The Power of Critical Thinking Effective Reasoning About Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims

by Vaughn, Lewis

• ISBN13: 9780195320411
• ISBN10: 0195320417
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Enhanced by many innovative exercises, examples, and pedagogical features, The Power of Critical Thinking: Effective Reasoning About Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims, Second Edition, explores the essentials of critical reasoning, argumentation, logic, and argumentative essay writing while also incorporating material on important topics that most other texts leave out. Author Lewis Vaughn offers comprehensive treatments of core topics, including an introduction to claims and arguments, discussions of propositional and categorical logic, and full coverage of the basics of inductive reasoning. Building on this solid foundation, he also delves into areas neglected by other texts, adding extensive material on "inference to the best explanation" and on scientific reasoning; a thorough look at the evaluation of evidence and credibility; and a chapter on the psychological and social factors that can impede critical thinking. Additional notable elements are a chapter on moral reasoning, advice on how to evaluate Internet sources, and guidelines for evaluating occult, paranormal, or supernatural claims. The Power of Critical Thinking, Second Edition, integrates many pedagogical features including hundreds of diverse exercises, examples, and illustrations; progressive, stand-alone writing modules; numerous text boxes; step-by-step guidelines for evaluating claims, arguments, and explanations; a glossary of important terms; and many reminders, summaries, and review notes throughout. The text is supplemented by a companion website at www.oup.com/us/criticalthinking (offering a student study guide and more), and an Instructor's Manual with Test Questions (available both in print and on a CD). This unique text features a modular structure that allows instructors to teach the chapters in almost any order. Written in a student-friendly style and enhanced by humor where appropriate, it is ideal for courses in critical thinking, introduction to logic, informal logic, argumentative writing, and introduction to argumentation. New to the Second Edition * Full-color throughout and an expanded art program (37 more photos and illustrations) * A new writing module--an annotated sample student paper--and five additional essays for analysis * A new section on evaluating news reports and advertising * Timely discussions of intelligent design and population (nonintervention) studies * Expanded coverage of experts and authors and reasons to doubt their reliability * More "Field Problems" and exercise questions * Chapter objectives and key terms with definitions for each chapter

Author Biography

Lewis Vaughn is the author or coauthor of several books, including: Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases (OUP, 2008); How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age, Fifth Edition (2007); Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues (2007); Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments, Third Edition (2006); and Writing Philosophy: A Student's Guide to Writing Philosophy Essays (OUP, 2005).

Table of Contents

Each chapter includes a Summary, Exercises, Field Problem(s), Self-Assessment Quiz, and Writing Assignments

Preface

Basics

The Power of Critical Thinking

Why It Matters

How It Works

Claims and Reasons

Reasons and Arguments

Arguments in the Rough

Critical Thinking and Writing: Module 1

The "Environment" of Critical Thinking

Perils of a Haunted Mind

The Almighty Self

The Power of the Group

Perils of a Haunted Worldview

Subjective Relativism

Social Relativism

Skepticism

Critical Thinking and Writing: Module 2

Making Sense of Arguments

Argument Basics

Judging Arguments

Finding Missing Parts

Argument Patterns

Diagramming Arguments

Assessing Long Arguments

Critical Thinking and Writing: Module 3

Reasons

Reasons for Belief and Doubt

When Claims Conflict

Experts and Evidence

Personal Experience

Impairment

Expectation

Innumeracy

Fooling Ourselves

Resisting Contrary Evidence

Looking for Confirming Evidence

Preferring Available Evidence

Claims in the News

Inside the News

Sorting Out the News

Critical Thinking and Writing: Module 4

Faulty Reasoning

Irrelevant Premises

Genetic Fallacy

Composition

Division

Appeal to the Person

Equivocation

Appeal to Popularity

Appeal to Tradition

Appeal to Ignorance

Appeal to Emotion

Red Herring

Straw Man

Unacceptable Premises

Begging the Question

False Dilemma

Slippery Slope

Hasty Generalization

Faulty Analogy

Arguments

Deductive Reasoning: Propositional Logic

Connectives and Truth Values

Conjunction

Disjunction

Negation

Conditional

Checking for Validity

Simple Arguments

Tricky Arguments

Streamlined Evaluation

Deductive Reasoning: Categorical Logic

Statements and Classes

Translations and Standard Form

Terms

Quantifiers

Diagramming Categorical Statements

Sizing Up Categorical Syllogisms

Inductive Reasoning

Enumerative Induction

Sample Size

Representativeness

Opinion Polls

Analogical Induction

Causal Arguments

Testing for Causes

Causal Confusions

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

Explanations

Inference to the Best Explanation

Explanations and Inference

Theories and Consistency

Theories and Criteria

Testability

Fruitfulness

Scope

Simplicity

Conservatism

Telling Good Theories from Bad

A Doomed Flight

An Amazing Cure

Judging Scientific Theories

Science and Not Science

The Scientific Method

Testing Scientific Theories

Judging Scientific Theories

Copernicus Versus Ptolemy

Evolution Versus Creationism

Science and Weird Theories

Making Weird Mistakes

Leaping to the Weirdest Theory

Mixing What Seems with What Is

Misunderstanding the Possibilities

Judging Weird Theories

Crop Circles

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