Critical Thinking- Politics
Description
Week 8 Study Room Forum ONE POST REQUIRED. YOU NEED NOT WRITE A LONG ESSAY. BUT YOU SHOULD ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE THE ANALYSIS. 300 WORDS SHOULD SUFFICE. This week we will practice constructing and analyzing an argument regarding a cause-effect relationship. Review the material in the PowerPoint Lecture, Cause-Effect Consider a personal, professional or a social-political context in which you examine the question, “What is causing effect Y”? Examples: ‘What caused the party to flop?” (in a specific context you are familiar with); “What caused sales to go down?”; “What caused the law (e.g. legalization of marijuana–although this would be an involveD issue) to change?” (in a specific context again) First, identify the issue. Second, examine the context: What are your assumptions? What observations and experience are relevant to the forming of a hypothesis? Third: formulate your hypothesis. Fourth: if this is an actual case in which you examined evidence and either confirmed or disproved your hypothesis, briefly describe your findings. If this is not an actual case, describe how would you go about hunting for the best evidence to confirm or disprove your hypothesis. The analysis should have the following structure: 1) Issue: “What causes effect Y” (e.g. What caused my flat?) 2) Examination of assumptions, observations, evidence and information. 3) Formulate hypothesis (Thorns have caused the flat.) 4) Examine evidence that confirms or disproves your hypothesis. In organizing your analysis you do not need to justify beyond all doubt the cause of the effect Y. If our study this week reveals anything–it should reveal that the discovery of causes is a very complicated process full of potential for error. In your analyses raises questions about the evidence one may need, and looking for ways in which one might improve one’s reasoning, are entirely appropriate and encouraged.
