Asking the Right Questions : A Guide to Critical Thinking

by Browne, M. Neil; Keeley, Stuart M.

Edition:

8th

ISBN13:

9780132203043

ISBN10:

0132203049

Format:

Paperback

Pub. Date:

1/1/2007

Publisher(s):

Prentice Hall

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What version or edition is this?

This is the 8th edition with a publication date of 1/1/2007.

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The Used copy of this book is not guaranteed to inclue any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included.

Summary

This highly popular text helps students to bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information and the greater challenge of critical analysis and synthesis. It teaches them to respond to alternative points of view and develop a solid foundation for making personal choices about what to accept and what to reject. While the structure of this new edition remains the same, for the sake of currency and relevance about two-thirds of the practice passages are new, as well as many of the longer illustrations and the final critical thinking case. Also, this eighth edition has been revised to emphasize the positive value of critical thinking as a means to autonomy, curiousity, reasonableness, openness, and better decisions.

Preface

viii

1 The Benefit of Asking the Right Questions

(14)

Introduction

(1)

Critical Thinking to the Rescue

(1)

The Sponge and Panning for Gold: Alternative Thinking Styles

(2)

An Example of the Panning-for-Gold Approach

(2)

Panning for Gold: Asking Critical Questions

(1)

The Myth of the "Right Answer"

(1)

Thinking and Feeling

(1)

The Efficiency of Asking the Question, "Who Cares?"

(1)

Weak-Sense and Strong-Sense Critical Thinking

(1)

The Satisfaction of Using the Panning-for-Gold Approach

(1)

Trying Out New Answers

(1)

Effective Communication and Critical Thinking

(1)

The Importance of Practice

(1)

The Right Questions

(2)

2 What Are the Issue and the Conclusion?

(10)

Kinds of Issues

(1)

Searching for the Issue

(1)

Searching for the Author's or Speaker's Conclusion

(1)

Clues to Discovery: How to Find the Conclusion

(2)

Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking

(1)

Practice Exercises

(3)

3 What Are the Reasons?

(12)

Reasons + Conclusion = Argument

(1)

Initiating the Questioning Process

(2)

Words That Identify Reasons

(1)

Kinds of Reasons

(2)

Keeping the Reasons and Conclusions Straight

(1)

Reasons First, Then Conclusions

(1)

"Fresh" Reasons and Your Growth

(1)

Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking

(1)

Practice Exercises

(4)

4 What Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?

(16)

The Confusing Flexibility of Words

(1)

Locating Key Terms and Phrases

(1)

Checking for Ambiguity

(1)

Determining Ambiguity

(2)

Context and Ambiguity

(1)

Ambiguity, Definitions, and the Dictionary

(2)

Ambiguity and Loaded Language

(2)

Limits of Your Responsibility to Clarify Ambiguity

(1)

Ambiguity and Your Own Writing and Speaking

(1)

Summary

(1)

Practice Exercises

(3)

5 What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?

(18)

General Guide for Identifying Assumptions

(1)

Value Conflicts and Assumptions

(1)

Discovering Values

(1)

From Values to Value Assumptions

(2)

Typical Value Conflicts

(1)

The Communicator's Background as a Clue to Value Assumptions

(1)

Consequences as Clues to Value Assumptions

(2)

More Hints for Finding Value Assumptions

(1)

Avoiding a Typical Difficulty When Identifying Value Assumptions

(1)

Finding Value Assumptions on Your Own

(2)

Values and Relativism

(1)

Summary

(1)

Practice Exercises

(3)

6 What Are the Descriptive Assumptions?

(12)

Illustrating Descriptive Assumptions

(2)

Clues for Locating Assumptions

(2)

Applying the Clues

(2)

Avoiding Analysis of Trivial Assumptions

(1)

Assumptions and Your Own Writing and Speaking

(1)

Summary

(1)

Practice Exercises

(4)

7 Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?

(20)

A Questioning Approach to Finding Reasoning Fallacies

(1)

Evaluating Assumptions as a Starting Point

(2)

Discovering Other Common Reasoning Fallacies

(6)

Looking for Diversions

(2)

Sleight of Hand: Begging the Question

(1)

Summary of Reasoning Errors

(2)

Expanding Your Knowledge of Fallacies

(1)

Fallacies and Your Own Writing and Speaking

(1)

Practice Exercises

(4)

8 How Good is the Evidence: Intuition, Personal Experience, Testimonials, and Appeals to Authority?

103

(14)

The Need for Evidence

104

(1)

Locating Factual Claims

105

(1)

Sources of Evidence

106

(1)

Intuition as Evidence

107

(1)

Dangers of Appealing to Personal Experience as Evidence

108

(1)

Personal Testimonials as Evidence

109

(1)

Appeals to Authority as Evidence

110

(3)

Summary

113

(1)

Practice Exercises

114

(3)

9 How Good is the Evidence: Personal Observation, Research Studies, Case Examples, and Analogies?

117

(20)

Personal Observation

117

(1)

Research Studies as Evidence

118

(5)

Generalizing from the Research Sample

123

(1)

Biased Surveys and Questionnaires

124

(2)

Critical Evaluation of a Research-Based Argument

126

(2)

Case Examples as Evidence

128

(1)

Analogies as Evidence

129

(4)

Summary

133

(1)

Practice Exercises

134

(3)

10 Are There Rival Causes?

137

(18)

When to Look for Rival Causes

138

(1)

The Pervasiveness of Rival Causes

139

(2)

Detecting Rival Causes

141

(1)

The Cause or A Cause

142

(1)

Rival Causes and Scientific Research

143

(1)

Rival Causes for Differences Between Groups

144

(2)

Confusing Causation with Association

146

(1)

Confusing "After this" with "Because of this"

147

(2)

Explaining Individual Events or Acts

149

(1)

Evaluating Rival Causes

150

(1)

Evidence and Your Own Writing and Speaking

150

(1)

Summary

150

(1)

Practice Exercises

151

(4)

11 Are the Statistics Deceptive?

155

(12)

Unknowable and Biased Statistics

156

(1)

Confusing Averages

156

(2)

Concluding One Thing, Proving Another

158

(1)

Deceiving by Omitting Information

159

(2)

Risk Statistics and Omitted Information

161

(1)

Summary

162

(1)

Practice Exercises

163

(4)

12 What Significant Information is Omitted?

167

(14)

The Benefits of Detecting Omitted Information

168

(1)

The Certainty of Incomplete Reasoning

168

(2)

Questions that Identify Omitted Information

170

(4)

The Importance of the Negative View

174

(1)

Omitted Information That Remains Missing

175

(1)

Missing Information and Your Own Writing and Speaking

176

(1)

Practice Exercises

176

(5)

13 What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?

181

(12)

Assumptions and Multiple Conclusions

182

(1)

Dichotomous Thinking: Impediment to Considering Multiple Conclusions

182

(1)

Two Sides or Many?

183

(3)

Searching for Multiple Conclusions 185 Productivity of If-Clauses

186

(1)

Alternative Solutions as Conclusions

187

(1)

The Liberating Effect of Recognizing Alternative Conclusions

188

(1)

All Conclusions Are Not Created Equal

188

(1)

Summary

189

(7)

Practice Exercises

196

14 Practice and Review

193

(12)

Question Checklist for Critical Thinking

193

(1)

Asking the Right Questions: A Comprehensive Example

194

(2)

What Are the Issue and Conclusion?

196

(1)

What Are the Reasons?

196

(1)

What Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?

197

(1)

What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?

198

(1)

What are the Descriptive Assumptions?

198

(1)

Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?

199

(1)

How Good Is the Evidence?

200

(1)

Are There Rival Causes?

201

(1)

Are the Statistics Deceptive?

201

(1)

What Significant Information Is Omitted?

202

(1)

What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?

203

(2)

Final Word

205

(4)

The Tone of Your Critical Thinking

205

(1)

Strategies for Effective Critical Thinking

206

(3)

Index

209

Asking the Right Questions : A Guide to Critical Thinking

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Table of Contents