Critical Thinking: A Student's Introduction

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

• ISBN13: 9780767417396
• ISBN10: 0767417399
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: McGraw Hill College Div

Summary

This clear, learner-friendly text helps today's students bridge the gap between everyday culture and critical thinking. The text covers all the basics of critical thinking, beginning where students are, not where we think they should be. Its comprehensiveness allows instructors to tailor the material to their individual teaching styles, resulting in an exceptionally versatile text.

Table of Contents

Preface	v
Introduction to Critical Thinking	1	(24)
What Is Critical Thinking?	1	(1)
Critical Thinking Standards	2	(6)
Clarity	2	(1)
Precision	2	(1)
Accuracy	3	(1)
Relevance	3	(1)
Consistency	4	(3)
Logical Correctness	7	(1)
Completeness	7	(1)
Fairness	7	(1)
The Benefits of Critical Thinking	8	(3)
Critical Thinking in the Classroom	9	(1)
Critical Thinking in the Workplace	9	(2)
Critical Thinking in Life	11	(1)
Barriers to Critical Thinking	11	(10)
Egocentrism	12	(2)
Sociocentrism	14	(2)
Unwarranted Assumptions and Stereotypes	16	(4)
Wishful Thinking	20	(1)
Characteristics of a Critical Thinker	21	(4)
Recognizing Arguments	25	(27)
What Is an Argument?	25	(4)
Identifying Premises and Conclusions	29	(9)
What Is Not an Argument?	38	(14)
Reports	38	(1)
Unsupported Statements of Belief or Opinion	39	(1)
Conditional Statements	39	(2)
Illustrations	41	(1)
Explanations	42	(10)
Basic Logical Concepts	52	(45)
Deduction and Induction	52	(4)
How Can We Tell Whether an Argument Is Deductive or Inductive?	56	(6)
The Indicator Word Test	56	(1)
The Strict Necessity Test	57	(1)
The Common Pattern Test	58	(1)
The Principle of Charity Test	59	(2)
Exceptions to the Strict Necessity Test	61	(1)
Common Patterns of Deductive Reasoning	62	(5)
Hypothetical Syllogism	62	(3)
Categorical Syllogism	65	(1)
Argument by Elimination	65	(1)
Argument Based on Mathematics	66	(1)
Argument from Definition	66	(1)
Common Patterns of Inductive Reasoning	67	(7)
Inductive Generalization	67	(1)
Predictive Argument	68	(1)
Argument from Authority	68	(1)
Casual Argument	69	(1)
Statistical Argument	70	(1)
Argument from Analogy	70	(4)
Deductive Validity	74	(4)
Inductive Strength	78	(10)
Testing for Validity	88	(9)
Language	97	(43)
The Role of Language in the Assessment of Arguments	97	(2)
Deciding Whether a Premise Is True or False	99	(2)
Precision and Personal Viewpoint in Our Own Arguments	101	(3)
Finding the Right Words: The Need for Precision	104	(6)
Vagueness	105	(1)
Overgenerality	106	(1)
Ambiguity	107	(3)
The Importance of Precise Definitions	110	(12)
Types of Definitions	112	(2)
Strategies for Defining	114	(5)
The Final Word on Definitions	119	(3)
Emotive Language: Slanting the Truth	122	(12)
The Emotive Power of Words	124	(10)
Euphemisms and Political Correctness	134	(6)
Logical Fallacies---1	140	(22)
The Concept of Relevance	140	(3)
Fallacies of Relevance	143	(19)
Personal Attack (Ad Hominem)	143	(1)
Attacking the Motive	144	(1)
Look Who's Talking (Tu Quoque)	145	(1)
Two Wrongs Make a Right	146	(2)
Appeal to Force	148	(1)
Appeal to Pity	148	(1)
Bandwagon Argument	149	(1)
Straw Man	150	(1)
Red Herring	151	(2)
Equivocation	153	(1)
Begging the Question	154	(8)
Logical Fallacies---2	162	(27)
Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence	162	(27)
Inappropriate Appeal to Authority	162	(4)
Appeal to Ignorance	166	(2)
False Alternatives	168	(2)
Loaded Question	170	(1)
Questionable Cause	171	(1)
Hasty Generalization	172	(1)
Slippery Slope	173	(2)
Weak Analogy	175	(2)
Inconsistency	177	(12)
Analyzing Arguments	189	(32)
Diagramming Short Arguments	189	(11)
Tips on Diagramming Arguments	195	(5)
Summarizing Longer Arguments	200	(21)
Paraphrasing	201	(4)
Finding Missing Premises and Conclusions	205	(2)
Summarizing Extended Arguments	207	(14)
Evaluating Arguments	221	(23)
When Is an Argument a Good One?	221	(2)
What ``Good Argument'' Does Not Mean	221	(1)
What ``Good Argument'' Does Mean	222	(1)
When Is It Reasonable to Accept a Premise?	223	(15)
Appendix: Sample Critical Essay	238	(6)
Getting Deeper into Logic: Categorical Reasoning	244	(27)
Categorical Statements	244	(6)
Translating into Standard Categorical Form	250	(6)
Categorical Syllogisms	256	(15)
Getting Deeper into Logic: Propositional Logic	271	(34)
Conjunction	272	(4)
Conjunction and Validity	276	(4)
Negation	280	(5)
Deeper Analysis of Negation and Conjunction	285	(6)
Disjunction	291	(4)
Conditional Statements	295	(10)
Inductive Reasoning	305	(46)
Introduction to Induction	305	(1)
Inductive Generalizations	306	(11)
Evaluating Inductive Generalizations	309	(4)
Opinion Polls and Inductive Generalizations	313	(4)
Statistical Arguments	317	(6)
Reference Class	320	(3)
Induction and Analogy	323	(11)
What Is an Analogy?	323	(1)
How Can We Argue by Analogy?	323	(2)
Evaluating Arguments from Analogy	325	(7)
Arguing by Analogy	332	(2)
Induction and Causal Arguments	334	(7)
Correlation and Cause	338	(3)
A Few Words about Probability	341	(10)
A Closer Look at A Priori Probability	343	(8)
Finding, Evaluating, and Using Sources	351	(56)
Finding Sources	355	(9)
Refining Your Search	356	(1)
Directional Information	357	(4)
Informational Sources	361	(3)
Evaluating Sources	364	(22)
Content: Facts and Everything Else	365	(6)
The Author and the Publisher	371	(10)
The Audience	381	(5)
Taking Notes	386	(11)
Bibliographical Information	386	(1)
Content Notes: Quotes, Summaries and Paraphrases	387	(10)
Using Sources	397	(10)
Acknowledging Sources	397	(4)
Incorporating Sources	401	(6)
Writing Argumentative Essays	407	(45)
Writing a Successful Argument	410	(1)
Before You Write	411	(23)
Know Yourself	411	(2)
Know Your Audience	413	(3)
Choose and Narrow Your Topic	416	(4)
Write a Sentence That Expresses Your Claim	420	(1)
Gather Ideas: Brainstorm and Research	420	(7)
Organize Your Ideas	427	(7)
Writing the First Draft	434	(6)
Provide an Interesting Opening	434	(1)
Include a Thesis Statement	435	(2)
Develop Your Body Paragraphs	437	(1)
Provide a Satisfying Conclusion	438	(2)
After the First Draft	440	(12)
Read What You Have Written and Revise	440	(1)
Consider What You Have Not Written and Revise	440	(1)
Show Your Work	441	(1)
Edit Your Work	441	(1)
Hand It In	441	(1)
Sample Argumentative Essay	442	(10)
Thinking Critically about the Media	452	(52)
The Mass Media	453	(1)
The News Media	454	(7)
The Importance of Context	456	(1)
The ``Meaning'' of the News	457	(2)
How Lack of Context Affects Meaning	459	(2)
Getting Us to Pay Attention: What Really Drives the Media	461	(3)
Keeping Our Interest: The News as Entertainment	464	(20)
How the Media Entertain Us	465	(19)
Media Literacy	484	(3)
Advertisements and the Media	487	(17)
Definition and Functions of an Advertisement	487	(3)
Defenses of Advertising	490	(1)
Criticisms of Advertising	491	(2)
Strategies Used in Advertisements	493	(5)
Other Advertising Ploys	498	(1)
Political Ads	499	(5)
Science and Pseudoscience	504	(38)
The Basic Pattern of Scientific Reasoning	504	(7)
The Limitations of Science	511	(2)
How to Distinguish Science from Pseudoscience	513	(11)
Two Case Studies in Pseudoscience and the Paranormal	524	(18)
Astrology	525	(7)
Near-Death Experiences	532	(10)
Notes	542	(8)
Answers to Selected Exercises	550	(16)
Credits	566	(1)
Glossary/Index	567