Lateral/Critical thinking
Joseph Reagle
What is critical thinking?
challenging assumptions
The doctor
A man and his son are in a terrible accident and are rushed to the hospital in critical care. The doctor looks at the boy and exclaims “I can’t operate on this boy, he’s my son!” How could this be?
Correlation
With peers, posit a correlation = causation fallacy relevant to our course and explain why it could be
wrong.
The baby
How could a baby fall out of a twenty-story building onto the ground and live?
The peacock
If Mr. Smith’s peacock lays an egg in Mr. Jones’ yard, who owns the egg?
Linda
Linda is 31, single, outspoken, and bright. As a student, she majored in philosophy and participated in social justice protests.
- Which is more probable?
- Linda is a bank teller.
- Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.