Critical Thinking: Logic Course

Lesson 1 • Standards of Good Reasoning

Introduces intellectual standards—clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, and fairness. Students apply these standards to sample statements.

Lesson 2 • Defining Critical Thinking

Clarifies the core meaning of critical thinking and distinguishes it from opinion, intuition, and belief. Sets the conceptual baseline for the entire course.

Lesson 3 • Barriers to Clear Thinking

Identifies psychological and social obstacles that distort reasoning. Awareness of these barriers is the first step toward overcoming them.

Lesson 1 • Precision in Language Use

Covers the difference between vague and precise language and why precision is essential for valid reasoning. Directly supports the clarity standard introduced earlier.

Lesson 2 • Ambiguity and Equivocation

Analyzes how words with multiple meanings create reasoning errors. Students detect equivocation in real arguments.

Lesson 3 • Loaded Language and Framing

Explores how word choice and framing influence perception and judgment. Students learn to neutralize emotionally loaded language in arguments.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating Argument Completeness

Assesses whether an argument provides sufficient support for its conclusion. Connects completeness to the sufficiency standard from Chapter 1.

Lesson 2 • Argument Mapping Techniques

Introduces visual and textual methods for diagramming argument structure. Students map multi-premise arguments to see logical flow clearly.

Lesson 3 • Implicit Premises and Conclusions

Addresses unstated assumptions that arguments rely on. Students practice surfacing hidden premises to evaluate arguments fully.

Lesson 1 • Common Valid Argument Forms

Presents modus ponens, modus tollens, hypothetical syllogism, and disjunctive syllogism. Students recognize and apply these forms in natural-language arguments.

Lesson 2 • Formal Fallacies in Deduction

Identifies invalid argument patterns that mimic valid forms, such as affirming the consequent. Students distinguish valid forms from their invalid counterparts.

Lesson 3 • Validity and Soundness Explained

Defines logical validity and soundness and distinguishes them from truth. Students test arguments for these properties using structured examples.

Lesson 4 • Propositional Logic Basics

Covers logical connectives—conjunction, disjunction, negation, and conditional—and their truth conditions. Students construct and evaluate compound statements.

Lesson 1 • Causal Reasoning and Correlation

Distinguishes correlation from causation and introduces criteria for establishing causal claims. Students evaluate causal arguments in professional contexts.

Lesson 2 • Induction vs. Deduction

Contrasts inductive strength with deductive validity and explains why inductive conclusions are probabilistic. Builds on the validity framework from Chapter 4.

Lesson 3 • Generalizations and Sampling

Examines how generalizations are formed from samples and what makes a sample reliable. Students identify hasty and biased generalizations.

Lesson 4 • Analogical Reasoning

Covers the structure of arguments by analogy and criteria for evaluating their strength. Students assess analogies used in persuasion and policy.

Lesson 1 • Fallacies of Weak Induction

Examines fallacies where premises provide insufficient inductive support, including false cause and slippery slope. Builds on inductive reasoning from Chapter 5.

Lesson 2 • Rhetorical Manipulation Tactics

Identifies persuasion techniques that bypass rational evaluation, including bandwagon appeals and scare tactics. Students develop resistance to manipulation.

Lesson 3 • Fallacies of Presumption

Analyzes fallacies that assume what needs to be proven, such as begging the question and false dichotomy. Students rewrite fallacious arguments correctly.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating Digital and Online Sources

Applies credibility criteria specifically to websites, social media, and online databases. Students use lateral reading and fact-checking strategies.

Lesson 2 • Identifying Bias in Sources

Teaches students to detect ideological, commercial, and confirmation bias in sources. Connects bias detection to the fairness standard from Chapter 1.

Lesson 3 • Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Distinguishes primary evidence from secondary interpretation and explains when each is appropriate. Students trace claims back to original sources.

Lesson 4 • Credibility Criteria for Sources

Defines what makes a source credible using expertise, accuracy, objectivity, and currency criteria. Students rate sources against these criteria systematically.

Lesson 1 • Responding to Counterarguments

Teaches strategies for engaging opposing arguments fairly and effectively. Students practice steelmanning before rebutting.

Lesson 2 • Critical Thinking in Team Settings

Addresses how to apply critical thinking collaboratively, including managing groupthink and facilitating productive disagreement. Prepares students for workplace application.

Lesson 3 • Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

Covers rational decision frameworks when evidence is incomplete or conflicting. Students apply probabilistic thinking and risk assessment to choices.

Lesson 4 • Structured Problem Analysis

Applies argument mapping, evidence evaluation, and fallacy detection to real-world problems. Synthesizes skills from all previous chapters into a unified process.