3.7 Critical Thinking and Living Well

Flashcards reviewing the importance of critical thinking for dignity, authenticity, and living well, according to Professor J. Goldwater's lecture.

Why is it hard to think critically?

Critical thinking takes effort, credulity is easier. System 1 vs. 2, Clifford and discipline, fact-checking vs. echo chambers, disagreeing feels bad, admitting you were wrong feels bad.

Ancient/traditional philosophical questions

How should I (one) live? What makes for a good life? (a life well-lived?)

Hedonism

Pleasure is the only or highest value; the good life is the pleasurable life.

The Experience Machine

A philosophical thought-experiment where you can be hooked up to a machine and have a great simulated life

Objections to Hedonism

Sometimes we want things that make our lives worse; sometimes we want things that aren’t worth wanting; Many pleasures are meaningless/ empty/ feel bad afterwards; Pleasure can conflict with other values, esp. morality

Alternative to Hedonism

Views that emphasize flourishing, developing potential, and improving the world

Flourishing

Growing/developing, especially in a healthy or vigorous way

Eudaimonia

Often transl ‘happiness’, but not just subjective pleasure… Literally “good spirit”, Aristotle identified it as the highest good for a human life

Arête

Virtue/excellence

Virtue vs. Vice

Virtues are excellences, vices are corruptions

Aristotle's Doctrine of the Golden Mean

Recklessness and cowardice are vices (extremes of excess and deficiency); bravery is the virtuous middle ground

Etymology of Character

Means “stamping tool, distinctive mark”

Lynch's True to Life Argument

Caring about truth is part of good character, and living a good life

Intellectual Courage

Face up to the truth (even if painful/inconvenient), vs. afraid to face truth

Intellectual Vices

Dogmatic/closed-minded, (over)confident, arrogant, incurious, Intolerant of disagreement, certain one’s right, doesn’t justify with arguments/reasons; uses force, threats, insults, intimidation

Integrity

Honesty, having strong moral principles: being integrated, unified, whole/undivided

Aristotelian Model of Intergrity

The integration of all the virtues; leading a consistent, moral, excellent life

Integrity

Virtue typically understood as honesty, having strong moral principles

Authenticity

The authentic person is real/genuine.. To be authentic requires truly knowing oneself/ knowing one’s true self

Synthesizing

Caring for truth is an essential part of living a good life, having a good character, and displaying virtue/excellence

Dignity

Being worthy of respect

Authenticity

Being true/real/genuine

Living Well

Developing one’s full capacities

The Challenge of Critical Thinking

But what kind of person chooses propaganda/staying in the bubble/ echo chamber, Don’t question, don’t examine beliefs/assumptions, filter out those inconvenient truths?