Chapter 5: Constructing Knowledge

Which of the following is NOT a key element of the process of developing accurate and thoughtfully reasoned beliefs?

Comparing your beliefs with those of other people

A __________ represents an interpretation, evaluation, conclusion, or prediction about the world that we endorse as true.

. belief

One important criterion for evaluating your beliefs is that the beliefs are:

. falsifiable.

Everybody has a collection of beliefs that she or he uses to:

. guide her or his actions.

Critical thinkers continually evaluate their beliefs by applying __________ to assess the strength and accuracy of these beliefs.

. intellectual standards

As a result of Stage 2: Anything Goes thinking, we can feel free to condemn any belief or action we personally believe is heinous, and we are justified in praising any belief or action we personally view as laudatory.

False

evaluate the information being presented by asking the following questions:

1. How reliable (how accurate and justified) is the information? - What are the main ideas being presented? - What reasons or evidence supports the information? - Is the information accurate? Is there anything you believe to be false? -Is there anything that you believe has been left out? 2. How reliable is the source of the information? - What is the source of the information? -What are the interests or purposes of the source of this information? -How have the interests and purposes of the source of the information influenced the information selected for inclusion? -How have these interests and purposes influenced the way this information is presented?

Perry's scheme

1. dualism 2. multiplicity 3. relativism 4. commitment

What do we do when experts disagree?

As a critical thinker, you must analyze and evaluate all the available information, develop your own well-reasoned beliefs, and recognize when you don't have sufficient information to arrive at well-reasoned beliefs. You must realize that these beliefs may evolve over time as you gain information or improve your insight.

How would you go about explaining the reasons or evidence for your beliefs?

As you reach beyond your personal experience to form and revise beliefs, you find that the information provided by other people is available in two basic forms: written and spoken testimony.

Stage of Knowing

Stage 1: The Garden of Eden Knowledge is clear, certain, and absolute, and is provided by authorities. Our role is to learn and accept information from authorities, without question or criticism. Anyone who disagrees with the authorities must be wrong. People in the Garden of Eden stage of thinking tend to see the world in terms of black and white, right and wrong. Stage 2: Anything Goes Authorities often disagree with each other, no one really "knows" what is true or right. All beliefs are of equal value, and we cannot determine whether one belief makes more sense than another belief. Stage 3: Thinking Critically Some viewpoints are better than other viewpoints, not because authorities say so, but because compelling reasons support these viewpoints. We have a responsibility to explore every perspective, evaluate the supporting reasons for each, and develop our own informed conclusions that we are prepared to modify or change based on new information or better insight.

Which stage of knowing is based upon knowledge being clear, certain, absolute, and provided by authorities?

The Garden of Eden

People in the "Garden of Eden" stage of thinking tend to see the world in terms of:

black and white.

We work at evaluating the accuracy of our beliefs by:

examining the reasons or evidence that support them.

The idea of knowing

is the ability to distinguish beliefs supported by strong reasons or evidence from beliefs for which there is less support, as well as from beliefs disproved by evidence to the contrary

Dangers of fake news and what steps can be taken to minimize its impact

- How does fake news potentially change how you get news? - What do you think about this statement: "nothing is linear, and everything changes" - How is this a moment of opportunity?

analyzed in terms of the following criteria:

- How effectively do your beliefs explain what is taking place? - To what extent are these beliefs consistent with other beliefs you have about the world? - How effectively do your beliefs help you predict what will happen in the future? -To what extent are your beliefs supported by sound reasons and compelling evidence derived from reliable sources?

beliefs : predictions about the world that we endorse as true

-belief based on DIRECT EXPERIENCE -belief based on INDIRECT EXPERIENCE ( how reliable is the information / how reliable is the source of the information? Developing knowledge: (by questioning) - are the beliefs compelling and coherent explanations? - are the beliefs consistent with other beliefs and knowledge? - are the beliefs accurate predictions? - are supported by reasons and evidence - are based on reliable sources?

When you say you "know" something, you mean at least two different things:

1) I think this belief is completely accurate. 2) I can explain to you the reasons or evidence that support this belief. You can believe what is not so, but you cannot know what is not so.

fake new

Because the Internet has become such a pervasive source of information, it is particularly important to critically evaluate the credibility and bias of sources in determining the accuracy of the information being provided.

What do we do when experts disagree?

Beliefs are falsifiable. This means that you can state conditions—tests—under which the beliefs could be disproved and the beliefs nevertheless pass those tests Because a belief that is not falsifiable can never be proved, such a belief is of questionable accuracy.

What is / are beliefs?

Beliefs are interpretations, evaluations, conclusions, and predictions about the world that we endorse as true.

Critical thinker evaluate the belief by doing ?

Critical thinkers evaluate their beliefs by examining the evidence provided by authorities, references, factual evidence, and personal experience.

Information is knowledge regardless of whether we think critically about it.

False

Most people in our culture are socialized to believe that knowledge and truth are relative to the individual and the situation. One major goal of institutions is to enculturate all its members into one common mindset.

False

Once one has rejected the dogmatic, authoritarian limitations of the Stage 1: Garden of Eden style of thinking, he or she usually becomes highly skeptical of information coming from unknown sources

False

Stage 3 thinkers are close-minded toward other viewpoints, especially those that disagree with theirs.

False

Will I be called on to apply this structure—these thinking tools—for every situation?" We may already feel overburdened or overextended by the accelerated flow of today's culture.

How reliable are the information and source? - Was the source of the information able to make accurate observations? - What do you know about the past reliability of the source of information? - How knowledgeable or experienced is the source of the information?

When you depend on information provided by others, however, there is a further question to be asked:

How reliable is the person providing the information? For instance, what sort of people do you look for if you need to ask directions? Why do you look for these particular types of people? In most cases, when you need to ask directions, you try to locate someone who you think will be reliable—in other words, a person who you believe will give you accurate information.

what knowledge

Knowledge comprises beliefs about the world that we believe are true and for which we can supply compelling reasons and evidence.

Knowledge and Truth

Most people in our culture are socialized to believe that knowledge and truth are absolute and unchanging.

The most effective way to test the strength and accuracy of your beliefs is to evaluate evidence that supports them. Which of the following is NOT a category of evidence?

Opinions

Which stage of knowing is based upon the concept that some viewpoints are better than other viewpoints, not because authorities say so but because compelling reasons support these viewpoints?

Thinking Critically

Thinking Critically About New Media

What is fake news? Checklist for Evaluating the Quality of Internet Resources - Credibility of the source - Accuracy of the information - Objectivity—your own and the source's - Currency of the information

"You can believe what is not so, but you cannot know what is so."

True

An individual may be at different stages of knowing simultaneously, depending on the subject or area of experience.

True

Non-critical thinkers generally adopt beliefs without thoughtful scrutiny or rigorous evaluation, letting these beliefs drift into their thinking for all sorts of superficial and illogical reasons

True

Stage 3: Thinking Critically represents the most advanced intellectual level, as people realize that some views are better than others, and it is their responsibility to develop informed beliefs by thinking for themselves.

True

There is no guarantee that information will be accurate, even when you carefully select knowledgeable sources.

True

viewing situation is effective strategy for constructing an informed understanding

Viewing situations and issues from a variety of perspectives is a very effective strategy for constructing an informed understanding.

When trying to determine the accuracy of testimony, :

Was there enough light to see clearly? Did the excitement of the situation influence my perceptions? Were my senses operating at full capacity?

According to the section of the chapter devoted to "Evaluating Online Information," a critical thinker should never accept information at face value without first:

a. determining the point of view or bias of the source. b. establishing its accuracy. c. evaluating the credibility of the source.

As you form and revise your beliefs, based on your experiences and your reflections on these experiences, it is important to make them as __________ as possible.

accurate

The philosophical view that asserts if authorities are not infallible and we can't trust their expertise, then no one point of view is ultimately any better than any other is known as

relativism.

No matter how much you have experienced in your life, no one person's direct experiences are enough to establish an adequate:

set of accurate beliefs.

One major goal of social institutions, including family, the school system, and religion, is to:

transfer knowledge.

In critically examining the beliefs of others

you should pursue the same goals of accuracy and completeness that you seek when examining beliefs based on your personal experience. you should be interested in the reasons or evidence that support the information others are presenting. For example, when you ask directions from others, you try to evaluate how accurate the information is by examining the reasons or evidence that seems to support the information being given.