Critical Thinking Concepts

Critical Thinking Concepts
Chapter 7
“Appeal to Pity” Concept
Summary
This is a form of the fallacy of relevance that takes place every time the challenger tries to induce sympathy in the reader or hearer (Sarri 74). For example, a student may right to his or her professor that when he or she fails to let him or her pass with Grade A, then the student shall lose his job. The student may try to induce sympathy by mentioning other things that may be detrimental to him or her if she fails to get Grade A. the student may conclude by saying that the Grade A would be greatly appreciated. However, this conclusion is just a non-sequitur or reply and does not factually or logically proceed (Sarri 75).
Strength and Weakness
The strength of this concept is that it is applied in various situations and common in several types of professions, human interactions, among kids and their parents, among other situations. Furthermore, the lawyers also apply the concept to judges to release their customers. However, the weakness of this fallacy is that it does not mean that all emotional appeals are invalid. Instead, it is just manipulative and utilizes the readers or listeners as a means to an end (Sarri 75). The concept tries to exploit or deceive the listener.
Remedy to the Weakness
The only solution or remedy to this fallacy is that the student who works hard and consistently, yet cannot afford an e-book, and fears that he or she will fail or lose a job, should be offered assistance or guidance from the instructor, college book board, students’ association, or, at the minimum, the library should provide the book for the learner to prepare for the exams (Sarri 75).

Linkages
This fallacy is linked to my personal development, careers, and future in that it helps me find ways of rectifying different challenges of my general life and career involvements. The fallacy encourages me to remain truthful and determined in whatever I do and inspires me to work extra hard to achieve whatever I want in my career and life.
Chapter 8
Causal Explanations
Summary
Causal explanations serve the role of linking, connecting or depicting a casual association either one or more than one causes among the causes and effects. On occasion, the causal relationship is more of a relationship, or a correlation i.e. parameters are correlated yet not strictly connected in a cause-effect manner than it is a causality (Sarri 95). The explanations may be social or behavioral, as in the human sphere and the fields of law, economics, politics, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, and sociology. Moreover, the explanations can be goal-fueled or functional as in the cinema, music, or arts. Again, the explanations can be material or natural, as in chemistry, physics, meteorology, or astronomy. An example of natural causal explanations is, “the blueness of the sky is due to the dispersion of the air or the manner it deflects light (Sarri 95).
Strength and Weakness
The strength of the causal explanations is that they explain the relationships existing between two or more variables in a given study. The explanations can cover many aspects of the society, including the laws, business, and economics. However, the concept may lack accuracy in expanding the cause-effect relationship between two or more variable, and, in some cases, the correlation may not be factual (Sarri 95).
Remedies
The weakness of the concept of causal explanation can be remedied by ensuring that the variables under considerations are structured in a correlation analysis model to determine the strength of the relationship. Having determined the coefficient of correlation will help determine or prove the cause-effect association between two or more variables in a given study.
Linkages
The causal explanations concept can be linked to my career life and personal enrichment in many ways. The concept can allow me to identify the effects of whatever I plan to do. The correlation between the life involvements and their impacts can be determined using the causal explanations concept. For example, I can apply the concept to determine the correlation between training and development in the workplace and my productivity in the organization.
Chapter 9
The “So What Test” Concept
Summary
This is the test that assists people in finding out whether the premises are linked, symbiotic, or heteronomous in their backup of the inference or, mutually, they are not inter-reliant, that is to say, they are autonomous or independent from one another in the backup for the implication (Sarri 103). The “So What?” inquiry helps people, critical thinkers, determine the significance of each premise to the inference of the claims and, whether, each premise distinctly supports the conclusion or all of the premises, separately, endorse the inference. For example, all health workers are negatively impacted by the practice. It apparently follows that the premise reflects that the healthcare providers are adversely affected by health care controlled entities except when the law is enacted to punish these organizations for delayed compensations (Sarri 103).
Strength and Weakness
The strength of the “So What?” test is that it can be used to substantiate the claim in a statement. They can be used to determine the link between the premise being discussed and the conclusion made. Thus, one can apply the test to determine the relationship between the premise and the conclusions made. The test can also be applied to show the significance of every premise to the inference made in an argument (Sarri 104). Nevertheless, the test has a weakness because it fails to show the strength of the support or relationship between the premises and the conclusion.
Remedy to the Weakness
The “So What?” test can be improved by introducing the element of the coefficient of correlation to provide the strength of the relationship or link between the conclusions and arguments made and the premises. The relationship can be set, but the strength should be determined through the use of the correlation analysis.
Linkages
The “So What?” can be linked to my career activities and professional enrichments, especially with my research studies. I can apply the concept in determining the relationship between the premises of my research findings and analysis and the conclusions and arguments made on the premises. This can strengthen my ideas and aid the readers’ understanding of my research projects.
Chapter 10
Syllogistic Rule, SRs
Summary
The syllogism is a series of three statements consisting of an initial premise, a second premise, and a conclusion (Sarri 112). For example, the initial premise can be, all Republicans are Democrats while the second premise can be Obama is a Republican. The conclusion can be Obama is a Democrat. In sum, the above-outlined syllogism is binding, or logically true, because if the premises are logically factual, the conclusion has to be, or essentially, true even though at least one of the arguments may be untrue, or factually false (Sarri 112). Specifically, Obama is not actually a Republican, but a Democrat. Evidently, every time a claim or syllogism is logically true but factually false; then it proceeds that it is unreliable. On the other hand, every time a syllogism or claim is both binding and factually true, then it is reliable. Some of the rules for a valid syllogism are that it must have a middle term that is spread one or more times, no term that is spread in the conclusion that is not spread in a premise, and a negative conclusion in case a premise is negative (Sarri 112).
Strength and Weakness
The strength of syllogism and the associated rules is that they work better in circumstances when the information in hand is insufficient. They can also help people make conclusion very fast in a while, in the situations where the experience is very restricted. A syllogism can be used to understand the basic formal fallacies, and texts documented before the emergence of predicate logic (Sarri 112). Conversely, the main weakness is that syllogism cannot assure its conclusions, and assumes the homogeneity of nature across the world.
Remedy
Introducing other types of reasoning besides the inductive reasoning, such as deductive reasoning can be a solution to the weakness. Furthermore, people should reconsider their generalization that uniformity exists in all aspects of the universe (Sarri 112).
Linkages
I can link the concept of syllogism to my everyday undertakings, such as when delivering speeches, when writing an essay for my projects, and when applying different theories in my learning and professional developments. The linkages can help me deduce the relationships between different variables being analyzed.
Chapter 11
Deductive Logic
Summary
From Aristotle onward, logicians commonly perceive that deductive claims are those that provided there are true premises, they must be conducive to a required true conclusion (Sarri 115). On the other hand, the premises, whenever true, have to assure the truth of the inference. Otherwise, if the premises were to be false (true) and the inference were to be true (false) that would result in a paradox (Sarri 115). Ultimately, several critical thinking specialists or logicians may describe deductions as initiating a general statement to draw a general or, more broadly, a specific inference. Clearly, there are exemptions to all these accepted-upon concise descriptions.
Strength and Weakness
The strengths of the deductive logic are that it is time-saving, enhances more chance for application and practice, and it is always exact. Besides, several rules of the deductive logic can be more quickly and unambiguously described (Sarri 115). However, the main weakness of the deductive logic is that it is quite formal as it promotes the view that learning a concept is just a matter of understanding the rules.
Remedy
Working as a group to reach a conclusion can make one understand a concept much better than just understanding the rules of the deductive logic. Also, one should be prepared to question the rules and norms established for the deductive logic (Sarri 115). One should not be too quick to accept the beliefs.
Linkages
The deductive logic can be applied to different personal spheres, such as reasoning, analyzing the association between variables, and can enhance my leadership tactics currently and in the future undertakings.

Works Cited
Sarri, Samuel. Applied Logic: Critical Thinking Essentials (Revised) 1st Ed. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-1-62751-872-7, 2015