D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
1. PROPOSITIONS Are statements that can be
true or false
2. NON-PROPOSITONS Are sentences that are not
state- ments about matters of
fact or fiction. They do not make
a claim that can be true or false.
3. SIMPLE PROPOSITIONS Have no internal logic structure,
meaning whether they are true
or false does not depend on
whether a part of them is true
or false. They are simply true or
false on their own. (Ex- ample:
Harry Potter wears glasses.
The sky is blue.)
4. COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS Have internal logic structure,
mean-
ing they are composed of simple
propositions. Whether they are
true or false depends on whether
their parts are true or false.
(Example: The sky is blue, but it
does not look blue to me right
now. The cat ate the food, but he
did not like it. The GDP of Canada
is either $3 trillion or $12 trillion.)
5. Words used to identify AND, OR, EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN.
Independent Propositions
6. CONCLUSION INDICATORS THEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS
THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS
THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT,
IMPLIES THAT, WHEREFORE,
AND AS A RESULT.
7. PREMISE INDICATORS BECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS,
1/
, D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
SINCE, AS INDICATED BY.
8. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises
guar-
antee or necessitate the
conclusion.
2/
, D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
-mathematical arguments,
logical ar- guments, arguments
from definition.
9. INDUCTION ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises
make
the conclusion probable.
-analogies, authority, causal
infer- ences, extrapolations,
etc.
10.INFERENCE TO THE BEST Arguments where the best
EXPLA- NATION OR ABDUCTION available explanation is chosen
as the correct explanation.
11. FORMAL FALLACY Concerns the structure of an
argu- ment
12. INFORMAL FALLACY Concerns the informational
content of an argument
13. A FORMAL FALLACY IS A TYPE OF Bad Argument Structure
14.Which piece of information would student should employ to
be the most helpful to know in determine which site is more
assess- ing the credibility of a credible?
news story?
17.In which way should an
15.Which questions are most information source be
appropri- ate for evaluating the approached if it is stat-
credibility of an information
source?
16.While researching a topic on the in-
ternet, a student encounters two
dif- ferent websites, one of that
looks more official than the other
and in- cludes tables, charts, and
statistics, while the other does not.
What is the line of reasoning this
3/
, D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
Whether the name of the author
and the publication are identified
Who funded it? & Does it try to get
you to distrust other sources?
It is not feasible to determine which
site is more credible from the
informa- tion provided.
Skeptically, because the source
may lack credibility.
4/
Evidence
1. PROPOSITIONS Are statements that can be
true or false
2. NON-PROPOSITONS Are sentences that are not
state- ments about matters of
fact or fiction. They do not make
a claim that can be true or false.
3. SIMPLE PROPOSITIONS Have no internal logic structure,
meaning whether they are true
or false does not depend on
whether a part of them is true
or false. They are simply true or
false on their own. (Ex- ample:
Harry Potter wears glasses.
The sky is blue.)
4. COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS Have internal logic structure,
mean-
ing they are composed of simple
propositions. Whether they are
true or false depends on whether
their parts are true or false.
(Example: The sky is blue, but it
does not look blue to me right
now. The cat ate the food, but he
did not like it. The GDP of Canada
is either $3 trillion or $12 trillion.)
5. Words used to identify AND, OR, EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN.
Independent Propositions
6. CONCLUSION INDICATORS THEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS
THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS
THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT,
IMPLIES THAT, WHEREFORE,
AND AS A RESULT.
7. PREMISE INDICATORS BECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS,
1/
, D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
SINCE, AS INDICATED BY.
8. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises
guar-
antee or necessitate the
conclusion.
2/
, D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
-mathematical arguments,
logical ar- guments, arguments
from definition.
9. INDUCTION ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises
make
the conclusion probable.
-analogies, authority, causal
infer- ences, extrapolations,
etc.
10.INFERENCE TO THE BEST Arguments where the best
EXPLA- NATION OR ABDUCTION available explanation is chosen
as the correct explanation.
11. FORMAL FALLACY Concerns the structure of an
argu- ment
12. INFORMAL FALLACY Concerns the informational
content of an argument
13. A FORMAL FALLACY IS A TYPE OF Bad Argument Structure
14.Which piece of information would student should employ to
be the most helpful to know in determine which site is more
assess- ing the credibility of a credible?
news story?
17.In which way should an
15.Which questions are most information source be
appropri- ate for evaluating the approached if it is stat-
credibility of an information
source?
16.While researching a topic on the in-
ternet, a student encounters two
dif- ferent websites, one of that
looks more official than the other
and in- cludes tables, charts, and
statistics, while the other does not.
What is the line of reasoning this
3/
, D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and
Evidence
Whether the name of the author
and the publication are identified
Who funded it? & Does it try to get
you to distrust other sources?
It is not feasible to determine which
site is more credible from the
informa- tion provided.
Skeptically, because the source
may lack credibility.
4/
