Critical Thinking : A Student's Introduction with PowerWeb: Critical Thinking

by Bassham, Gregory; Irwin, William; Nardone, Henry; Wallace, James M.

• ISBN13: 9780072979015
• ISBN10: 0072979011
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-08
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Through the use of humor, fun exercises, and a plethora of innovative and interesting selections from writers such as Dave Barry, Al Franken, J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as from the film The Matrix, this text hones students' critical thinking skills. Students will find this text enjoyable and memorable; instructors will find it and its accompanying supplements effective and easy to use.

Author Biography

Gregory Bassham is Director of the Center for Ethics and Public Life and Chair of the Philosophy Department at King’s College (Pa.). He is the co-editor of The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (Open Court, 2003), author of Original Intent and the Constitution: A Philosophical Study (Rowman & Littlefield, 1992), and co-editor of Powerweb: Critical Thinking (McGraw-Hill, 2003-2004). William Irwin is Associate Professor of Philosophy at King's College and Series Editor of Open Court's Popular Culture and Philosophy. Co-editor of The Simpsons and Philosophy (Open Court, 2001), his most recent book, The Matrix and Philosophy, was a New York Times Bestseller. Henry Nardone is Professor of Philosophy at King's College. His publications include scholarly articles on critical thinking and aesthetics. James M. Wallace is Professor of English at King's College. Author of Parallel Lives: A Novel Way to Learn Thinking and Writing (1999), Jim's essay, "A (Karl Not Groucho) Marxist in Springfield," appeared in The Simpsons and Philosophy (Open Court, 2001).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to Critical Thinking

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical Thinking Standards

The Benefits of Critical Thinking

Barriers to Critical Thinking

Characteristics of a Critical Thinker

Chapter 2: Recognizing Arguments

What Is an Argument?

Identifying Premises and Conclusions

What Is Not an Argument?

Chapter 3: Basic Logical Concepts

Deduction and Induction

How Can We Tell Whether an Argument is Deductive or Inductive?

Common Patterns of Deductive Reasoning

Common Patterns of Inductive Reasoning

Deductive Validity

Inductive Strength

Chapter 4: Language

Finding the Right Words: The Need for Precision

The Importance of Precise Definitions

Emotive Language: Slanting the Truth

Euphemisms and Political Correctness

Chapter 5: Logical Fallacies-1

The Concept of Relevance

Fallacies of Relevance

Chapter 6: Logical Fallacies-2

Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence

Chapter 7: Analyzing Arguments

Diagramming Short Arguments

Summarizing Longer Arguments

Chapter 8: Evaluating Arguments

When Is an Argument a Good One?

When Is It Reasonable to Accept a Premise?

Appendix: Sample Critical Essay

Chapter 9: A Little Categorical Logic

Categorical Statements

Translating into Standard Categorical Form

Categorical Syllogisms

Chapter 10: A Little Propositional Logic

Conjunction

Conjunction and Validity

Negation

Deeper Analysis of Negation and Conjunction

Disjunction

Conditional Statements

Chapter 11: Inductive Reasoning

Introduction to Induction

Inductive Generalizations

Statistical Arguments

Induction and Analogy

Induction and Causal Arguments

A Few Words about Probability

Chapter 12: Finding, Evaluating, and Using Sources

Finding Sources

Evaluating Sources

Taking Notes

Using Sources

Chapter 13: Writing Argumentative Essays

Writing a Successful Argument

Before you Write

Writing the First Draft

After the First Draft

Chapter 14: Thinking Critically about the Media

The Mass Media

The News Media

Getting Us to Pay Attention: What Really Drives the Media

Keeping Our Interest: The News as Entertainment

Media Literacy

Advertising

Chapter 15: Science and Pseudoscience

The Basic Pattern of Scientific Reasoning

The Limitations of Science

How to Distinguish Science from Pseudoscience

Two Case Studies in Pseudoscience and the Paranormal

Notes

Answers to Selected Exercises

Credits

Glossary / Index