Barriers of Critical Thinking

Wishful thinking

"It won't happen to me" Trying weird vitamins to cure cancer Thinking your not out on second base, but were a mile away from the base.

Unwarranted Assumption

Assumption: something we take for granted, something we believe to be true without any proof or conclusive evidence. Ex.) assuming the weather man is correct when he calls for rain and bringing and umbrella. Unwarranted Assumption: are unreasonable, something that is taken for granted without good reason. Ex.) Prevent us from seeing clearly, our attraction for someone might cause us to assume that he or she feels the same way.

Type of Sociocentrism- Conformism

Conformism: Tendency to follow the crowd- that is to conform (often unthinkingly) to authority or to group standards of conduct and belief.

Form of Relativistic thinking Cultural relativism

Cultural relativism: view that truth is a matter of social or cultural opinion Ex.) What is true for person A is true for person A's society/culture.

Type of Sociocentrism- Group Bias

Group Bias: tendency to see one's own group (nation, tribe, section, peer group, family, nation etc.) as being inherently better than others.

Sociocentrism

Group centered thinking. Can hinder rational thinking by focusing excessively on the group.

Hasty Generalization (Stereotype process)

One draws a conclusion about a large class of things from a small sample.

Type of Egocentrism- Self- interested thinking

Self- interested thinking: tendency to accept and defend beliefs that harmonize with one's self-interest. "This benefits me, so it must be good" - not good critical thinking "reasoning"

Type of unwarranted assumption

Stereotype: forming an opinion of someone that is not based on their individual qualities, but on their membership of a certain group. Ex.) All muslims are alike, all politicians are alike...etc.

Form of Relativistic thinking Subjectivism

Subjectivism: view that truth is a matter of individual opinion. ex.) Bobby believes abortion is wrong, but Alice believes something else. According to subjectivism abortion is always wrong for Bobby, but not always wrong for Alice.

Type of Egocentrism- Superiority bias

Superiority bias: tendency to overrate oneself- to see oneself as better in some respect than one actually is.

Egocentrism

Tendency to see reality as centered on oneself. Egocentrics are selfish, self-absorbed people who view their interests, ideas, and values as superior to everyone else's.

Moral Relativism- Moral Subjectivism form

View that what is morally right and good for an individual Ex.) If Andy believes that premarital sex is always wrong, and Jen believes that it is not always wrong, according to moral subjectivism, according to moral Subjectivism premarital sex is always wrong for Any, and is not always wrong for Jen.

Moral Relativism- Cultural Moral relativism form

View that what is morally right and good for an individual based on whatever their society or culture believes. Ex.) If culture A believes that polygamy is wrong, and culture B believes that polygamy is right, then polygamy is wrong for culture A and right for culture B.

Relativistic thinking

view that truth is a matter of opinion