One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is understanding what makes an argument truly strong. It’s not enough for conclusions to sound convincing; what really matters is that the premises are reasonable, supported by credible evidence, and that the reasoning is valid in deductive arguments or strong in inductive ones. Clarity, consistency, and relevance of the premises are also essential, as well as being open to challenging ideas when there are clear flaws in content or logical structure.

It’s also helpful to understand the different logical forms used in arguments, such as categorical syllogisms, disjunctions, conjunctions, and conditionals. These structures not only help us build better arguments but also identify errors or oversimplifications, as seen in the chess club example. In short, strengthening our skills in both categorical and propositional logic allows us to analyze ideas more thoroughly, consider different perspectives, and avoid jumping to conclusions.