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Sherry Diestler serves as chair of the Communication Studies department at Contra Costa College, where she teaches Critical Thinking, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and Speaking in the Community. She founded the college's competitive Speech and Debate Team and also created the college's Communication Lab to help students across the curriculum prepare and present speeches for their classes. Her department won a POWER award for Outstanding Program Outcomes Assessment (Student Learning Outcomes) from the Research Planning Group of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.
Sherry received bachelor's degrees in English and Speech at Pennsylvania State University and earned membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Her master's degree in Communication Arts and Sciences/Media Studies is from Queens College of the City University of New York, where she was fortunate to be trained under Joseph DeVito and Gary Gumpert. She has worked as a communications consultant for the Office of Personnel Management, Western Region, as well as for a number of private corporations. In addition to the six prior editions of Becoming a Critical Thinker, she has edited three editions of her department custom text with Fountainhead Press entitled Public Speaking for College, Competition, and Career. Her online interpersonal communication text, The Interpersonal Project: Tools for Building, Maintaining, and Repairing Relationships, is being used across her department. She serves as chair of the Professional Development Committee and on the Board of Gateway to College and is a member of the National Communication Centers Association and the National Communication Association.
IN THIS SECTION:
1.) BRIEF
2.) COMPREHENSIVE
BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
PREFACE 000
Chapter 1 Foundations of Arguments 2
Chapter 2 Values and Ethics 36
Chapter 3 Reality of assumptions 74
Chapter 4 Inductive arguments: Statistical and causal generalizations 120
Chapter 5 Inductive generalizations: Controlled studies and analogies 170
Chapter 6 Reasoning errors 224
Chapter 7 The power of language 274
Chapter 8 Suggestion in media 320
Chapter 9 Fair-mindedness 400
Chapter 10 Persuasive speaking 442
CREDITS 483
INDEX 000
COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
PREFACE 000
Chapter 1 Foundations of Arguments 2
Who Is a Critical Thinker and When Do You Need to Be One?
The Structure of Argument 4
Individual or Class Exercise: Making a Decision 15
Chapter Review 16
Summary 16
Checkup 16
Exercises 17
“Educational Ticket” 19
“War on Drugs Fails: We Need New Approach” 19
“Drugged Driving” 19
Articles for Discussion 21
“16-Year-Old Sailor Was Already Off Course” 21
“LeBron James’ Decision a Cruel Blow to His Hometown” 25
“Roundup: NBA Team Owner Backs LeBron James’ Decision” 27
“Onstage and Backstage: Two Jobs. One Actor. What Do You Choose?” 28
“Talk-Show Host Angers Disabled Community” 29
“Radio Show on Rights of Disabled Defended” 30
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 32
“The Road Not Taken” 33
Films for Analysis and Discussion 34
Similar Films and Classics 34
Chapter 2 Values and Ethics 36
What Price Ethics and Can You Afford Not to Pay?
VALUE ASSUMPTIONS AND CONFLICTS 39
CLASS EXERCISE 42
ETHICS––AN IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF VALUES 44
IDEAL VALUES VERSUS REAL VALUES 47
ETHICS IN ARGUMENTATION 49
ETHICAL DECISION MAKING 50
Chapter Review 55
Summary 55
Checkup 56
Exercises 56
“Salvation Army Turns Down $100,000 Donation” 60
Articles for Discussion 60
“You Make the Call: Is It Goo Baseball Strategy or a Weak Attempt to Win?” 61
“Staffer Gets Subpoenaed” 63
“National Public Radio” 64
“Schools’ Peanut Bans Spark Backlash” 66
“Texas College Admissions Law Under Fire: Kids in Top 10% Get in Automatically” 68
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 70
Films for Analysis and Discussion 72
Similar Films and Classics 72
Chapter 3 Reality of assumptions 74
It’s Eleven O’Clock. Do You Know Where Your Assumptions Are?
REALITY ASSUMPTIONS 75
DETECTING REALITY ASSUMPTIONS 77
THE IMPORTANCE OF EXAMINING ASSUMPTIONS 83
DEDUCTIVE REASONING 88
USING TOULMIN’S METHOD TO UNDERSTAND DEDUCTION 93
THE USES OF DEDUCTIVE REASONING 95
Chapter Review 105
Summary 105
Checkup 105
Exercises 106
Articles for Discussion 108
“Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits” 108
“Can Blacks Be Racist?” 112
“Wasted Food, Discovered Souls” 114
“Bearer of Bad News” 115
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 116
Films for Analysis and Discussion 117
Similar Films and Classics 118
Television Shows for Analysis and Discussion 000
Chapter 4 Inductive arguments: Statistical and causal generalizations 120
Prove It to Me—What Are the Statistics?
INDUCTIVE REASONING 121
STATISTICAL EVIDENCE 125
THE MANY USES OF STATISTICS 125
HOW THE RESEARCH IS DONE 132
CHECKLIST FOR POLLS AND STATISTICAL STUDIES 135
USING SURVEYS AS EVIDENCE 136
STATISTICAL GENERALIZATIONS 139
THE REPORTING OF STATISTICAL STUDIES: TRUTHS, HALF-TRUTHS, AND DISTORTIONS 141
CAUSAL GENERALIZATIONS 142
HUME’S CONDITIONS FOR CAUSE AND EFFECT 148
TECHNICAL CAUSATION 149
MULTIPLE CAUSES 149
MILL’S ANALYSIS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT 152
USING DIFFERENCE AND SIMILARITY TOGETHER TO DETERMINE CAUSE 154
Chapter Review 155
Summary 155
Checkup 156
Exercises 156
“What Are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?” 157“Multiple Causes of Suicide” 157
“Self-Segregation” 157
“Why Do People Start to Smoke?” 158
Articles for Discussion 160
“The Meth Epidemic” 160
“Understanding Facebook Addiction: Why Is Social Networking So Addictive? How Did We Get Addicted? 162 “ISU Researcher Studies Consequences of ‘Hooking Up’” 164
“Drugs, Gangs on the Rise in Schools: Survey Shows Increase in Gang Activity and Drug Use in Nation’s Schools” 165
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 167
Longer-Term Writing Assignment 168
Films for Analysis and Discussion 169
Similar Films and Classics 169
Chapter 5 Inductive generalizations: Controlled studies and analogies 170
Who Said So? And Who Are They Anyway?
RESEARCH DESIGN 172
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING RESEARCH FINDINGS 173
CONTROVERSY IN RESEARCH FINDINGS 181
CHECKLIST FOR MAKING, EVALUATING, REPAIRING, AND REFUTING ARGUMENTS 187
USE OF AUTHORITY: EXPERT TESTIMONY 189
PROBLEMS WITH EXPERT TESTIMONY 193
REASONING BY ANALOGY 201
Chapter Review 204
Summary 204
Checkup 204
Exercises 205
Articles for Discussion 211
“Food News Blues” 211
“$27 Million to Change NYC Signs from All-Caps” 216
“Could a Pill Help Fade Traumatic Memories?” 218
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 221
Films for Analysis and Discussion 223
Similar Film Classics 223
Chapter 6 Reasoning errors 224
I Know What I Think—Don’t Confuse Me with Facts
INADEQUATE REASONS AS FALLACIES 225
FALLACIES THAT MISLEAD 241
Chapter Review 255
Summary 255
Checkup 255
Exercises 255
Key Terms 000
Chapter Checkup 000
Chapter Exercises 000
Articles for Discussion 260
“Ashamed of Strug’s Sacrifice” 261
“Kerri Strug Made Reader Cheer” 261
“Keep Women Off the Streets” 262
“E-mail Chain Letters Deceive” 262
“Sunday Times Reveals Some Eco-Celeb Shame” 264
“Rwanda Is So Hot Right Now” 264
“On Comparing Global Warming Denial to Holocaust Denial” 267
“Does Facebook Make You Dumber? Study Shows Users of Social Networking Site Get Lower Grades” 269
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 272
Films for Analysis and Discussion 272
Chapter 7 The power of language 274
What’s in a Name?
DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION 276
THE POWER OF CONNOTATION 280
REIFICATION: WHEN WORDS TAKE ON MORE POWER THAN REALITY 284
MEANINGS ARE IN PEOPLE 287
THE PROBLEM OF VAGUENESS 291
AMBIGUITY IN LANGUAGE 293
DOUBLESPEAK, INCLUDING WEASEL WORDS 294
Chapter Review 303
Summary 303
Checkup 304
Exercises 304
Articles for Discussion 308
“What’s in a Name?” 308
“Race-Based Team Names Not Tolerated in Wisconsin” 310
“Jennifer Aniston, The R-Word and the Aftermath” 311
“Weasel Words Rip My Flesh!” 314
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 316
Films for Analysis and Discussion 318
Chapter 8 Suggestion in media 320
Is What You See What You Get? Do You Really Want It?
SUGGESTION IN DAILY LIFE 322
TELEVISED SUGGESTION 326
SUGGESTION IN PRINT MEDIA 333
THE POWER OF MEDIA TO SHAPE INFORMATION 341
A BAG OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING TRICKS 345
STORYTELLING AS PERSUASION 371
CITIZENS, CONSUMERS, AND RELATIONSHIPS IN AN AGE OF TECHNOLOGY 373
Chapter Review 375
Summary 375
Checkup 375
Exercises 376
Articles for Discussion 381
“U.S. Mayor Uses Twitter to Help Snowbound” 381
“Scents and Sensibility” 382
“Five Fake Viral Video Campaigns: Great Gimmicks or Bad for Business?” 385
“The Tyranny of E-Mail” 388
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 395
Films for Analysis and Discussion 398
Similar Films and Classics 398
Chapter 9 Fair-mindedness 400
It’s You and Me, Kid, and I’m Not So Sure About You
HOW WE DEFEND OUR EGOS 402
CONFORMITY AND WAYS TO OVERCOME IT 407
EMOTIONAL REASONING AND RATIONAL RESPONSES 410
WAYS TO DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL REASONING 414
POINTS OF LOGICAL VULNERABILITY 415
ACTIVELY AND ACCURATELY LISTENING: DEVELOPING EMPATHY 418
THE ART OF LISTENING WELL 419
PRECAUTIONS ABOUT ACTIVE LISTENING 420
Chapter Review 423
Summary 423
Checkup 423
Exercises 424
Articles for Discussion 427
“Excerpts from How Doctors Think” 427
“Create Your Own Path” 429
“The Lock: They Argue and I Argue Back. But I Never Seem to Win. The Key: Listen—Just Listen, and You’ll Start to Win.” 431
“It Happened” 432
“For Women Only—What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men” 434
“Breakfast and Tousled Cornrows” 436
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 439
Films for Analysis and Discussion 440
Similar Films and Classics 440
Chapter 10 Persuasive speaking 442
What’s Your Point? How Do You Sharpen It?
BEING AN ADVOCATE OF IDEAS: COMMUNICATING PUBLICLY 444
THE BEST WAYS TO DEAL WITH SPEECH FEAR 445
AUDIENCE ANALYSIS 446
THE THREE ELEMENTS OF A PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT: ETHOS, LOGOS, AND PATHOS 447
PROBLEM SOLVING AND COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING 463
THE PROBLEM-SOLVING METHOD 464
Chapter Review 468
Summary 468
Checkup 468
Exercises 469
Articles for Discussion 473
“Don’t Be Shy” 473
“The Gettysburg Address” 476
Ideas for Writing or Speaking 477
Films for Analysis and Discussion 479
CREDITS 483
INDEX 000
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