The Critical Thinking Book

ISBN-13: 9781554813933 / Angielski / Miękka / 2022

Gary James Jason

Spis treści

Part One: The Elements of Critical Thinking: Statements, Questions, Arguments, Cases, and Dialogues

Chapter 1: Critical Thinking: Developing an Effective Worldview

• 1. Critical Thinking and Mental Models
• 2. Clarity and Consistency
• 3. Relevance
• 4. Justification and Explanatory/Predictive Power
• 5. The Usefulness of Critical Thinking
• 6. Impediments to Critical Thinking
• 7. Critical Thinking as an Academic Discipline
• 8. The Organization of This Book

Chapter 2: Assertions

• 1. Assertions and Sentences
• 2. Statement Forms: Simple and Compound
• 3. Statement Forms: Particular and General
• 4. Statement Content: Necessary versus Contingent
• 5. Statement Content: Descriptive versus Evaluative

Chapter 3: Questions

• 1. Questions and Sentences
• 2. Types of Questions
• 3. Responsive Answers
• 4. Fallacies of Questions

Chapter 4: Identifying Single Arguments

• 1. Premises and Conclusions
• 2. Identifying Single Arguments: Rhetorical Devices
• 3. Identifying Single Arguments: Rhetorical Expansion
• 4. Identifying Single Arguments: Rhetorical Compression
• 5. Telling Arguments from Other Things
• 6. The Uses of Arguments
• 7. Two Types of Evidential Relations
• 8. Deductive Argument Forms
• 9. Inductive Argument Forms and the IBE

Chapter 5: Multiple Arguments, Cases, and Dialogues

• 1. Diagramming Multiple Arguments
• 2. The Case Structure
• 3. The IBE as a Compressed Case
• 4. Dialogues

Part Two: The Goals of Critical Thinking: Clarity, Relevance, Consistency, Justification, and Explanatory Power

Chapter 6: Pitfalls of Language

• 1. Pitfalls of Language
• 2. Verbosity and Jargon
• 3. Vagueness
• 4. Loaded Language and Circular Argument
• 5. Understatement and Overstatement
• 6. Ambiguity
• 7. Synonymy
• 8. Figurative Language
• 9. Review of Major Fallacies Discussed so Far

Chapter 7: Definition, Classification, and Concept Mapping

• 1. Three Tools for Organizing Thought and Clarifying Language
• 2. Types of Definition
• 3. Sense and Reference
• 4. Methods of Definition
• 5. Rules for Explicit Definitions
• 6. Analogical Definition
• 7. Classification
• 8. Concept Mapping

Chapter 8: Topical Relevance

• 1. Relevance and Questions
• 2. Fallacies of Refusing to Answer
• 3. Fallacies of Irrelevant Emotional Appeal
• 4. Fallacies of Ignoring the Issue
• 5. How to Explain Fallacies of Relevance
• 6. Review of the Major Fallacies Discussed so Far

Chapter 9: Deductive Reasoning I: Truth-Functional Logic

• 1. Two Types of Consistency
• 2. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
• 3. Basic Concepts of Deductive Logic
• 4. Truth Table Calculations
• 5. Symbolization
• 6. Truth Table Testing for Consistency
• 7. Truth Table Testing for Implication and Validity
• 8. Truth Table Testing for Other Deductive Concepts
• 9. Summary

Chapter 10: Deductive Reasoning II: Class Logic

• 1. A Closer Look at Statements
• 2. Statements Involving Two Classes
• 3. Venn Testing for Consistency
• 4. Venn Testing for Implication and Validity
• 5. Venn Testing for Other Concepts
• 6. Summary of Concepts
• 7. The Limitations of Truth-Functional and Class Logic

Chapter 11: Inductive Reasoning I: Observation, Memory, and Testimony

• 1. Sensing, Observing, and Reporting
• 2. Assessing Observation
• 3. Special Issues Concerning Observation in Natural Science
• 4. Assessing Memory
• 5. Assessing Eyewitness Testimony
• 6. Assessing Expert Testimony
• 7. The Fallacy of Faulty Appeal to Authority
• 8. Special Issues Concerning Expert Testimony in Journalism
• 9. Special Issues Concerning Expert Testimony in Legal Proceedings
• 10. Observation, Memory, and Testimony IBE and CBE

Chapter 12: Inductive Reasoning II: Inductive Generalization and Inductive Instantiation

• 1. The Pervasiveness of Inductive Generalization
• 2. Criteria for Assessing Generalizations
• 3. The Fallacy of Faulty Generalization
• 4. Defeasibility and General Rules
• 5. The Statistical Syllogism
• 6. The Fallacy of Faulty Instantiation
• 7. A Common Confusion
• 8. Inductive Generalization and Inductive Instantiation as IBE and CBE
• 9. Stereotypes and Prejudice

Chapter 13: Inductive Reasoning III: Analogies

• 1. The Uses of Analogy
• 2. Descriptive and Definitional Analogies
• 3. Assessing Analogical Arguments
• 4. The Heuristic Use of Analogies
• 5. Models in Science
• 6. Analogies in Legal Reasoning
• 7. Analogical Arguments as IBE and CBE

Chapter 14: Inductive Reasoning IV: Causal Inference

• 1. The Relation of Cause and Effect
• 2. Evidence for Causal Claims: Temporal and Statistical Linkages
• 3. Establishing Deterministic Causes
• 4. A More Formal Approach to Causal Reasoning
• 5. Establishing Statistical Causes
• 6. Special Issues in Medical and Pharmaceutical Research
• 7. The Fallacy of Faulty Causal Reasoning
• 8. Causal Inference as IBE and CBE
• 9. Review of the Five Inductive Fallacies
• 10. Review of All of the Previous Major Fallacies

Chapter 15: Inductive Reasoning V: Explanation, Hypothesis, and Prediction

• 1. Key Concepts
• 2. Types of Explanation
• 3. A Closer Look at Causal Explanations
• 4. Rules for Forming Hypotheses
• 5. Rules for Assessing Hypotheses

Part Three: Applications of Critical Thinking: Decisions in a Democratic Market Economy

Chapter 16: Classical Decision Theory: Its Uses and Problems

• 1. Utility and Preferences
• 2. Decision under Certainty: The Rational Choice Model
• 3. Decision under Risk
• 4. Decision under Uncertainty
• 5. Decision under Conflict
• 6. Challenges to Classical Decision Theory I: Several Narrow Criticisms
• 7. Challenges to Classical Decision Theory II: The Opacity of Costs and Benefits
• 8. Challenges to Classical Decision Theory III: Behavioral Decision Theory
• 9. Challenges to Classical Decision Theory IV: Manipulation by Others

Chapter 17: Application I: Rational versus Irrational Marketing

• 1. Two Main Branches of Rhetoric
• 2. When Is Marketing Rational?
• 3. Why Is Marketing so Often Irrational?
• 4. Psychological Mechanisms Exploited by Marketing Agents
• 5. Examples of Irrational Marketing Techniques
• 6. Special Issues in Advertising to Children
• 7. How to Combat Deceptive Marketing

Chapter 18: Application II: Rational versus Irrational Propaganda

• 1. Political Agents and Propaganda
• 2. Is Deceptive Propaganda More Prevalent Than Deceptive Marketing?
• 3. Examples of Irrational Propaganda Techniques
• 4. How to Combat Deceptive Propaganda
• 5. Propaganda in a Dictatorship

Chapter 19: Application III: Science versus Pseudo-Science

• 1. Healthy Science versus Pseudo-Science
• 2. Symptoms of Pseudo-Science
• 3. First Example of Pseudo-Science: Astrology
• 4. Second Example of Pseudo-Science: Lysenkoism
• 5. A Borderline Case

Glossary
Bibliography
Index