Thinking Critically

by John Chaffee

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 has a number of distinctive characteristics that make it 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. Thinking Critically is a proven, classroom-tested vehicle for introducing students to the thinking process and helping them develop sophisticated critical-thinking and critical-literacy abilities. New! Every aspect of the text has been revisited to bring critical thinking to bear on recent world events, including September 11 and response to terrorist activities. New! Readings and activities explore topics such as the meaning of patriotism and how journalists balance national security concerns with reporting on breaking events. New! More perspective-taking activities provide a global view on events in the U.S. and elsewhere. New! 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. New! Updated technology material featuresincreased coverage of the Internet and evaluating electronic sources and web sites. New! Text-specific web site features additional exercises from the Instructor's Resource Manual, a Glossary with links to relevant web sites (including www.thinkingworld.com), and additional support material for both students and faculty. New! Tom Randall's Halloween Party (the Test of Critical Thinking Abilities found previously in the Instructor's Resource Manual) is now in interactive form on the student web site. It asks students to gather and weigh evidence, ask relevant questions, construct informed beliefs, evaluate expert testimony and summation arguments, reach a reasoned verdict, and view the entire case from a problem-solving perspective. New! Expanded treatment of arguments and fallacies features more examples. New! A Glossary of terms for writing and critical thinking has been added. High-interest readings illustrate key concepts and stimulate students to develop their thinking abilities through critical reading and written analysis. Practical, transferable skills focus on the major thinking and language abilities needed in all disciplines: problem solving, perceiving, forming concepts, mapping relationships, composing, reporting, inferring, judging, constructing arguments, and reasoning.

Genres: Education, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Logic, College

640 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Haytham Badawey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not bad. The downside is, it's too long for the little amount of information in it. The authors explains common sense ideas in details. I think the first 10 chapters could have been summarized into 2 or 3 chapters.

Chapter 11 (reasoning critically) is the best part in the book, it's very useful and I really learned so much from this chapter. I could even say, chapter 11 changed my way of thinking. I am sure all people need to consider the reasoning methods and avoid the reasoning fallacies described in this chapter.

[Bobbi Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the more "OK" textbooks I've had in non-major courses. It wasn't dynamite but it illustrated the points the instructor seemed to be trying to make for us, the students. It wouldn't be a bad book for most people to read at some point, honestly.

[Ariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for an online class, there are a couple good insights but a lot of it's just common sense (which can be argued is a lacking skill)

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking Critically is a college textbook by Dr. John Chaffee. I read the eighth edition, published in 2006. We all know what thinking is, so what is critical thinking? Critical thinking is where you explore your thinking process to clarify your understanding and make intelligent decisions. Over 2500 years ago, the Greek Philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." It is a statement that still holds up today.

One way to think critically is to make goals. Let's say you have a test in a course you're taking. How do you prepare for it? With a series of goals in mind, you can create a checklist to follow. Maybe you should study your notes. The point is that a goal allows you to organize your thoughts, and that is a necessary step to critical thinking.

I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy read. I'm learning so much about my moral self. I highly recommend this book.

[Marius Coetzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty useful for the humanities

[Mama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to get more educational ideas from this than I did. There were a couple of good chapters on constructing arguments and reasoning critically that I may be able to use, but the rest was pretty basic stuff - and not very engaging at that.

[Rayanne Drouin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a textbook I used for my Critical Thinking course. Not only did I enjoy it, my students did too!

[Tom Armstrong · Rating 1 out of 5]

A basic introduction with some horribly biased examples. I'd say pick something else.

[Bob Kavanagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An appreciably comprehensive textbook on the theme of critical thinking. Well researched and provides many real life examples. Maybe a little too long though.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this textbook in only a little over three weeks...

[Breanna Kusnierczyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This text was informative, but basic. Great for those who are looking at evolving their critical thinking skills for the first time, but a bore for those who have given the topic any consideration in the past. I did learn, however, a few key terms I did not previously have a word for and a lot about the role of language.