rightarrow$ Fact)
The “Smoke and Fire” Test:
Explanation: “There is a lot of smoke in here because there is a fire out there.” (The fire is the cause of the smoke).
Argument: “There is a fire out there because there is a lot of smoke in here.” (The smoke is my evidence for believing there is a fire).
4.6 Issue and Position
When analyzing a debate, we distinguish between the question and the answer:
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Issue: The question being raised, often formatted as “whether or not” (e.g., “Whether or not we should increase the minimum wage”).
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Position: The speaker’s stance or conclusion regarding that specific issue.
