Asking the Right Questions : A Guide to Critical Thinking

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

• ISBN13: 9780205111169
• ISBN10: 0205111165
• Edition: 10th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-29
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Used in a variety of courses in various disciplines, Asking the Right Questions helps bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information, and the greater challenge of critical analysis and synthesis.  Specifically, this concise text teaches how to think critically by exploring the components of arguments--issues, conclusions, reasons, evidence, assumptions, language--and on how to spot fallacies and manipulations and obstacles to critical thinking. 

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
The Benefit and Manner of Asking the Right Questions	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Critical Thinking to the Rescue	p. 2
The Sponge and Panning for Gold: Alternative Thinking Styles	p. 3
An Example of the Panning-for-Gold Approach	p. 4
The Myth of the "Right Answer"	p. 6
The Usefulness of Asking the Question: "Who Cares?"	p. 7
Weak-Sense and Strong-Sense Critical Thinking	p. 7
The Satisfaction of Panning for Gold	p. 8
The Importance of Practice	p. 8
The Right Questions	p. 8
Critical Thinking Is a Social Activity	p. 9
Values and Other People	p. 9
Primary Values of a Critical Thinker	p. 11
Thinking and Feelings	p. 12
Keeping the Conversation Going	p. 13
Creating a Friendly Environment for Communication	p. 15
Wishful Thinking: Perhaps the Biggest Single Obstacle to Critical Thinking	p. 16
What Are the Issue and the Conclusion?	p. 18
Kinds of Issues	p. 19
Searching for the Issue	p. 20
Searching for the Author's or Speaker's Conclusion	p. 21
Using This Critical Question	p. 22
Clues to Discovery: How to Find the Conclusion	p. 22
Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking	p. 24
Narrowing Your Issue Prior to Writing	p. 24
Cluing Your Reader into Your Conclusion	p. 25
Practice Exercises	p. 25
Sample Responses	p. 26
What Are the Reasons?	p. 28
Initiating the Questioning Process	p. 30
Words That Identify Reasons	p. 32
Kinds of Reasons	p. 32
Keeping the Reasons and Conclusions Straight	p. 33
Using This Critical Question	p. 34
Reasons First, Then Conclusions	p. 34
Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking	p. 34
Exploring Possible Reasons before Reaching a Conclusion	p. 35
Identify Major Publications That Cover Your Issue	p. 35
Helping Your Readers Identify Your Reasons	p. 36
Practice Exercises	p. 36
Sample Responses	p. 37
What Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?	p. 39
The Confusing Flexibility of Words	p. 40
Locating Key Terms and Phrases	p. 41
Checking for Ambiguity	p. 42
Using This Critical Question	p. 43
Determining Ambiguity	p. 43
Context and Ambiguity	p. 45
Using This Critical Question	p. 45
Ambiguity, Definitions, and the Dictionary	p. 46
Ambiguity and Loaded Language	p. 47
Limits of Your Responsibility to Clarify Ambiguity	p. 49
Ambiguity and Your Own Writing and Speaking	p. 50
Keeping Your Eye Out for Ambiguity	p. 50
Practice Exercises	p. 51
Sample Responses	p. 52
What Are the Value and Descriptive Assumptions?	p. 55
General Guide for Identifying Assumptions	p. 57
Value Conflicts and Assumptions	p. 58
From Values to Value Assumptions	p. 59
Typical Value Conflicts	p. 60
The Communicator's Background as a Clue to Value Assumptions	p. 60
Consequences as Clues to Value Assumptions	p. 61
More Hints for Finding Value Assumptions	p. 62
Finding Value Assumptions on Your Own	p. 63
Using This Critical Question	p. 64
Values and Relativism	p. 64
Identifying and Evaluating Descriptive Assumptions	p. 65
Illustrating Descriptive Assumptions	p. 65
Clues for Locating Assumptions	p. 66
Avoiding Analysis of Trivial Assumptions	p. 69
Assumptions and Your Own Writing and Speaking	p. 69
Practice Exercises	p. 70
Sample Responses	p. 71
Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?	p. 73
A Questioning Approach to Finding Reasoning Fallacies	p. 75
Evaluating Assumptions as a Starting Point	p. 75
Discovering Other Common Reasoning Fallacies	p. 78
Looking for Diversions	p. 83
Sleight of Hand: Begging the Question	p. 85
Using This Critical Question	p. 85
Summary of Reasoning Errors	p. 86
Expanding Your Knowledge of Fallacies	p. 87
Fallacies and Your Own Writing and Speaking	p. 87
Practice Exercises	p. 87
Sample Responses	p. 89
How Good Is the Evidence: Intuition, Personal Experience, Case Examples, Testimonials, and Appeals to Authority?	p. 91
The Need for Evidence	p. 92
Locating Factual Claims	p. 94
Sources of Evidence	p. 94
Intuition as Evidence	p. 96
Personal Experience as Evidence	p. 97
Case Examples as Evidence	p. 97
Testimonials as Evidence	p. 98
Appeals to Authority as Evidence	p. 100
Problems with Citers Citing Other Citers	p. 103
Using This Critical Question	p. 103
Evidence and Your Writing and Speaking	p. 103
Anticipating Critical Readers	p. 103
Determining Whether You Need More Evidence	p. 104
Your Academic Writing and Evidence	p. 104
Practice Exercises	p. 105
Sample Responses	p. 106
How Good Is the Evidence: Personal Observation, Research Studies, and Analogies?	p. 108
Personal Observation as Evidence	p. 108
Research Studies as Evidence	p. 109
Problems with Research Findings	p. 110
Generalizing from the Research Sample	p. 114
Biased Surveys and Questionnaires	p. 115
Critical Evaluation of a Research-Based Argument	p. 117
Analogies as Evidence	p. 118
Identifying ahd Comprehending Analogies	p. 119
Evaluating Analogies	p. 120
Using Evidence in Your Own Writing	p. 122
Research and the Internet	p. 123
Practice Exercises	p. 124
Sample Responses	p. 125
Are There Rival Causes?	p. 127
When to Look for Rival Causes	p. 128
The Pervasiveness of Rival Causes	p. 128
Detecting Rival Causes	p. 130
The Cause or A Cause	p. 130
Rival Causes for Differences between Groups	p. 131
Confusing Causation with Association	p. 133
Confusing "After This" with "Because of This"	p. 134
Explaining Individual Events or Acts	p. 135
Evaluating Rival Causes	p. 136
Rival Causes and Your Own Communication	p. 137
Exploring Potential Causes	p. 137
Narrowing Down Your List of Potential Causes	p. 138
Practice Exercises	p. 138
Sample Responses	p. 139
Are the Statistics Deceptive?	p. 141
Unknowable and Biased Statistics	p. 142
Confusing Averages	p. 143
Concluding One Thing, Proving Another	p. 145
Deceiving by Omitting Information	p. 146
Risk Statistics and Omitted Information	p. 147
Using Statistics in Your Writing	p. 148
Practice Exercises	p. 150
Sample Responses	p. 150
What Significant Information is Omitted?	p. 152
The Benefits of Detecting Omitted Information	p. 153
The Certainty of Incomplete Reasoning	p. 153
Questions That Identify Omitted Information	p. 155
The Importance of the Negative View	p. 157
Omitted Information That Remains Missing	p. 158
Missing Information in Your Own Arguments	p. 158
Using This Critical Question	p. 159
Practice Exercises	p. 159
Sample Responses	p. 160
What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?	p. 162
Assumptions and Multiple Conclusions	p. 163
Dichotomous Thinking: Impediment to Considering Multiple Conclusions	p. 163
Two Sides or Many?	p. 164
Searching for Multiple Conclusions	p. 165
Productivity of If-Clauses	p. 166
Alternative Solutions as Conclusions	p. 166
The Liberating Effect of Recognizing Alternative Conclusions	p. 167
All Conclusions Are Not Created Equal	p. 168
Summary	p. 168
Practice Exercises	p. 169
Sample Responses	p. 170
Final Word	p. 171
Index	p. 173
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