environmental science chapter 2 critical thinking

Botkin, Keller:

Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, 9th Edition

Table Of Contents

Chapter 1: key themes in environmental science.

Chapter 2: Science as a Way of Knowing: Critical Thinking about the Environment

Chapter 3: dollars and environmental sense: economics of environmental issues, chapter 4: the big picture: systems of change, chapter 5: the human population and the environment, chapter 6: ecosystems: concepts and fundamentals, chapter 7: the biogeochemical cycles, chapter 8: environmental health, pollution, and toxicology, chapter 9: biological diversity and biological invasions, chapter 10: ecological restoration, chapter 11: agriculture, aquaculture, and the environment, chapter 12: landscapes: forest, parks, and wilderness, chapter 13: wildlife, fisheries, and endangered species, chapter 14: energy: some basics, chapter 15: fossil fuels and the environment, chapter 16: alternative energy and the environment, chapter 17: nuclear energy and the environment, chapter 18: water supply, use, and management, chapter 19: water pollution and treatment, chapter 20: the atmosphere and climate change, chapter 21: air pollution, chapter 22: urban environments, chapter 23: materials management, chapter 24: our environmental future, get help with:.

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Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet

Daniel b. botkin, edward a. keller, science as a way of knowing: critical thinking about the environment - all with video answers.

Chapter Questions

Which of the following are scientific statements and which are not? What is the basis for your decision in each case? (a) The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. (b) Condors are ugly. (c) Condors are endangered. (d) Today there are 280 condors. (e) Crop circles are a sign from Earth to us that we should act better. (f) Crop circles can be made by people. (g) The fate of Mono Lake is the same as the fate of the Aral Sea.

What is the logical conclusion of each of the following syllogisms? Which conclusions correspond to observed reality? (a) All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore (b) All sheep are black. Mary's lamb is white. Therefore (c) All elephants are animals. All animals are living beings. Therefore

Which of the following statements are supported by deductive reasoning and which by inductive reasoning? (a) The sun will rise tomorrow. (b) The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. (c) Only male deer have antlers. (d) If $A=B$ and $B=C$, then $A=C$. (e) The net force acting on a body equals its mass times its acceleration.

The accepted value for the number of inches in a centimeter is 0.3937 . Two students mark off a centimeter on a piece of paper and then measure the distance using a ruler (in inches). Student $A$ finds the distance equal to 0.3827 in., and student B finds it equal to 0.39 in. Which measurement is more accurate? Which is more precise? If student B measured the distance as $0.3900 \mathrm{in}$, what would be your answer?

(a) A teacher gives five students each a metal bar and asks them to measure the length. The measurements obtained are $5.03,4.99,5.02,4.96$, and $5.00 \mathrm{~cm}$. How can you explain the variability in the measurements? Are these systematic or random errors? (b) The next day, the teacher gives the students the same bars but tells them that the bars have con- tracted because they have been in the refrigerator. In fact, the temperature difference would be too small to have any measurable effect on the length of the bars. The students' measurements, in the same order as in part (a), are 5.01, 4.95, 5.00, 4.90, and $4.95 \mathrm{~cm}$. Why are the students' measurements different from those of the day before? What does this illustrate about science?

Identify the independent and dependent variables in each of the following: (a) Change in the rate of breathing in response to exercise. (b) The effect of study time on grades. (c) The likelihood that people exposed to smoke from other people's cigarettes will contract lung cancer.

(a) Identify a technological advance that resulted from a scientific discovery. (b) Identify a scientific discovery that resulted from a technological advance. (c) Identify a technological device you used today. What scientific discoveries were necessary before the device could be developed?

What is fallacious about each of the following conclusions? (a) A fortune cookie contains the statement "A happy event will occur in your life." Four months later, you find a $$\$ 100$$ bill. You conclude that the prediction was correct. (b) A person claims that aliens visited Earth in prehistoric times and influenced the cultural development of humans. As evidence, the person points to ideas among many groups of people about beings who came from the sky and performed amazing feats. (c) A person observes that light-colored animals almost always live on light-colored surfaces, whereas dark forms of the same species live on dark surfaces. The person concludes that the light surface causes the light color of the animals. (d) A person knows three people who have had fewer colds since they began taking vitamin $\mathrm{C}$ on a regular basis. The person concludes that vitamin $\mathrm{C}$ prevents colds.

Find a newspaper article on a controversial topic. Identify some loaded words in the article-that is, words that convey an emotional reaction or a value judgment.

Identify some social, economic, aesthetic, and ethical issues involved in a current environmental controversy.

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• Chapter 1 Key Themes in Environmental Science.
• Chapter 2 Science as a Way of Knowing: Critical Thinking about the Environment.
• Chapter 3 The Big Picture: Systems of Change.
• Chapter 4 The Human Population and The Environment.
• Chapter 5 Ecosystems: Concepts and Fundamentals.
• Chapter 6 The Biogeochemical Cycles.
• Chapter 7 Dollars and Environmental Sense: Economics of Environmental Issues.
• Chapter 8 Biological Diversity and Biological Invasions.
• Chapter 9 Ecological Restoration.
• Chapter 10 Environmental Heath, Pollution, and Toxicology.
• Chapter 11 Agriculture, Aquaculture, and the Environemnt.
• Chapter 12 Landscapes: Forests, Parks, and Wilderness.
• Chapter 13 Wildlife, Fisheries, and Endangered Species.
• Chapter 14 Energy: Some Basics.
• Chapter 15 Fossil Fuels and the Environment.
• Chapter 16 Alternative Energy and the Environment.
• Chapter 17 Nuclear Energy and the Environment.
• Chapter 18 Water Supply, Use, and Management.
• Chapter 19 Water Pollution and Treatment.
• Chapter 20 The Atmosphere, Climate, and Global Warming.
• Chapter 21 Air Pollution.
• Chapter 22 Urban Environments.
• Chapter 23 Materials Management.
• Chapter 24 Our Environmental Future. Appendix. Glossary. Notes. Photo Credits. Index.
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Critical Thinking

• First Online: 21 December 2019

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• Jennifer Pontius 3 &
• Alan McIntosh 4  

Part of the book series: Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment ((STEGE))

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Environmental problems are often complex, requiring critical thinking to identify and evaluate various courses of action difficult problems. Objectively analyzing facts, evaluating evidence rationally, skillfully assessing and reconstructing your own thinking, and making logical, reasoned judgments are some of the attributes of a critical thinker. Personal characteristics of a critical thinker include curiosity, skepticism, and self-awareness of personal or cognitive bias. Asking the right questions and challenging your own suppositions can pay dividends when you take on complicated environmental problems.

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Additional Information

The Conversation article on why critical thinking needs to spread beyond science http://theconversation.com/thinking-critically-on-critical-thinking-why-scientists-skills-need-to-spread-15005

New Science article on applying critical thinking in life, not just science. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22830513-600-critical-thinking-is-needed-throughout-life-not-just-in-science/

The Foundation for Critical Thinking: Introduction to critical thinking. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/college-and-university-students/799

The Foundation for Critical Thinking: Becoming a critic of your own thinking. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/becoming-a-critic-of-your-thinking/478

Valuable intellectual traits. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528

Duron, R., Limbach, B. and W. Waugh. 2016. Critical thinking framework for any discipline. Intern. J. Teaching Learning Higher Ed. 17.2:160–166.

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Dwyer, C.P., Hogan, M.J. and I. Stewart. 2014. An integrated critical thinking framework for the 21st century. Thinking Skills and Creativity 12: 43-52.

Article   Google Scholar  

Gabennesch, R. 2006. “Critical thinking: What is it good for?” (In fact, what is it?). Skeptical Inquirer 30(2): March–April.

Cohen, M. 2015. Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-92472-3.

Martin, R.M. 1997. Scientific Thinking. Broadview Press. ISBN 1-987-1551111308.

Paul, R. and L. Elder. 2012. The Thinker’s Guide to Scientific Thinking. Based on Critical Thinking Concepts & Principles. Foundation for Critical Thinking. Thinker’s Guide Library. ISBN 13-978-0944583180.

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Research Associate Professor Director Environmental Science Program Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

Jennifer Pontius

Professor Emeritus, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

Alan McIntosh

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Pontius, J., McIntosh, A. (2020). Critical Thinking. In: Critical Skills for Environmental Professionals. Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28542-5_4

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