Critical Thinking

Sneaky, Sneaky What Did You Just Say to Me?

In logical arguments, claims come in neutral forms – without the “bells and whistles” that evoke our emotions. When persuasive strategies are used to mix in language containing emotive force, language which suggests something without outright saying it, or language that is vague, we are no longer considering a logical

Critical Thinking
tooth-fairy-wishful-thinking fallacy

Don’t Fall for That Fallacy, Part Two

A fallacy is a mistake in reasoning that is often accidental. However, sometimes people use faulty logic on purpose to fool others. Protect yourself from being duped by finding out as much as possible about the different types of fallacies, including those below. Ad Hominem Fallacy: Says Who? Someone committing

Critical Thinking
deductive-versus-inductive-reasoning-for-kids

Deductive Versus Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning can be an effective way to convince someone. You probably reason with others every day. For example, you may have to persuade your brother to share the last few sips of his strawberry milkshake. Two kinds of reasoning, deductive and inductive, illustrate why some methods of persuasion are more

Critical Thinking
euphemisms dysphemisms examples for kids

Euphemisms and Dysphemisms

People use euphemisms and dysphemisms to enhance what they really mean or to avoid directly saying something nasty about a person, place or idea. These terms give you an easier way to talk about something you find very scary or very embarrassing and let you lighten discussions that are disturbing

Critical Thinking

Visual Rhetoric

Visual rhetoric communicates themes and ideas through images, color and text style. Art, display ads and web pages can all convey visual rhetoric. It is similar to spoken or written rhetoric in its use of specific conventions to communicate, convince, caution or critique. It can be: • Informational to educate

Rhetoric

9 Examples of Rhetorical Slanters

Slanters are the bells and whistles, the devices that praise, censure, downplay, obscure, or distract. They are words that are used to convince on an emotional, rather than logical, level. Words like good, tasty, and vibrant are positive slanters while words such as bad, sour, and dull are negative slanters. Using

Critical Thinking
how to fact check information

How to Fact Check

Wondering how to Fact Check? For works that are purportedly “non-fiction,” how do we know what we are reading, hearing, or seeing is true? Fact checkers have the job of conducting quick and accurate research to weigh in on the truthfulness of a work. Do journalists always fact check? How

Rhetoric

The 5 Canons of Rhetoric

The Five Canons of Rhetoric In classical rhetoric, five basic principles form the bones of rhetorical speech, and encompass a system for crafting powerful speeches. Note that most of these canons apply to the written word as well. 1. Invention (develop and define your arguments) 2. Disposition (organize your arguments) 3. Style (determine your figures