MET 3460 Critical Thinking
MET 3460 Critical Thinking
Thinking in a critical and scientific manner has always been a foundational skill in philosophy, psychology, economics, mathematics, and political science. This course aims to provide each candidate with a basic understanding of how claims should be addressed and evaluated according to logical and scientific principles. The course provides a fundamental scientific education and concrete skills to better evaluate claims openly, critically, and scientifically. This way, candidates will be better equipped to navigate a business world characterized by both rationality and obvious unscientific thinking.
- Basic principles of scientific and critical thinking
- Familiarity with elementary logic
- Understanding of randomness and probability
- Understanding of Bayes' Theorem
- Knowledge of rational actor theory and expected utility
- Knowledge of Statistical Decision Theory and Game Theory
- Knowledge of causal relationships and correlations
- Knowledge of common logical and statistical fallacies
- Ability to evaluate claims according to logical and scientific criteria
- Ability to use Bayesian thinking and to consider base rates when estimating probability
- Ability to use Bayesian thinking to update assumptions with new information
- Ability to recognize when fallacies occur because causal assumptions are inferred from correlation data
- Ability to predict the most likely outcome in simple games, according to Game Theory
- Recognition of one's own and others' cognitive fallacies that lead to unscientific thinking
- Understanding the importance of rational and scientific thinking in all disciplines
- Approaching any new claim with openness and curiosity, but also demanding scientific and logical validity
- Recognizing the vulnerability of human rational abilities, and the risks this poses at a societal level
- Humility in one's own rationality, acknowledging personal biases in judgment Can you translate this to English?
- What is rationality - and how rational are humans?
- Why our judgments often deviate from rational ideals
- Logic and critical thinking
- Probability and randomness
- Updating assumptions with new knowledge - Bayesian thinking
- Rational actor theory and expected utility
- Signal detection theory and Statistical Decision Theory
- Game theory
- Correlation and causation
- Common logical and statistical fallacies
- The importance of critical and scientific thinking in the future
The main learning activity in the course will be attending lectures and reading the curriculum. As the nature of the subject requires reflection, dialogue, and argumentation, longer and more varied teaching days are necessary. Therefore, there will be 7 lectures, each lasting 4 hours, totaling 28 hours. In addition, there will be two synchronous webinars, one at the beginning and one at the end of the course, each lasting one hour.
In addition to synchronous and asynchronous learning resources, a digital exercise booklet will be available for purchase through the mobile application Pugg. This is an optional learning tool.
No specific prerequisites are required.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: School Exam Form of assessment: Written School Exam - digital Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 100 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 4 Hour(s) Exam code: MET 34601 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 30 Hour(s) | |
Digital resources
| 15 Hour(s) | |
Prepare for teaching | 70 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 76 Hour(s) | |
Individual problem solving | 5 Hour(s) | |
Examination | 4 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.