Synopses & Reviews
Thinking Critically teaches the fundamental thinking, reasoning, reading, and writing abilities that students need for academic success. The text begins with basic skills related to personal experience and then carefully progresses to the more sophisticated reasoning skills required for abstract, academic contexts. Thinking Critically is designed to introduce students to the cognitive process while teaching them to develop their higher order thinking and language abilities. The book and its web site have a number of distinctive characteristics that make it an effective tool for both instructors and students.Every aspect of the text brings critical thinking to bear on recent world events, including September 11 and response to terrorist activities.Readings and activities explore topics such as the meaning of patriotism and how journalists balance national security concerns with reporting on breaking events.Enhanced exploration of how critical thinking can improve one' s personal relationships features readings from Judith Wallerstein' s The Good Marriage and Robert Wright' s The Moral Animal.
Synopsis
Thinking Critically, 8/e, teaches the fundamental thinking, reasoning, reading, and writing abilities that students need for academic success. The text begins with basic skills related to personal experience and then carefully progresses to the more sophisticated reasoning skills required for abstract, academic contexts. Thinking Critically introduces students to the cognitive process while teaching them to develop their higher-order thinking and language abilities. A number of distinctive characteristics make the text an effective tool for both instructors and students. Exercises, discussion topics, and writing assignments encourage active participation, stimulating students to critically examine their own and others' thinking.
About the Author
John Chaffee, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at The City University of New York, where he has developed a Philosophy and Critical Thinking program that annually involves 25 faculty and 3,000 students. He is a nationally recognized figure in the area of critical thinking, having authored leading textbooks and many professional articles. He also has conducted numerous conference presentations and workshops throughout the country. In developing programs to teach people to think more effectively in all academic subjects and areas of life, he has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He was selected as New York Educator of the Year and received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Diversity in Teaching in Higher Education.
Table of Contents
1. Thinking Living an "Examined" Life Working Toward Goals Thinking Passage: From the Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X with Alex Haley Discovering "Who" You Are Living Creatively Thinking Passage: "Original Spin" by Lesley Dormen and Peter Edidin Final Thoughts 2. Thinking Critically Thinking Actively Carefully Exploring Situations with Questions Thinking Independently Viewing Situations from Different Perspectives Supporting Diverse Perspectives with Reasons and Evidence Discussing Ideas in an Organized Way Becoming a Critical Thinker Creating a Thinking World Analyzing Issues Thinking Passages: Jurors' and Judges' Reasoning Processes "Jurors Hear Evidence and Turn It into Stories" by Daniel Goleman "Judicial Reasoning Is All Too Human" by Patricia Cohen 3. Solving Problems Thinking Critically About Problems Introduction to Solving Problems Solving Complex Problems Solving Nonpersonal Problems Thinking Passages: Liberty Versus Security "Liberty v Security" by The Economist "National I.D. Cards: One Size Fits All" by Daniel J. Wakin "Living Under an Electronic Eye" by Lisa Guernsey "Construction of an Enemy" by Eleanor Stein "The Unknown Citizen" by W. H. Auden 4. Perceiving Actively Selecting, Organizing, and Interpreting Sensations Thinking Passage: Experiences Shape Your Perceptions "Acquired Knowledge" by Anonymous Thinking Critically About Perceptions Thinking Passage: Plato's Allegory of the Cave: The Journey from Perception to Knowledge "On Plato's Cave" by Sonja Tanner Thinking Passages: Perception and Global Conflict "A World Not Neatly Divided" by Amartya Sen "The Origins of Occidentalism" by Ian Buruma "War of Ideas, Part 6" by Thomas L. Friedman Photo Essay 5. Believing and Knowing Believing and Perceiving Believing and Knowing Thinking Passage: "Is the Earth Round or Flat?" by Alan Lightman Knowledge and Truth Thinking Critically About Your Beliefs Using Perspective-Taking to Achieve Knowledge Thinking Passage: "Why I Quit the Klan" by C. P. Ellis Beliefs Based on Indirect Experience Evaluating Online Information Final Thoughts 6. Language and Thought The Evolution of Language The Symbolic Nature of Language Using Language Effectively Thinking Passage: From Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon Using Language to Clarify Thinking Thinking Passage: "An Account of Avianca Flight 52" Using Language in Social Contexts Using Language to Influence Final Thoughts Thinking Passage: Gender Differences in Language "Sex, Lies, and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?" by Deborah Tannen 7. Forming and Applying Concepts What Are Concepts? The Structure of Concepts Forming Concepts Applying Concepts Thinking Passages: Femininity and Masculinity "Femininity" by Susan Brownmiller "The Return of Manly Men" by Patricia Leigh Brown Using Concepts to Classify Defining Concepts Thinking Passage: "Identify Yourself: Who's American?" by Gregory Rodriguez Relating Concepts with Mind Maps Final Thoughts Thinking Passage: "What Is Religion?" by Frederick J. Streng 8. Relating and Organizing Chronological and Process Relationships Thinking Passage: "Back, but Not Home" by Maria Muniz Comparative and Analogical Relationships Causal Relationships Final Thoughts Thinking Passages: Environmental Issues "Worried? Us?" by Bill McKibben "The Conundrum of Consumption" by Alan Thein Durning Photo Essay 9. Reporting, Inferring, and Judging Reporting Factual Information Thinking Passage: "The End of My Childhood" by N. Scott Momaday Inferring Judging The Thinker's Guide to Moral Decision-Making Final Thoughts Thinking Passage: "Evolution as Fact and Theory" by Stephen Jay Gould 10. Constructing Arguments Recognizing Arguments Evaluating Arguments Understanding Deductive Arguments Constructing Extended Arguments Final Thoughts Thinking Passages: Human Cloning "U.S. Company Says It Cloned Human Embryo for Cells" by Maggie Fox "No Fear" by Richard T. Hull "Even If It Worked, Cloning Wouldn't Bring Her Back" by Thomas H. Murray 11. Reasoning Critically Inductive Reasoning Empirical Generalization Fallacies of False Generalization Thinking Passage: Detecting Fallacies of False Generalization "She's Not Really Ill. . ." by Maureen Dowd Causal Reasoning Thinking Passage: Researching Cures and Prevention "'3 x 5' Progress Report" by World Health Organization/UNAIDS Causal Fallacies Fallacies of Relevance The Critical Thinker's Guide to Reasoning Thinking Passages: "Critical Thinking and Obedience to Authority" by John Sabini and Maury Silver "Pressure to Go Along with Abuse Is Strong, but Some Soldiers Find Strength to Refuse" by Anahad O'Connor 12. Thinking Critically, Living Creatively Living a Life Philosophy Deciding on a Career Thinking Passages: Finding Meaning in Work "The Stunt Pilot" by Annie Dillard "Cut Time" by Carlo Rotella "Spellbound by the Eternal Riddle, Scientists Revel in Their Captivity" by Alan Lightman Thinking Critically About Personal Relationships The Thinker's Guide to Healthy Relationships Choosing "the Good Life"