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Reasoning Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day
Many standardized tests and career paths require the ability to reason thoroughly and efficiently. Reasoning Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day provides tested techniques for developing this highly regarded ability. Written for an audience that encompasses students up through full-time employees.
- GenresSelf Help
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First published April 1, 1900
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January 18, 2021
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Critical Thinking & Reasoning: decision-making process. Determine the best solution.
Consider: problem, claim, question, situation. How best to solve. Accept or reject. Best answer. How to best handle. Process of getting from problem to solution.
Reason = motive (why). Reasoning skill = use good sense, base on fact, evidence, logical conclusion (vs. emotion. Justify decisions and actions. Pinpoint the main issue. Break down parts. Questions, situations, convincing, solving. Identify the problem, Scope parts prioritize. Relevance to the issue.
2. Fact vs. Opinion: Use scientific proof to justify claims. Knowing = proving. Believing = think, debatable. Fact=proven, know. Opinion=think, believe. Tentative Truth
3. Claims: Level of testing sources. Level of knowledge on the topic. Evaluate the credibility of the source. Make well-informed decisions. Expertise = education, expertise, job, reputation, achievements. Eye Witnesses Credibility (4) = Bias, environment, physical/emotional, the time between event and reflection. Partial Claims & Half-Truths: Beware: comparison with incomplete information or vague. Exaggeration. Studies (4)= who, how conducted, what was tested, what results. Average = not always used for “typical” or usual. If convincing motivation, beware of misleading claims.
4. Word: word choice opinions and bias. Euphemism = phrase softens, positive spin. “passed away”. Dysphemism = negative. “Kick the bucket”. Biased Questions = Loaded to lean toward the obvious desired answer.
5. Arguments: Inductive = making observations, drawing conclusions. Specific to general. Is the conclusion logical? Deductive = conclusion to evidence. Is evidence logical?
Premise = pieces of evidence that support. Conclusion = the point of the claim/argument
Argument = supported by evidence. Separate Support = Premise + Premise + Premise. “Because” Test. Evaluate Evidence: Examine validity of conclusion. Type of evidence = Fact, opinion, tentative truth. Credible = Person (no bias, expertise). Reasonable = based on logic, common sense, evidence. Statistic = credibility, questioned. Good Argument: Clear and complete. Credibility = no bias. Reasonableness = logical, evidence and common sense.
6. FALLACIES - Fallacies Appeal to Emotions: Scare Tactics = frighten you with a negative impact
Flattery = appeal to vanity. Peer Pressure = accept or you will not be accepted. Fear of being left out.
Pity = compassion, feel sorry for. Fallacies Imposter: No In Between = false dilemma. Either-or, Black & White, no grays. Slippery Slope = if / then. Circular Reasoning = begging the question. Conclusion and premise say the same thing. 2 Wrongs Make a Right = it’s okay to do because someone else “might” do it to you. Getting an edge. Distractions & Distorters: Ad Hominem = attack person instead of a claim. Bias or credible? Red Herring = offers a claim #2, not address claim #1. Straw Man = distorts opponent’s position. Oversimplified, exaggerate, misrepresent. Doesn’t consider all sides.
7. Why did it happen?: Criteria for good explanation. Convince why a claim is true (because)
Relevance = clear obvious connection. Testability = verified through experimentation. Circularity = restates situation. Compatibility with existing knowledge. Accept fact. Accept Tentative Truth. Reject. Numbers Don’t Lie: Source provided. Trustworthy or Bias? Sample Size = larger is better. Reflect accuracy. Representative. Random. Bias Sample. Apples to Oranges statistics (bad comparison). Statistics can be misleading.
8. Inductive Reasoning: Evidence + evidence conclusion. Likelihood = common sense, past experience. Reasonable to assume. Logical conclusion = common sense + past experience + substantial evidence. Inductive: Causal reasoning. Key differences. Common denominator. Post Hoc – “after this, therefore, because of this”. Chicken or Egg?
9. Jumping to Conclusions: Hasty Generalizations = little evidence. Like stereotypes. Biased = testimony of low credibility. Non-Sequitur = too big of a jump. Assumes A then B. Reverses the premise and conclusion.
10. Problem Solving Revisited: (Types) Common sense = scenarios, break a problem down into parts. How to prioritize issues. Good v. bad evidence = credible and reasonable. draw the logical conclusion from evidence.
1. Critical Thinking & Reasoning: decision-making process. Determine the best solution.
Consider: problem, claim, question, situation. How best to solve. Accept or reject. Best answer. How to best handle. Process of getting from problem to solution.
Reason = motive (why). Reasoning skill = use good sense, base on fact, evidence, logical conclusion (vs. emotion. Justify decisions and actions. Pinpoint the main issue. Break down parts. Questions, situations, convincing, solving. Identify the problem, Scope parts prioritize. Relevance to the issue.
2. Fact vs. Opinion: Use scientific proof to justify claims. Knowing = proving. Believing = think, debatable. Fact=proven, know. Opinion=think, believe. Tentative Truth
3. Claims: Level of testing sources. Level of knowledge on the topic. Evaluate the credibility of the source. Make well-informed decisions. Expertise = education, expertise, job, reputation, achievements. Eye Witnesses Credibility (4) = Bias, environment, physical/emotional, the time between event and reflection. Partial Claims & Half-Truths: Beware: comparison with incomplete information or vague. Exaggeration. Studies (4)= who, how conducted, what was tested, what results. Average = not always used for “typical” or usual. If convincing motivation, beware of misleading claims.
4. Word: word choice opinions and bias. Euphemism = phrase softens, positive spin. “passed away”. Dysphemism = negative. “Kick the bucket”. Biased Questions = Loaded to lean toward the obvious desired answer.
5. Arguments: Inductive = making observations, drawing conclusions. Specific to general. Is the conclusion logical? Deductive = conclusion to evidence. Is evidence logical?
Premise = pieces of evidence that support. Conclusion = the point of the claim/argument
Argument = supported by evidence. Separate Support = Premise + Premise + Premise. “Because” Test. Evaluate Evidence: Examine validity of conclusion. Type of evidence = Fact, opinion, tentative truth. Credible = Person (no bias, expertise). Reasonable = based on logic, common sense, evidence. Statistic = credibility, questioned. Good Argument: Clear and complete. Credibility = no bias. Reasonableness = logical, evidence and common sense.
6. FALLACIES - Fallacies Appeal to Emotions: Scare Tactics = frighten you with a negative impact
Flattery = appeal to vanity. Peer Pressure = accept or you will not be accepted. Fear of being left out.
Pity = compassion, feel sorry for. Fallacies Imposter: No In Between = false dilemma. Either-or, Black & White, no grays. Slippery Slope = if / then. Circular Reasoning = begging the question. Conclusion and premise say the same thing. 2 Wrongs Make a Right = it’s okay to do because someone else “might” do it to you. Getting an edge. Distractions & Distorters: Ad Hominem = attack person instead of a claim. Bias or credible? Red Herring = offers a claim #2, not address claim #1. Straw Man = distorts opponent’s position. Oversimplified, exaggerate, misrepresent. Doesn’t consider all sides.
7. Why did it happen?: Criteria for good explanation. Convince why a claim is true (because)
Relevance = clear obvious connection. Testability = verified through experimentation. Circularity = restates situation. Compatibility with existing knowledge. Accept fact. Accept Tentative Truth. Reject. Numbers Don’t Lie: Source provided. Trustworthy or Bias? Sample Size = larger is better. Reflect accuracy. Representative. Random. Bias Sample. Apples to Oranges statistics (bad comparison). Statistics can be misleading.
8. Inductive Reasoning: Evidence + evidence conclusion. Likelihood = common sense, past experience. Reasonable to assume. Logical conclusion = common sense + past experience + substantial evidence. Inductive: Causal reasoning. Key differences. Common denominator. Post Hoc – “after this, therefore, because of this”. Chicken or Egg?
9. Jumping to Conclusions: Hasty Generalizations = little evidence. Like stereotypes. Biased = testimony of low credibility. Non-Sequitur = too big of a jump. Assumes A then B. Reverses the premise and conclusion.
10. Problem Solving Revisited: (Types) Common sense = scenarios, break a problem down into parts. How to prioritize issues. Good v. bad evidence = credible and reasonable. draw the logical conclusion from evidence.
April 27, 2015
Good general overview of different argument types and critical thinking. I enjoyed some of the exercises but dont think it takes 20 minutes to do each one. Good use of examples to help understand concepts.
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