How to make assumptions
Science workspage 13 of 21previous | as we might like to avoid it, all scientific tests involve making assumptions — many of them justified. This test is straightforward, but still relies on many assumptions: we assume that the bacteria can grow on the growth medium, we assume that substance b does not affect bacterial growth, we assume that one day is long enough for colonies to grow, and we assume that the color pen we use to mark the outside of the dishes is not influencing bacterial growth. Technically, these are all assumptions, but they are perfectly reasonable ones that can be tested. The scientist performing the experiment described above would justify many of her assumptions by performing additional tests in parallel with the experimental ones.
And some assumptions might remain untested simply because all of our knowledge about the field suggests that the assumption is a safe one (e. All tests involve assumptions, but most of these are assumptions that can and have been verified separately. Nevertheless, when evaluating an idea in light of test results, it's important to keep in mind the test's assumptions and how well-supported they are. And if the test results end up lending support to the idea, it might be because the idea is correct and should be accepted, or it might be because a violated assumption has produced a false positive scientific tests involve making assumptions can be independently tested, increasing our confidence in our test complex hypotheses — for example, regarding the earth's atmosphere — sometimes rely on many sub-hypotheses, or assumptions.
To see an example of how changes in these assumptions can affect the over-arching hypothesis, check out the story ozone depletion: uncovering the hidden hazard of the assumptions that are part of a particular test are also, in a sense, hypotheses — ideas about how something works that could be correct or incorrect. To find out, visit bundle up your of science is based on a few fundamental assumptions that transcend any individual experiment or study. To learn what these are, visit basic assumptions of ing ideas: other is within the scientific | about | copyright | credits and collaborations | contact | subscribe | t is thinking, thinking is al thinking in every domain of knowledge and intellectual standards to assess student le intellectual sal intellectual ng with analysis & assessment of ry of critical thinking guishing between inert information, activated ignorance, activated al thinking: identifying the guishing between inferences and al thinking development: a stage ng a critic of your nd russell on critical ate this page from english... In this article we focus on two of the elements of reasoning: inferences and assumptions.
Beliefs, and hence assumptions, can be unjustified or justified, depending upon whether we do or do not have good reasons for them. My inference was based on the assumption (my prior belief) that only the cat makes that noise, and that he makes it only when he wants to be let in. We humans naturally and regularly use our beliefs as assumptions and make inferences based on those assumptions. We must do so to make sense of where we are, what we are about, and what is happening.
We make judgments, form interpretations, and come to conclusions based on the beliefs we have formed. So quickly and automatically do we make inferences that we do not, without training, notice them as inferences. We listen to what people say and make a series of inferences as to what they mean. As we write, we make inferences as to what readers will make of what we are writing.
We make inferences as to the clarity of what we are saying, what requires further explanation, what has to be exemplified or illustrated, and what does not. This includes the recognition that our experiences are shaped by the inferences we make during those experiences. Eventually we need to realize that the inferences we make are heavily influenced by our point of view and the assumptions we have made about people and situations. These inferences are based on different assumptions about the conditions under which people end up in gutters.
The reasoning of these two people, in terms of their inferences and assumptions, could be characterized in the following way: person one person two situation: a man is lying in the gutter. Critical thinkers notice the inferences they are making, the assumptions upon which they are basing those inferences, and the point of view about the world they are developing. To develop these skills, students need practice in noticing their inferences and then figuring the assumptions that lead to them. As students become aware of the inferences they make and the assumptions that underlie those inferences, they begin to gain command over their thinking.
Because all human thinking is inferential in nature, command of thinking depends on command of the inferences embedded in it and thus of the assumptions that underlie it. Every time we interpret our actions, every time we give them a meaning, we are making one or more inferences on the basis of one or more assumptions. As humans, we continually make assumptions about ourselves, our jobs, our mates, our students, our children, the world in general. The question then becomes: “how can students begin to recognize the inferences they are making, the assumptions on which they are basing those inferences, and the point of view, the perspective on the world that they are forming?
For one thing, all disciplined subject-matter thinking requires that students learn to make accurate assumptions about the content they are studying and become practiced in making justifiable inferences within that content. In each case, the assumptions students make depend on their understanding of fundamental concepts and principles. Once they have identified these inferences, we can ask them to figure out the assumptions that led to those inferences. When we give them routine practice in identifying inferences and assumptions, they begin to see that inferences will be illogical when the assumptions that lead to them are not justifiable.
They begin to see that whenever they make an inference, there are other (perhaps more logical) inferences they could have made. We can also help students think about the inferences they make in daily situations, and the assumptions that lead to those inferences. As they become skilled in identifying their inferences and assumptions, they are in a better position to question the extent to which any of their assumptions is justified. The point is that we all make many assumptions as we go about our daily life and we ought to be able to recognize and question them.
Back to guishing between inferences and assumptions sublinks:Content is thinking, thinking is al thinking in every domain of knowledge and intellectual standards to assess student le intellectual sal intellectual ng with analysis & assessment of ry of critical thinking guishing between inert information, activated ignorance, activated al thinking: identifying the guishing between inferences and al thinking development: a stage ng a critic of your nd russell on critical viewing articles in our online library, please contribute to our work. Are some common mistakes to watch out for when evaluating assumptions:Mistake #1: the assumption is bad because there is no is a mistake to say that the assumption fails because there is no evidence. If an assumption is wrong because there is no evidence, that is the same as saying all assumptions are wrong. Obviously this cannot be point of evaluating assumptions is to figure out whether they could be proven, not to say they have not been proven.
All it has done is say that there is an assumption, and then made the mistake of implying that all assumptions are bad by people believe that all assumptions are bad, because you must prove every claim in your argument. Generally, however, even if we cannot know for sure, we can certainly make an educated guess. Often, however, they actually make the claim more convincing because they leave room for exceptions.
