Thinking: Exploring Mental Life 131
what he’s talking about, in some cases an authority may be a pseudo-authority or
give bad advice. It would have been far better if Nadine could have answered Kitty
by saying, “Green foods contain folic acid, an important component of good nutri-
tion. Also, vegetables have a lot of fiber, and this promotes regularity.”
Arguing in circlestakes place when one’s premise contains the conclusion
that one wants to reach. Edgar tells his girlfriend Janet, “I love you.” Janet asks,
“Why do you love me?” Edgar says, “I don’t know. Just because I do.” Janet
presses. “But whydo you?” Edgar, sweating and a little confused, says, “Because
you’re so lovable!” It would have been a better answer if Edgar could have said,
“Because I like your personality and your sense of humor.” Or, “Because you’re
more fun to be with than anyone I’ve ever met.” His actual answer, based on a cir-
cular argument, was empty of any real meaning.
Attack on characterpicks out a negative attribute of another person and
uses this attribute to discredit other aspects of the person’s behavior. Kathleen is
thinking about taking her car for repairs to Jake, a local auto mechanic. Mabel, a
friend, tells Kathleen that she shouldn’t take her car to Jake. “Why?” asks Kath-
leen. “Because I hear he cheats on his wife,” says Mabel. Obviously, Jake’s mari-
tal behavior has nothing to do with his ability to repair cars.
(a) Making a reference to a respected person, believed to be well informed, when one’s own
logic or reasoning is weak is called.
(b) What logical error takes place when one’s premise contains the conclusion that one
wants to reach?
(c) What logical error picks out a negative attribute of another person?
Answers: (a) appeal to authority; (b) Arguing in circles; (c) Attack on character.
Creative Thinking: The Importance of Originality
Creative thinking is an important factor in writing poems, books, and songs. It is
also plays an important role in advancing human understanding in fields of study
such as physics, biology, and psychology. Inventions from the airplane to the auto-
mobile have required creative thinking. However, creative thinking should not be
associated only with such exalted areas of activity such as literature, invention, and
science. It is possible to speak of creative cooking, creative gardening, creative
child rearing, creative decorating, and so forth. It is clear that creative thinking
often has a place in everyday life.
The core feature of the creative process is divergent thinking,thinking that
follows new pathways and explores alternative possibilities. Thomas Alva Edison
(1847–1931) provides an example of a person who manifested quite a bit of diver-
gent thought. When he was a child, one of his teachers thought that he was men-
