Illogical Thinking

Blog post assignment:

• Distinguish between the following selection of mistakes in reasoning:
• skepticism, evasive agnosticism, narrow-mindedness
• Describe an actual or hypothetical situation to illustrate how one of the attitudes listed above is a problem in reasoning. 

Skepticism: There is a time and a place for skepticism in sound reasoning. In doubtful situations, we should respond with doubt. In addition, selective skepticism is basically reserving judgement until there is a sufficient amount of evidence present to be able to judge fairly and responsibly. Furthermore, there are two different types of skeptics in the world. The first type is known as the extreme skeptic. This person does not claim anything except that there is no truth. The other type of skeptic is known as the moderate skeptic. This person is prepared to concede that the truth may exist somewhere in the world. However, they also say that if that truth really does exist, the human mind is incapable of obtaining it.

Evasive agnosticism: An agnostic is a person who maintains the idea that he lacks enough knowledge to be able to make a definite judgement about a certain issue or topic. Evasive agnosticism is usually used when it comes to religion, however, an agnostic attitude really can be taken toward any subject at all. The difference between the agnostic and the skeptic is that the agnostic does not deny the existence of truth or its attainability. An agnostic usually claims ignorance as to the truth of a certain matter. People are normally thought of being truly agnostic when they admit to an ignorance that is really theirs. Furthermore, evasive agnosticism is generally thought to be the attitude that tries to pass off vincible ignorance as if it were invincible. The person who succumbs to agnosticism uses ignorance as an excuse instead of a reason. This is usually thought of as laziness on that person's part.

Narrow-mindedness: People say that the whole purpose of logic is to discover the truth. A narrow-minded person refuses to consider certain possibilities or alternatives that they have never considered before because they do not meet their prejudiced assumptions about what is and what is not worth pursuing.

Describe an actual or hypothetical situation to illustrate how one of the attitudes listed above is a problem in reasoning:

Narrow-mindedness is a very big problem when it comes to reasoning. It limits the person's thought process, and prevents them from seeing and understanding things from a different point of view. In addition, narrow-mindedness also prevents the knower from trying to understand and grasp the underlying concept. It does not allow people to see the whole picture and to understand the true meaning behind something new and important. An example of how narrow-mindedness is very limiting when it comes to reasoning goes as follows: If  a narrow-minded person has previously been bitten by a dog, then they automatically think that all dogs bite. Therefore, they would not allow any dog to go to a park due to the fact that one dog bit them in the past. Never mind the fact that the dogs will be with their owners, and never mind the fact that some dogs are very sweet and loving. Because that person was bitten by one dog in the past, they cannot open their minds to the thought that some dogs might be different.