STANDARD SYLLABUS Judgment and Decision-Making PHIL 179 This course presents a state-of-the-art discussion of research on judgment and decisionmaking. Decisions large and small are part of everyday life. What should I have for lunch? Should I go running? Should I pursue a relationship with this person? Will this job make me happy? Should I have this lump removed? Should I save more for a comfortable retirement? Usually, we don t make the best decisions, even when we have the best information. But the quality of our decision-strategies depends upon factors in economics, philosophy, and psychology. Philosophy contributes its canon of literature on inductive and deductive reasoning, and its focus on prescriptive questions about the purpose of good reasoning. Psychology offers experimental evidence of human capability in the area of judgment, and delineates the processing mechanisms that produce good decisions. As the science of policy, Economics describes the structural conditions that promote good decision-making, and tracks the utilities, costs and benefits (both to individuals and societies) of those decisions. Knowledge Area(s) satisfied: Philosophical Knowledge Skill(s) Developed: <a href="/keyword/critical-thinking-skills/" >critical thinking skills</a> and Dispositions Values Requirement(s) satisfied: Learning Objectives: Knowledge Area (Philosophical Knowledge): Students will be able to: (a) identify and distinguish the principal differences between deductive and <a href="/keyword/inductive-reasoning/" >inductive reasoning</a> ; (b) explain why there are difficulties in establishing the validity of <a href="/keyword/inductive-reasoning/" >inductive reasoning</a> ; (c) display an understanding of the quantitative aspects of decision-making, such as multiplying probabilities, estimating base rates, distinguishing samples from populations, and identifying independent causes; (d) identify the separate cognitive biases, as documented in psychological research; (e) explain why estimation of costs and benefits are important to decision making; (f) talk about the ends or goals of a good life, in connection with psychological findings about happiness. Skills (<a href="/keyword/critical-thinking-skills/" >critical thinking skills</a> and Dispositions): Regarding their specific competencies, students will be able to: a) identify and distinguish the principal differences between deductive and <a href="/keyword/inductive-reasoning/" >inductive reasoning</a> ; b) explain why there are difficulties in establishing the validity of <a href="/keyword/inductive-reasoning/&quo...