Thinking Socratically

by Schwarze, Sharon; Lape, Harvey

• ISBN13: 9780134386317
• ISBN10: 0134386310
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-07-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference

Summary

A different approach to critical thinking, both conceptually and pedagogically, Thinking Socratically encourages students in a user-friendly way to improve their own natural reasoning skills. An enjoyable collection of readings presents students with real-life situations that raise questions about the basic assumptions of rationality, naturally engaging them in open dialogue - the hallmark of the rational person. The situations range from the problem of evidence at a trial to the absence of an explanation of why two children died in the same day care center on the same day. While the important objectives of more standard texts are not ignored, this book goes beyond the usual. Thinking Socratically considers topics that are not generally covered by other textbooks, such as the advantages of rationality over irrationality, the limits of rational thinking, the web of belief, the values implicit in science, the weaknesses of dogmatic and relativistic thinking. Thinking Socratically stresses understanding rather than gimmickry and rule memorization. It focuses on the connections between language and the world and what makes statements about the world acceptable or unacceptable. This is not an informal logic text but a genuine critical thinking text.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Credits	xv
INTRODUCTION WHY BE RATIONAL?	1	(360)
Readings
``Why the Geese Shrieked,''	3	(3)
Isaac Bashevis Singer
``The Shaman and the Dying Scientist: A Brazilian Tale,''	6	(3)
Alan Riding
Euthyphro	9	(16)
Plato
Reflections on the Readings	25	(1)
Rationality and the Importance of the Open Dialogue	25	(5)
Reason and Culture	30	(2)
The Limits of Reason	32	(1)
Exercises	33	(2)
PART I CONNECTIONS
Language	35	(21)
Introduction	35	(2)
Readings
The Making of Americans (an excerpt)	37	(5)
Gertrude Stein
``The Corner of the Eye,''	42	(3)
Lewis Thomas
Reflections on the Readings	45	(1)
Language and the World	45	(2)
The Uses of Language	47	(1)
Words	48	(1)
Statements	49	(1)
Factual Statements	50	(2)
Exercises	52	(4)
Knowledge and Certainty	56	(8)
Introduction	56	(1)
Reading
Meditations on First Philosophy (an excerpt)	57	(1)
Rene Descartes
Reflections on the Reading	58	(1)
Knowledge/Certainty	59	(2)
The Web of Belief	61	(1)
Exercises	62	(2)
Arguments and Explanations	64	(33)
Introduction	64	(1)
Readings
The Decameron	65	(2)
Giovanni Boccaccio
Michele Scalza
The Decameron	67	(2)
Giovanni Boccaccio
Melchizedek
``The Day-Care Deaths: A Mystery''	69	(13)
Linda Herskowitz
Reflections on the Readings	82	(1)
Arguments: Premises and Conclusions	82	(2)
Logical Warranting	84	(1)
Reasoning with Necessity	84	(1)
Reasoning with Probability	85	(2)
Factual Warranting	87	(2)
Implicit Premises and Conclusions	89	(1)
Explanations	90	(3)
Exercises	93	(4)
PART II REASONING WITH NECESSITY
Necessary Links	97	(11)
Introduction	97	(2)
Reading
Dissenting Opinion in Gregg v. Georgia (an excerpt)	99	(2)
Thurgood Marshall
Reflections on the Reading	101	(1)
Validity and Logical Implication	102	(4)
Exercises	106	(2)
Formal Reasoning	108	(16)
Introduction	108	(1)
Reading
``Anselm's Ontological Argument'' (an excerpt)	109	(1)
Norman Malcolm
Reflections on the Reading	110	(1)
Some Common Valid Arguments	110	(7)
Anselm's Ontological Argument	117	(3)
Review of Common Valid Arguments	120	(1)
Exercises	121	(3)
PART III REASONING WITH PROBABILITY
Supporting Our Claims	124	(55)
Introduction	124	(2)
Readings
``The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier'' (incomplete)	126	(11)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
``Murder on the Main Line''	137	(22)
Mike Mallowe
Other Selected Newspaper Articles on the William Bradfield Case	159	(13)
Reflections on the Readings	172	(1)
Traces and Background Knowledge	172	(4)
Confirmation and Proof	176	(2)
Exercises	178	(1)
Forms of Reasoning with Probability	179	(58)
Introduction	179	(2)
Readings
``Doctors as Detectives''	181	(5)
Cynthia Clendenin
``1964's Football 49ers Face Grim Puzzle''	186	(3)
Mike Antonucci
A Lost Poem by Shakespeare?--Selected Newspaper Articles	189	(12)
The Literary Digest Predicts Victory by Landon 1936-Assorted Articles	201	(16)
Reflections on Readings	217	(1)
Generalizations	218	(7)
Analogies	225	(3)
Causal Claims	228	(7)
Exercises	235	(2)
Scientific Reasoning	237	(27)
Introduction	237	(1)
Readings
``The Heliocentric Theory of Copernicus and Kepler''	238	(15)
Morris Kline
Reflections on the Reading	253	(1)
Copernicus and Kepler	254	(3)
Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning	257	(5)
Exercises	262	(2)
Pseudoscience	264	(14)
Reading
``Fliess, Freud, and Biorhythm''	265	(8)
Martin Gardner
Reflections on the Reading	273	(1)
Distinguishing Science From Pseudoscience	273	(4)
Exercises	277	(1)
Common Mistakes in Reasoning	278	(23)
Introduction	278	(1)
Readings
``Love Is a Fallacy,''	279	(9)
Max Shulman
``The Sleaze Merchants Attack'' (an editorial)	288	(1)
Reflections on the Readings	289	(1)
The Nature of Fallacies	290	(1)
Some Common Fallacies to Recognize	291	(7)
Exercise	298	(3)
PART IV REASONING ABOUT VALUES
The Nature of Morality	301	(17)
Introduction	301	(3)
Reading
The Brothers Karamazov (a short excerpt)	304	(1)
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Reflections on the Reading	305	(1)
Objectivism/Subjectivism	305	(5)
Supporting Moral Claims	310	(6)
Exercises	316	(2)
Reasoning about Good and Bad	318	(22)
Introduction	318	(2)
Readings
Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (an excerpt)	320	(4)
Immanuel Kant
Existentialism Is a Humanism (an excerpt)	324	(3)
Jean-Paul Sartre
Reflections on the Readings	327	(1)
Kant	327	(4)
Sartre	331	(4)
Making Moral Decisions	335	(3)
Exercises	338	(2)
Dogmatism/Relativism	340	(10)
Introduction	340
Reading
Euthyphro	9	(332)
Plato
Reflections on the Reading	341	(1)
Dogmatism/Relativism	341	(4)
Moderation as Key	345	(4)
Exercises	349	(1)
Reason and Commitment	350	(11)
Introduction	350	(1)
Reading
``Prelude''	351	(8)
Philip Hallie
Reflections on the Reading	359	(2)
Index	361