THINK! Session #17, Analyzing Arguments

HumanistsMN's mission includes a commitment to "educate the public about . . . the importance of science, reason, and critical thinking." Accordingly, we are again offering THINK!, a course intended to improve participants' thinking skills. This course is adapted from material Jerry Smith taught to upper-level undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa. It has been offered to HMN participants on several occasions, most recently in 2019-20. The course consists of seventeen sessions, one or two of which will be offered each month on Saturday afternoons.

The final session of this series is intended to help participants make thoughtful analyses and assessments of arguments they encounter in print or direct verbal encounters. All such analyses, guided by the principle of charity, must strive to understand the argument, surface implicit assumptions, evaluate the argument's content, and develop a more comprehensive account of the issue, before reaching a considered conclusion. Our discussion of debate--back-and-forth argumentation with others--will offer general debating advice, argument construction ploys, as well as offensive and defensive moves. Much of this session will be devoted to in-depth analysis of specific arguments.

While the course material is cumulative--each session draws on its predecessors--participants can still benefit if they were unable to attend earlier sessions. The course is taught using PowerPoint presentations; copies of the presentations for previous sessions can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e416ZnchBVWzOt0WhWkEvo-MU18CR1v7

Although a lot of material will be covered, each session includes considerable time for attendee participation, as by identifying thinking mistakes, analyzing arguments, and responding to discussion questions.

So, if you've wanted to develop new thinking skills (or refurbish old ones), do come! Interested participants are welcome to join us after the event for dinner at Vina, a moderately priced Vietnamese restaurant located at 756 Cleveland Avenue South, a few blocks from the library.

This event is sponsored by HumanistsMN, an organization that acknowledges the dignity and worth of all people, celebrates our common humanity, and promotes widespread human flourishing. If you are not already a member of HumanistsMN, please consider joining to help us cover our costs and build the humanist movement. Sign up at humanistsmn.org.