Critical Thinking and Logic #1

Instead of writing something new about about the news, I thought I would try to do more to help people think skeptically. It seems like a lot of people don't know how to evaluate evidence, or don't even ask for any. Below is an example of a recent news story that has been thought about critically, and then a critical think activity.

A lot of the podcasts I listened to were excited to a cat that can predict death. All the articles said that whenever the cat would go and lay next to someone, they had less than four hours to live. This was in a nursing home in New England(correct me if that's not right). The staff went so far as to call the family as soon as the cat would choose the next to die.

This is a good example to show how skepticism works. Instead of just believing the article's claims. You stop and think logically about them. Here are a few things you may notice in an article like this.

1. Magic - That should make you question instantly. Anytime something involves Magic, be it wizardry, miracles, or in this case psychic ability, raise the red flag.

2. Stats - If the article doesn't say how many times this death cat has successfully predicted death, or how many times it has messed up, it probably means it is a small number. Definitely small enough to be a coincidence, or they overlooked when the cat slept with someone and they didn't die. People love to believe extraordinary things and forget whatever goes against there point.

So this is something where there clearly isn't enough evidence to believe what we are being told. If they come back with a full study with enough, WELL-ANALYZED evidence, that COULDN'T BE ANYTHING ELSE skeptics and scientists will have no problem accepting this as fact, IF the evidence actually is strong and can support it. Science would love to research a Psychic Cat if it were real. I would. There simply isn't any evidence to make us believe psychic cats are real.

Now here is a game they play on the podcast Skeptics Guide to The Universe, it's called name that logically fallacy. Don't worry, if you don't know the fallacies, I'll explain the answer. Just try to figure out the reasons that some people just consider it as true.

"You go to school one day, and your English teacher starts telling you a story about a cat that can predict death. So without question you believe here."

What was the logical fallacy?

Argument from authority:
Stating that a claim is true because a person or group of perceived authority says it is true. Often this argument is implied by emphasizing the many years of experience, or the formal degrees held by the individual making a specific claim. It is reasonable to give more credence to the claims of those with the proper background, education, and credentials, or to be suspicious of the claims of someone making authoritative statements in an area for which they cannot demonstrate expertise. But the truth of a claim should ultimately rest on logic and evidence, not the authority of the person promoting it.