Abstract
Discusses problems of thinking and problem solving. Basic methods of thinking (logical, analytical, scientific, ratiocinative, emotive, intuitive). Major forms of thinking processes. The logical thinker. The critical thinker. The counterfactual thinker. Barriers to achieving high levels of critical thinking skills. How people acquire, structure and process information.

From the Paper
"Critical Thinking Styles and Forms of Influence

Introduction
An excellent thinker is a person who can approach an analysis with an open mind; one who can digest the information presented, separate the relevant from the irrelevant, and come to logical conclusions regardless of any prior knowledge about a situation or any perceptions, pet ideas, or biases" (Altier, 1999). This quote from William Altier,in his book, The Thinking Manager s Toolbox, defines the challenge of providing a concise guide to the problems of thinking and problem solving.

There are, says Altier, as many ways of thinking and analyzing problems as there are people. Some of the basic methods of thinking are logical, analytical, scientific, ratiocinative, emotive, intuitive, and so on. However, there are certain ..."

Abstract
This paper is an intriguing philosophical approach at solving the problem with evil. It discusses the conversations and writings of Philosopher Swinburne and the antitheodicist. Arguments are presented between Swinburne and the antitheodicist and an attempt is made to answer the question; does Swinburne succeed in solving the problem?

From the Paper
"There shouldn't be any evils that are not caused by men, such as plagues, earthquakes, natural disasters, AIDS, cancer, and disease to name some of them. Swinburne explains that these tragedies and misfortunes allow men to do noble acts. The September 11th tragedy is a classic example. The entire city of New York came together and sacrificed lives, money, time, and effort to help others. Their crime rates dropped to the lowest ever of that city."

Tags:evil, paper, philosophy, problem, swinburne

Abstract
This paper examines how Nietzsche ultimately argues that Kantian reason in justifying the categorical imperative is enslaving. It explains that not only is the logic of the categorical imperative enslaving, but also it is ultimately cruel because it restricts the freedom of individuals and holds back the good from prospering. The categorical imperative argues that there is an inherent value to morality and that doing one's moral duty is an imperative.

From the Paper
"Kant further argues that actions can only be called moral if they are undertaken only for their own sake without regard to their ends and without regard to the specific of the situation. One must be willing to will his actions as a universal law in order for them to be considered moral. Nietzsche soundly denies this concept, arguing that morals don't have intrinsic value but derive their meaning from a historical event. Morals are contextual, and, even worse, a degradation and perversion of the natural order. Nietzsche discusses the manner in which morality developed to enslave the stronger among humanity, and how this historical "slave revolt in morality" has served to cruelly enslave man. Nietzsche believes that "bad conscience" has served to enslave humanity and pervades all of culture, rendering it cruel, harmful, and unnatural. In science, Nietzsche momentarily locates the possibility of an antidote to the morality of "good and evil," but due to the significance it places on truth, Nietzsche ultimately dismisses it, too. Only by transcending conventional Judeo-Christian morality can the cruelty of the culture of the categorical imperative ultimately be overcome."

Tags:logic, enslaving, morality

Abstract
This paper discusses 'faulty analogy,' 'slippery slope argument,' and 'red herring' and shows how these logical fallacies have had a detrimental effect on critical thinking and decision making. The paper also points out that critical thinking and decisions in the area of ethics seem to be particularly vulnerable to logical fallacies.

From the Paper
"Faulty analogies, such as the example cited above, are common since it is easy to become impressed by a connection or two and then see an analogy where there really isn't one (O'Rourke, 2001, Ch.7, para 22). Surprisingly, even organizations often make business decisions based on faulty analogies. Take, for example, the mistakes made by Disney Parks and Resorts in France. Based on the successful replication of its U.S. theme parks in Japan, Disney assumed that the same business model would work in Paris as well. Euro Disney, however, proved to be a very different story in terms of operations. While there were some similarities in customer preferences, the differences proved to be far stronger. For instance, one of the biggest differences, which proved to be a costly error for Disney, was that Europeans treated theme parks as places for day excursions."

Tags:red, herring, faulty, analogy

Abstract
In the philosophy of law, two competing factions each offer compelling arguments as to the basic nature, origin, authority and responsibility of law. These two theories are known as Natural Law Theory and Legal Positivism. This paper shows that while there are many disagreements between the two theories, at the heart of the argument is the questionable relationship between law and morality. The paper examines how Natural Law Theorists argue that there is an essential and innate overlap between law and morality, while Legal Positivists argue that while the decisions of law and morality do occasionally overlap, there is no natural relationship between them.

From the Paper
"Legal Positivists rely on a sovereign to legislate law; this sovereign,
whether it be a monarch, an aristocracy, an elected parliament, or any other person or body that writes the law for a society. For a sovereign to be considered as such, most, if not all, of the population must follow the sovereign's laws, and there must be a threat of force to enforce the law. If either of these conditions are not met, the leader cannot claim to be a true sovereign entity. Also, the sovereign cannot be subject to another sovereign's authority, such as God; if a sovereign is to be the head of a society and the maker of laws, she must be invulnerable to persuasion or else she is not a sovereign."

Tags:Judeo-Christian, John, Stuart, Mill, Jeremy, Bentham, Hobbes

Abstract
This paper examines three logical fallacies namely: Begging the Question, Hasty Generalization and Appealing to Emotion. It presents examples of such fallacies in contemporary society and ties them into the concept of critical thinking.

From the Paper
"The Appeal to Emotion fallacy is committed when someone manipulates peoples' emotions in order to get them to accept a claim as being true (Labossiere, 1995). This is very common in politics and it serves as the basis for a large portion of modern advertising. Most political speeches are aimed at stirring and steering feelings in people to get them to vote or act a certain way. In the case of advertising, the commercials are aimed at evoking emotions that will influence people to buy specific products."

Tags:freedom, of, speech, media, prejudice

Abstract
This paper covers both Descartes's ontological argument and cosmological argument for the existence of God as well as their counter arguments. It also looks at other philosophers such as Kierkegaard to Kant and their arguments for the existence or non-existence of God. The Cartesian Circle is also discussed along with the 'free will defence argument' and self-originating principles.

From the Paper
"The reasoning behind why Descartes decided to try to prove the existence of God stems from his need to do so. Descartes needed to prove the existence of God in order to back up his theory of logic and reasoning and in particular his notions of 'clear and distinct ideas'. These clear and distinct ideas that Descartes has stem from his statement that if he can "perceive something very clearly and distinctly" , then he "can not but believe it to be true" . Indeed Descartes wants God "as a guarantor of the truth of any proposition that anyone...find indubitable while having it distinctly in mind" . Furthermore, Descartes is compelled to try to prove the existence of God because he is incredibly doubtful of everything around him in the exterior world. In fact Descartes' rationalism and constant doubting of his knowledge as a form of his logical reasoning leads hims to the conclusion that he cannot actually imagine an exterior world. "

Tags:cosmological, ontological, Kant, Kierkegaard

Abstract
A critical analysis of the philosophies of Socrates. The author discusses Socrates' ideas and concepts about true happiness and pursuing God's will. It includes criticism and application to today's society.

From the Paper
"Socrates' philosophy has existed since before the birth of Jesus Christ. He recorded his thoughts concerning personal and political issues, giving his detailed and amazingly well thought out positions on each. He questioned everything around him, and discussed them with his friends and students, an exercise known as philosophizing. Socrates deemed that a truly happy man does not require material goods. He argued that it would be in one's best interest to consult a wise person before making an important decision, and that we should each comply with God's intentions above all others?. These arguments have been debated for centuries by many, and should be considered still, since they are important and relevant today, more than 2,000 years later."

Tags:apology, ethic, ethical, history, literature, moral, philosophy, plato, republic, western, wisdom, greek

Abstract
This paper is an examination of Descartes book, "Meditations on First Philosophy." The author examines the steps that Descartes took in order to prove his hypothesis that God is a deceiver. He examines three different proofs and shows how Descartes comes to these realizations only after a careful and logical thought process in which he tears down and rebuilds everything that he believes in.

From the Paper
"Now he bases the rest of his proof off of these three observations. Because he has been convinced that something comes from something, the idea he has of God had to have been created by something, either himself or something else. He then states that he is finite and imperfect, and thus he cannot have an idea of the infinite and perfect on his own. He, being finite and imperfect, is not as powerful as the thought he has of an infinite and perfect God. Therefore, because he is not powerful enough to create this idea, it must have come from some other source."

Tags:descartes, god, proof, existence, logic, argument, observations, definition

Abstract
This paper concerns the philosophy of the mind and attempts to answer the question of whether dualism provides an acceptable account of the mind. In doing so, the fundamental arguments and problems associated with dualism are discussed and analyzed. This paper assesses the plausibility of a number of different forms of dualism such as Descarte's cartesian dualism, property dualism and epiphenomenalism.

From the Paper
"For centuries, philosophers have debated the ontological problem of the mind. Through introspection, we know that we, and believe others possess a conscious intelligence that has the ability to register emotions, interpret sensations and perform reason. But where do such abilities originate? In what medium do they take place and how is it that our mental phenomena such as desires and beliefs seem to be able to causally act on the physical world? Dualism is just one of many theories that have sought to find answers to such intriguing questions. Unlike materialist theories that optimistically asserts that all mental phenomena can eventually be explained through physics and neurological science, dualists argue that mental phenomena is so far removed from anything physical that it requires the existence of a non-physical entity or property. Since, as yet science is unable to fully explain all mental phenomena such as consciousness, perhaps dualism is a plausible alternative. Is any form of dualism plausible?"

Tags:cartesian, causation, descartes, epiphenomenalism, intelligence, mind, ockham