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SHOULD I BELIEVE IT?: A GUIDE TO CRITICAL EVALUATION
* Does the source (as far as I know ) seem to have senses which function normally for an act of observation, and a sound mind for interpretation? (“normally”? “sound”?)
* Is the source as far as I know free from the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other substance which might significantly (“significantly”?) affect the act of perception?
* Does this source have a reputation for being honest and accurate? (I realize that reputation does not necessarily reflect reality and that reputation may be misleading. Potential fallacies: ad hominem, ad verecundiam, poisoning the well)
* Does this person /book / magazine / newspaper etc. have any recognizable special interest, bias, or other motive for conscious or unconscious deception?
* Is this source an authority relevant to the topic under consideration (e.g. a doctor on medical issues)?
* Does this source acknowledge counter-arguments or limitations of its own knowledge?
* Is this source in accord with, or consistent with, other sources? (I realize that an inconsistency with other sources does not necessarily invalidate this one. )
* Are the statements free from internal contradictions and logical errors?
* Is bias observable in the selection of details, emphasis placed on those details, or slanted word choice? Does the goal seem to be to report, or to persuade?
* Do the statements use any graphs, photographs, paintings or other visual accompaniments? Are they emotionally affecting? Are they able to be checked against an independent source?
* Are the statements presented for belief supported by any form of justification? (reasoning? perception? memory? intuition? emotion? authority? revelation? faith?) Is the justification convincing for private, individual belief, for public, group belief, both or neither? (I realize that I am evaluating here.)
* Do the statements, as far as I can tell, pass truth tests?
Are the statements coherent with my prior understanding, or with the body of information already established in the field? (I realize that it may be past understanding which is faulty in the case of inconsistency.)
•Do the statements seem to correspond with reality -- or at least not be falsified by evidence?
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Critical Thinking Skills main page (with readings on media
Should I believe it?: A Guide to Evaluation
bias and manipulation of language
bias and manipulation of photographs
bias and manipulation of statistics
bias and manipulation of maps
logical fallacies
* Do I recognize in myself (not always easy!) bias for or against a particular source or set of statements? Can I detect in myself pre-judgements based on religion, race, political attitudes, nationality, sexual preference, age, musical taste, style of dress etc. which might influence my assessment of the source or the statements?
* Do I apply critical thinking to what I want to believe as well as to what I do not want to believe?
* If I use my own past experience and understanding as a basis on which to judge the plausibility of statements (coherence), how extensive is that past experience? How certain are the conclusions based upon it? Am I open to having past assumptions --even basic ones -- questioned? Am I willing to examine evidence and arguments which counter my current beliefs?
* Is it possible to separate my beliefs into private beliefs, based on whatever justification convinces me personally(e.g. religion), and public beliefs, based on justification which must convince others as well (e.g. science)? To what extent are private and public beliefs, if separable, inter-penetrating?
* What is my attitude toward belief? Should “Should I believe it?” be instead “Do I?” or “Can I?” or “Will I?” Is there an ethical dimension to what one should believe ?