Asking the Right Questions : A Guide to Critical Thinking

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

• ISBN13: 9780130891341
• ISBN10: 0130891347
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

For all level Critical Thinking, Argumentative Writing, and Informal Logic courses in English, Social Science, Philosophy, Education, Journalism, and Mass Communication departments. This highly popular text helps students 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.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
The Benefit of Asking the Right Questions	1	(14)
Introduction	1	(1)
Critical Thinking to the Rescue	2	(1)
The Sponge and Panning for Gold: Alternative Thinking Styles	3	(2)
An Example of the Panning-for-Gold Approach	5	(2)
Panning for Gold: Asking Critical Questions	7	(1)
The Myth of the ``Right Answer''	7	(1)
Thinking and Feeling	8	(2)
The Efficiency of Asking the Question, ``Who Cares?''	10	(1)
Weak-Sense and Strong-Sense Critical Thinking	10	(1)
The Satisfaction of Using the Panning-for-Gold Approach	11	(1)
Trying Out New Answers	12	(1)
Effective Communication and Critical Thinking	12	(1)
The Importance of Practice	13	(1)
The Right Questions	13	(2)
What Are the lssue and the Conclusion?	15	(12)
Kinds of Issues	16	(1)
Searching for the Issue	17	(1)
Searching for the Author's or Speaker's Conclusion	18	(1)
Clues to Discovery: How to Find the Conclusion	19	(4)
Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking	23	(1)
Practice Exercises	23	(4)
What Are the Reasons?	27	(14)
Reasons + Conclusion = Argument	28	(1)
Initiating the Questioning Process	29	(2)
Words That Identify Reasons	31	(1)
Kinds of Reasons	31	(2)
Keeping the Reasons and Conclusions Straight	33	(1)
Clues for Identifying and Organizing the Reasoning of a Passage	33	(2)
Reasons First, Then Conclusions	35	(1)
``Fresh'' Reasons and Your Growth	36	(1)
Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking	36	(1)
Practice Exercises	36	(5)
Which Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?	41	(18)
The Confusing Flexibility of Words	42	(1)
Locating Key Terms and Phrases	43	(2)
Clues for Locating Key Terms	45	(1)
Checking for Ambiguity	45	(1)
Determining Ambiguity	46	(2)
Context and Ambiguity	48	(2)
Ambiguity, Definitions, and the Dictionary	50	(2)
Ambiguity and Loaded Language	52	(1)
Limits of Your Responsibility to Clarify Ambiguity	53	(1)
Ambiguity and Your Own Writing and Speaking	54	(1)
Summary	54	(1)
Practice Exercises	55	(4)
What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?	59	(18)
General Guide for Identifying Assumptions	60	(1)
Value Conflicts and Assumptions	61	(1)
Discovering Values	62	(1)
From Values to Value Assumptions	63	(2)
Typical Value Conflicts	65	(1)
The Communicator's Background as a Clue to Value Assumptions	66	(1)
Consequences as Clues to Value Assumptions	67	(1)
More Hints for Finding Value Assumptions	68	(2)
Clues for Identifying Value Assumptions	70	(1)
Finding Value Assumptions on Your Own	70	(3)
Summary	73	(1)
Practice Exercises	73	(4)
What Are the Descriptive Assumptions?	77	(14)
Illustrating Descriptive Assumptions	77	(3)
Clues for Locating Assumptions	80	(3)
Applying the Clues	83	(2)
Avoiding Analysis of Trivial Assumptions	85	(1)
Assumptions and Your Own Writing and Speaking	86	(1)
Summary	86	(1)
Clues for Discovering Descriptive Assumptions	86	(1)
Practice Exercises	86	(5)
Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?	91	(20)
Evaluating Assumptions	93	(2)
Common Reasoning Fallacies	95	(6)
Further Diversions	101	(1)
Confusing ``What Should Be'' with ``What Is''	102	(1)
Confusing Naming with Explaining	102	(1)
Searching for Perfect Solutions	103	(1)
Begging the Question	104	(1)
Summary	105	(1)
Clues for Locating and Assessing Fallacies in Reasoning	106	(1)
Fallacies and Your Own Writing and Speaking	106	(1)
Practice Exercises	107	(4)
How Good Is the Evidence: Intuition, Appeals to Authority, and Testimonials?	111	(16)
The Need for Evidence	111	(2)
Locating Factual Claims	113	(1)
Kinds of Evidence	114	(1)
Intuition as Evidence	115	(1)
Appeals to Authority as Evidence	116	(3)
Personal Testimonials as Evidence	119	(1)
Dangers of Appealing to Personal Experience as Evidence	120	(1)
Clues for Evaluating the Evidence	120	(2)
Summary	122	(1)
Practice Exercises	122	(5)
How Good Is the Evidence: Personal Observation, Case Studies, Research Studies, and Analogies?	127	(20)
Personal Observation	127	(1)
Case Studies as Evidence	128	(1)
Research Studies as Evidence	129	(3)
Clues for Evaluating Research Studies	132	(1)
Generalizing from the Research Sample	133	(1)
Biased Surveys and Questionnaires	134	(3)
Critical Evaluation of a Research-Based Argument	137	(1)
Analogies as Evidence	138	(3)
Summary	141	(1)
Practice Exercises	142	(5)
Are There Rival Causes?	147	(18)
When to Look for Rival Causes	148	(1)
The Pervasiveness of Rival Causes	149	(2)
Lessons Learned	151	(1)
Detecting Rival Causes	151	(1)
Clues for Detecting Rival Causes	151	(1)
The Cause or A Cause	152	(1)
Rival Causes and Scientific Research	152	(2)
Rival Causes for Differences between Groups	154	(1)
Confusing Causation with Association	155	(1)
Strong Support for a Cause	156	(1)
Confusing ``After this'' with ``Because of this''	157	(1)
Explaining Individual Events or Acts	158	(1)
Clues for Evaluating an Explanation of an Event or Set of Events	159	(1)
Evaluating Rival Causes	160	(1)
Evidence and Your Own Writing and Speaking	160	(1)
Summary	160	(1)
Practice Exercises	161	(4)
Are the Statistics Deceptive?	165	(10)
Unknowable and Biased Statistics	166	(1)
Confusing Averages	166	(2)
Concluding One Thing, Proving Another	168	(1)
Deceiving by Omitting Information	169	(1)
Clues for Assessing Statistics	170	(1)
Summary	171	(1)
Practice Exercises	171	(4)
What Significant Information Is Omitted?	175	(14)
The Benefits of Detecting Omitted Information	176	(1)
The Certainty of Incomplete Reasoning	176	(1)
Questions That Identify Omitted Information	177	(5)
The Importance of the Negative View	182	(1)
Omitted Information That Remains Missing	183	(1)
Missing Information and Your Writing and Speaking	184	(1)
Practice Exercises	184	(5)
What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?	189	(12)
Assumptions and Multiple Conclusions	190	(1)
Dichotomous Thinking: Impediment to Considering Multiple Conclusions	191	(1)
Two Sides or Many?	192	(1)
Searching for Multiple Conclusions	193	(1)
Productivity of If-Clauses	194	(1)
Alternative Solutions as Conclusions	195	(1)
Clues for Identifying Alternative Conclusions	196	(1)
The Liberating Effect of Recognizing Alternative Conclusions	196	(1)
Summary	197	(1)
Practice Exercises	197	(4)
Practice and Review	201	(12)
Question Checklist for Critical Thinking	201	(1)
Asking the Right Questions: A Comprehensive Example	202	(2)
What Are the Issue and Conclusion?	204	(1)
What Are the Reasons?	204	(1)
Which Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?	205	(1)
What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?	206	(1)
What Are the Descriptive Assumptions?	206	(1)
Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?	207	(1)
How Good Is the Evidence?	208	(1)
Are There Rival Causes?	209	(1)
Are the Statistics Deceptive?	209	(1)
What Significant Information Is Omitted?	210	(1)
What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?	211	(2)
Final Word	213	(2)
The Tone of Your Critical Thinking	213	(1)
Strategies for Effective Critical Thinking	214	(1)
Index	215