Critical Thinking - Concise Edition

ISBN-13: 9781554812677 / Angielski / Miękka / 2015 / 230 str.

William Hughes; Jonathan Lavery

Opis

A top-selling introduction to good reasoning, in a new succinct and inexpensive format.

Spis treści

Acknowledgments
Online Materials

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: Reasoning and Critical Thinking

1. Reasoning
2. The Concept of Logical Strength
3. Truth, Logical Strength, and Soundness
4. Critical Thinking Skills
5. Critical Thinking and the Science of Logic
6. Self-Test No. 1
7. Questions for Discussion

PART TWO: MEANING

Chapter 2: Meaning and Definition

1. The Complexity of Language
2. The Meaning of Language
1. The Reference Theory of Meaning
2. The Idea Theory of Meaning
3. Meaning as Use
3. The Main Functions of Language
4. Self-Test No. 2
5. Questions for Discussion
6. Definition
7. The Purposes of Definition
1. Reportive Definitions
2. Stipulative Definitions
3. Essentialist Definitions
8. Methods of Definition
1. Genus-Species Method
2. Ostensive Method
3. Synonym Method
4. Operational Method
5. Contextual Method
9. Assessing Reportive Definitions
1. Too Broad a Definition
2. Too Narrow a Definition
3. Too Broad and Too Narrow a Definition
4. Circular Definition
5. Obscure Definition
10. Assessing Stipulative and Essentialist Definitions
11. A Warning
12. Self-Test No. 3
13. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 3: Clarifying Meaning

1. The Principle of Charity
2. Linguistic Ambiguity
1. Ambiguity and Vagueness
2. Referential Ambiguity
3. Grammatical Ambiguity
4. Use and Mention
3. Self-Test No. 4
4. Analytic, Contradictory, and Synthetic Statements
5. Self-Test No. 5
6. Descriptive and Evaluative Meaning
7. Self-Test No. 6
8. Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
9. Self-Test No. 7
10. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 4: Reconstructing Arguments

1. Reconstruction
2. Missing Premises and Conclusions
3. Self-Test No. 8
4. Special Cases
1. Reports of Arguments
2. Explanations
5. Self-Test No. 9
6. The Structure of Arguments
1. Simple Arguments
2. T Arguments
3. V Arguments
4. Complex Arguments
7. Self-Test No. 10
8. Another Warning
9. Questions for Discussion

PART THREE: ASSESSING ARGUMENTS

Chapter 5: Strategies for Assessing Arguments

1. The Fallacies Approach
2. The Criterial Approach
1. The Three Criteria of a Sound Argument
3. Seven Rules for Assessing Arguments
1. Rule 1. Identify the Main Conclusion
2. Rule 2. Identify the Premises
3. Rule 3. Identify the Structure of the Argument
4. Rule 4. Check the Acceptability of the Premises
5. Rule 5. Check the Relevance of the Premises
6. Rule 6. Check the Adequacy of the Premises
7. Rule 7. Look for Counter-Arguments

Chapter 6: Assessing Truth-Claims

1. Theories of Truth
1. The Correspondence Theory
2. The Coherence Theory
3. The Pragmatic Theory
2. Types of Truth-Claims
1. Empirical Truth-Claims
2. Non-Empirical Truth-Claims
3. Acceptability
4. Self-Test No. 11
5. Questions for Discussion
6. Assessing the Acceptability of Premises
7. Some Particular Fallacies
1. Begging the Question
2. Inconsistency
3. Equivocation
4. False Dichotomy
8. Self-Test No. 12
9. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 7: Assessing Relevance

1. The Criterion of Relevance
2. Recognizing Irrelevant Premises
3. Appeals to Authority (1)
4. Some Particular Fallacies
1. Ad Hominem
2. Tu Quoque
3. Straw Man
5. Self-Test No. 13
6. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 8: Assessing Adequacy

1. The Criterion of Adequacy
2. Appeals to Authority (2)
3. Appeals to Anecdotal Evidence
4. Appeals to Ignorance
5. The Slippery Slope Fallacy
6. Causal Fallacies
1. Post Hoc
2. Confusing Cause and Effect
3. Common Cause
7. Self-Test No. 14
8. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 9: Deductive Reasoning

1. The Nature of Deductive Reasoning
2. Truth-Functional Statements
3. Formal Validity and Soundness
4. Valid Argument Forms
5. Formal Invalidity
6. Self-Test No. 15
7. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 10: Inductive Reasoning

1. The Nature of Inductive Reasoning
2. Inductive Generalization
3. Statistical Syllogism
4. Induction by Confirmation
5. Analogical Reasoning
6. Self-Test No. 16
7. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 11: Arguing Back

1. Explaining the Weakness
2. Counter-Examples
3. Absurd Examples
4. Counter-Arguments
5. Self-Test No. 17
6. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 12: Irrational Techniques of Persuasion

1. Loaded Terms
2. Vague Terms
3. Loaded Questions
4. False Confidence
5. Selectivity
6. Misleading Statistics
7. Humor
8. Red Herring
9. Guilt by Association
10. Persuasive Redefinition
11. Self-Test No. 18
12. Questions for Discussion

Appendix: Answers to Self-Tests

Glossary

Index