Philosophy of Critical thinking part 2: Psychological Impediments and Language

Fineprint Disclaimers

Agreements or terms hidden within the fine print of certain documents

Stereotypes

All people in a group have to be identical

Disphonisms

An especially harsh way of phrasing something

Euphemisms

An especially mild way of saying something

Scapegoat

Anyone on who the blame gets placed without a rational reason

Lack of a good sense of proportion

Blowing something out of proportion, or making something less important than it actually is.

Denial

Denying that anything is wrong

Wistful Thinking

Forcing conclusions from data that you already want to be true

Self Deception

Forcing oneself into believing something untrue

Rationalization

Forcing oneself into wanting a view o be true based off of fake premises

Prejudice

Forming judgements without sufficient warrant

Superstition

Irrational beliefs in certain actions having affects in the real world or on some outcomes.

PC terminology

Language designed specifically to avoid being offensive

Partisan Mindset

Leads people to perceive evidence and to judge arguments via an 'us against them' or a 'my right view against your wrong view' attitude.

Procrastination

Putting stuff off

Loyalty

When someone's loyalty to something inhibits their ability to reason well

Weasel Words

Words when added to a claim drastically weaken its content

Provincialism

a natural tendency to identify with the ideas, interests, and kinds of behavior favored by those groups in which we identify.

Emotive Meaning

language that is used to express emotion or feelings

The herd instinct

The tendency to keep our beliefs, and thus our actions, within the bounds of what society as a whole will accept

Tone

Using language specifically designed to express or evoke an emotional response

Slanting

Using language specifically designed to imply something without actually saying it

Jargon

special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.

Cognitive Meaning

what is being asserted if it were state in the most neutral and objective terminology possible