Chapter 1: Glossary

This glossary follows the organization of the textbook and other areas of this Web site and contains short definitions for all the important terms and concepts from the chapter. You will also find hyperlinks to Websites relevant to the study of these terms and concepts. You should employ good critical thinking when evaluating the merit of any information you find on the World Wide Web, including what you find by following these links.

Argument:  A set of claims, one of which, known as the conclusion, is supposed to be supported by the rest, known as reasons or premises. 

Claim:  A statement that is either true or false. 

Conclusion:  In an argument, the claim that is argued for. 

Critical Thinking:  The careful and deliberate determination of whether to accept, reject, or suspend judgment about a claim. 

• Center for Critical Thinking Library at criticalthinking.org: Links to articles on critical thinking.

• Critical Thinking Links: Selection of links to critical thinking sites.

• Critical Thinking Resources at Longview Community College: An extensive collection of good, general information about critical thinking.  Includes a section on pseudoreasoning and links to other relevant information.

• Critical Thinking Links:  Another collection of links to critical thinking information on the Web.

• Mission Critical's site (San Jose State University's Critical Thinking Web Page):  Good general site for information on all aspects of critical thinking: argument, argument analysis, fallacies, etc.

• Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking: An organization devoted to the ideals of critical thinking.

• Critical Thinking Links: Site includes links to critical thinking definitions, discussions, organizations, resources, puzzles, etc.

• Why is Critical Thinking so Critical??:  Links to sites that will attempt to answer this question.

Fact:  A claim that is either true or for which there is excellent evidence or justification.   Sometimes “fact” is used for the circumstances asserted by such a claim, as when we say that a claim “states a fact.”  This means only that the claim is true or that there is excellent evidence or justification for it.  

Factual Matter (matter of fact):  An issue that there are generally accepted means of settling, whether or not it has actually been settled. 

Issue:  A point that is or might be disputed, debated, or wondered about. Issues are often introduced by the word “whether,” as in the example “whether this train goes to Chattanooga.” 

Truth Value:  A necessary characteristic of a claim; that it be either true or false.  However, it is not necessary that this value be known. 

• Truth Value: An explanation of the concept.

• "Theories of Truth": A lecture by Norman Swartz of the Dept. of Philosophy at Simon Fraser University, 1997.

Matter of opinion:  An issue that there are no generally accepted means of settling.

Opinion:  A claim that somebody believes to be true. 

Premise:  The claim or claims in an argument that provide the reasons for believing the conclusion.