/lit/ - Literature

It depends entirely on the professor. Find out which professor is more likely to give a shit about actually conveying knowledge and you will find the better course.

Critical thinking helps you find arguments. Logic helps you argue them.

>>1437169
This. If no more enlightenment, do some basic reading of each. If still none, logic would be my preference, since I like paradoxes and shit.

Is this your first semester or something? Those books are cheap for textbooks.

I'd say go with Critical Thinking but this anon >>1437169 is right about the teacher. Any class can be amazing as long as you have a teacher that gives a fucking shit.

The Logic class will be more formal. It will have symbolism (like in mathematics) and will teach you how to reconstruct deductive arguments in a formal language and prove whether they are valid.

The Critical Thinking class will be about how to reason informally, in ordinary language; how to identify strong and weak arguments, informal fallacies, and so on.

>>1437180
>>1437169
I went to the Critical Thinking course and have found the professor to be funny and informative. He apparently used to work in corporate computer-type stuff. Nerdy.

I haven't heard of the other professor nor the class. I haven't sat in on it, either.
Has anyone done either of these classes before?
>>1437173
Thanks. That's an easy-to-understand way to put the gist of both courses.
>>1437182
Final year of my degree. maybe I went a little adjective-happy on "exorbitant", but they are expensive. i guess expensive is relative to not only the other classes, but to the students who buy them.
i know compendiums and anthologies are often pricey. but pricey, they are. for me, at least.

>>1437187
I was leaning towards this, too, tbh. If you don't mind, why would you go for this over logic?

>>1437206
In my experience logicians are eccentric. Like, moreso. The courses are usually harder than they look at first, then are easier when you get the gist of it.

>>1437205
Hm. Dude. You just made this harder! Both of those options sound really interesting, right?
I've read (parts of) books on Formal and Informal logic and have toyed with the both some very basic symbolism-based deductive arguments, and also have touched on the idea of fallacies and the different ones there are. Which class do you think you'd find more interesting?

Take logic now and critical thinking in a future semester.

>>1437216
Interesting. Is it ironic that one might become eccentric if they teach logic?
(Probably a false friend--something that looks like it would be ironic, but then, upon closer inspection of, say, the definitions of key words, isn't ironic at all.)
I don't mind an eccentric professor, or tough classes, but I do like things that challenge my mind and may be useful in real life (I apologize to all of /lit/ for that last sentence; it leaves such an awful taste in my mouth).

>>1437218

I would prefer the logic course, but that's because I read lots of analytic philosophy, which often presupposes familiarity with formal logic. I think of critical thinking courses as kind of preparatory courses for the real thing, i.e. logic. However, if you aren't really interested in going further in philosophy, it could well be that the more formal logic course is a bit pointless; the critical thinking course could well be more applicable in day to day life. The formal course will give you a deeper appreciation for what makes arguments good or bad, but at the same time you won't have many opportunities, outside of philosophy and mathematics, to really put the formal methods to use.

>>1437221
This, sadly (and happily), is my final semester.

>>1437237
I like to think they just see the total joke and irrationality of everything.

>>1437283
hahahahafair.

SO, FYI:
CRITICAL THINKING IT SHALL BE.
As always, you've been a great help. Thank you, /lit/.

>>1437206

In my first semester of Med school I had to buy 13 textbooks, 10 of them were more expensive than either one of those.

"Critical Thinking" courses are about making unbiased decisions -- where "bias" is any influence that gets in the way of good decision making.

Google "Predicable Irrational" by Dan Ariely. If you love what he talks about, or dislike it so much you want to work out all of his arguments' flaws, then I'd bet you'd love the course. If you read it and go, "meh," then Critical Thinking won't be your cup of tea.

>>1437347
I can totally see this being true. My sister, who is in med school, has books that probably make mine look inexpensive.
>>1437392
Thank you. VERY MUCH. googling now.