---
title: "PHIL 120 · Think critically"
publisher: Maestro College (Maestro Open)
lessons: 16
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically
full: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/llms-full.txt
---

# Think critically (PHIL 120)

Practical tools to test claims, spot fallacies and biases, check sources and statistics, make better decisions and change your mind when the evidence calls for it.

Every day you are asked to believe things: headlines, ads, social media posts, statistics, friends' advice and your own first impressions. This course gives you practical tools to sort strong reasons from weak ones. You'll learn to spot claims and evidence, test arguments, catch common fallacies and mental shortcuts, check sources and numbers, make better decisions and change your mind when the evidence calls for it.

## Course objectives
- Claims, evidence and the structure of arguments
- Deductive and inductive reasoning
- Common fallacies and cognitive biases
- Evaluating sources, news, images and basic statistics
- Making decisions and updating your beliefs well

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## Lessons
### Unit 1: Claims, evidence and arguments
- [Claims, opinions and evidence](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/claims-opinions-and-evidence.md)
- [Anatomy of an argument](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/anatomy-of-an-argument.md)
- [Deductive and inductive reasoning](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/deductive-and-inductive-reasoning.md)
- [Challenge: take it apart](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/challenge-take-it-apart.md)

### Unit 2: Reasoning traps
- [Fallacies of relevance](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/fallacies-of-relevance.md)
- [Fallacies of weak reasoning](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/fallacies-of-weak-reasoning.md)
- [Cognitive biases](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/cognitive-biases.md)
- [Challenge: trap spotter](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/challenge-trap-spotter.md)

### Unit 3: Checking information
- [Evaluating sources](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/evaluating-sources.md)
- [News, social media and AI-made content](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/news-social-media-and-ai-made-content.md)
- [Numbers and statistics claims](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/numbers-and-statistics-claims.md)
- [Challenge: fact-check desk](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/challenge-fact-check-desk.md)

### Unit 4: Deciding and updating
- [Making better decisions](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/making-better-decisions.md)
- [Disagreeing well](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/disagreeing-well.md)
- [Changing your mind well](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/changing-your-mind-well.md)
- [Challenge: think it through](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/challenge-think-it-through.md)

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.
Start with lesson 1 unless the learner asks for a specific lesson. Keep track of which lesson you are on.

## When a lesson is done
Teach one lesson at a time. A lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed for it; check each with a small task or question.
When it is complete:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson N complete: <lesson title>." (use the lesson's number and title).
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, say "Lesson N+1 of 16: <title>", and ask if they're ready to start it. Start it only when they say yes.
After the last lesson, congratulate them on finishing the course.