🧠 Critical Thinking – Daniel Desmond Deasy

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Understand and apply key concepts in critical thinking:
   • Reason, Cognitive Bias, Argument, Inference, Premise, Conclusion, Evidence, Inferential Strength, Valid Argument, Sound Argument, Fallacy, Paradox
2. Identify and mitigate cognitive biases
3. Assess the strength of arguments:
   • Distinguish inferentially strong (logically good) vs weak (logically bad) arguments
4. Produce examples of inferentially strong and weak arguments
5. Analyze short arguments in text or speech
6. Identify different types of fallacies
7. Differentiate between belief, knowledge, lies, bullshit, and rhetoric

Instructor Information

• Name: Daniel Desmond Deasy
• Qualifications:
  • BA Philosophy (Minor in Art History), University College Cork
  • MA Philosophy, University College Cork
  • BPhil & DPhil (PhD), University of Oxford (Exeter College & St. Hilda’s College)

Assessment

• Tutorial Participation: 20%
  • Seven tutorial seminars: Weeks 3–7 and 9–10
• Exam: 80%
  • Two-hour written exam during UCD Exam Week