Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively
Want to solve a murder mystery? What caused your computer to fail? Who can you trust in your everyday life? In this course, you will learn how to analyze and assess five common forms of inductive arguments: generalizations from samples, applications of generalizations, inference to the best explanation, arguments from analogy, and causal reasoning.
Monthly Subscription Starting at AED 99 + VAT
- Level Foundation
- Duration 24 hours
- Course by Duke University
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Offered by
About
Want to solve a murder mystery? What caused your computer to fail? Who can you trust in your everyday life? In this course, you will learn how to analyze and assess five common forms of inductive arguments: generalizations from samples, applications of generalizations, inference to the best explanation, arguments from analogy, and causal reasoning. The course closes by showing how you can use probability to help make decisions of all sorts. Suggested Readings Students who want more detailed explanations or additional exercises or who want to explore these topics in more depth should consult Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic, Ninth Edition, Concise, Chapters 8-12, by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Robert Fogelin. Course Format Each week will be divided into multiple video segments that can be viewed separately or in groups. There will be short ungraded quizzes after each segment (to check comprehension) and a longer graded quiz at the end of the course.Modules
Introduction
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1
Videos
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1
Readings
1
Videos
- Introduction to the Specialization
1
Readings
- Course Logistics (Start Here)
A New Way to Argue
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1
Videos
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2
Discussion
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- What Is Induction?
2
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: Which Is Better?
- Share Your Thoughts: When to Trust Inductive Arguments
1
Videos
- What Is Induction?
Generalizations
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4
Videos
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5
Discussion
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3
Assignment
3
Assignment
- Generalizations from Samples
- When are Generalizations Strong?
- Applying Generalizations
5
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: Inductive Generalizations
- Share Your Thoughts: Large Samples
- Share Your Thoughts: Biased Samples
- Share Your Thoughts: Applications
- Share Your Thoughts: Conflicting Reference Classes
4
Videos
- Generalizations from Samples
- When are Generalizations Strong?
- Applying Generalizations
- Another Example of Applying Generalizations (Optional)
Explanations and Analogies
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4
Videos
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6
Discussion
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4
Assignment
4
Assignment
- Inference to the Best Explanation
- Which Explanation Is Best?
- A Student Example: Inference to the Best Explanation
- Arguments from Analogy
6
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: Are They Inductive?
- Share Your Thoughts: Are They Expanations?
- Share Your Thoughts: Which Explanation Is Better?
- Share Your Thoughts: Explanatory Virtues
- Share Your Thoughts: Are They Different?
- Share Your Thoughts: Legal Precedents
4
Videos
- Inference to the Best Explanation
- Which Explanation Is Best?
- A Student Example of Inference to the Best Explanation
- Arguments from Analogy
What Is a Cause?
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1
Videos
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2
Discussion
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Causal Reasoning
2
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: General Rules
- Share Your Thoughts: Sufficient or Necessary?
1
Videos
- Causal Reasoning
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
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5
Videos
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4
Discussion
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5
Assignment
5
Assignment
- Negative Sufficient Condition Tests
- Positive Sufficient Condition Tests
- Negative Necessary Condition Tests
- Positive Necessary Condition Tests
- Complex Conditions
4
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: What Is Normal?
- Share Your Thoughts: Adding Further Qualifications
- Share Your Thoughts: From Sufficient to Necessary
- Share Your Thoughts: Necessary Conjunctions
5
Videos
- Negative Sufficient Condition Tests
- Positive Sufficient Condition Tests
- Negative Necessary Condition Tests
- Positive Necessary Condition Tests
- Complex Conditions
Causal Confustions
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3
Videos
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1
Discussion
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Correlation Versus Causation
- Causal Fallacies
1
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: When Does Manipulation Work?
3
Videos
- Correlation Versus Causation
- Causal Fallacies
- A Student Example: Causal Reasoning About Chocolate
Taking Chances
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2
Videos
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4
Discussion
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Why Probability Matters
- What Is Probability?
4
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: The Gambler's Fallacy
- Share Your Thoughts: The Representativeness Heuristic
- Share Your Thoughts: Apriori and Statistical Probability
- Share Your Thoughts: Subjective Probablilty
2
Videos
- Why Probability Matters
- What Is Probability?
Rules of Probability
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5
Videos
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4
Discussion
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5
Assignment
5
Assignment
- Negation
- Conjunction
- Disjunction
- Series
- Bayes Theorem (Optional)
4
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: Determining Independence
- Share Your Thoughts: Winning the Lottery
- Share Your Thoughts: Playing the Lottery for Ten Years
- Share Your Thoughts: Trusting Doctors
5
Videos
- Negation
- Conjunction
- Disjunction
- Series
- Bayes Theorem (Optional)
Chancy Choices
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3
Videos
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2
Discussion
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Expected Financial Value
- Expected Overall Value
2
Discussions
- Share Your Thoughts: Rationality Under Uncertainty
- Share Your Thoughts: There's More to Life than Money
3
Videos
- Expected Financial Value
- Expected Overall Value
- The Sausage Argument: A Student Argument About Decision Making
Final Quiz
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Final Quiz
Auto Summary
"Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively" is a foundational Health & Fitness course taught by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Robert Fogelin on Coursera. Learn to solve mysteries, analyze computer failures, and assess trustworthiness by mastering five types of inductive reasoning. The course spans 1440 minutes, featuring video segments and quizzes. Subscription options include Starter and Professional. Ideal for those looking to enhance decision-making skills using probability and logic.
Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
Dr. Ram Neta