Critical Thinking

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge

by Jonathan Haber

An insightful guide to the practice, teaching, and history of critical thinking—from Aristotle and Plato to Thomas Dewey—for teachers, students, and anyone looking to hone their critical thinking skills.Critical thinking is regularly cited as an essential 21st century skill, the key to success in school and work. Given the propensity to believe fake news, draw incorrect conclusions, and make decisions based on emotion rather than reason, it might even be said that critical thinking is vital to the survival of a democratic society.But what, exactly, is critical thinking? Jonathan Haber explains how the concept of critical thinking emerged, how it has been defined, and how critical thinking skills can be taught and assessed. Haber describes the term's origins in such disciplines as philosophy, psychology, and science. He examines the components of critical thinking, including• structured thinking• language skills • background knowledge• information literacy• intellectual humility• empathy and open-mindednessHaber argues that the most important critical thinking issue today is that not enough people are doing enough of it. Fortunately, critical thinking can be taught, practiced, and evaluated. This book offers a guide for teachers, students, and aspiring critical thinkers everywhere, including advice for educational leaders and policy makers on how to make the teaching and learning of critical thinking an educational priority and practical reality.

Genres: Philosophy, Education, Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Audiobook, Teaching

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Jonathan Haber is an educational researcher, writer and recovering entrepreneur working in the field of technology-enabled learning and teacher education. His Degree of Freedom One Year BA project, which involved trying to learn the equivalent of a BA in just twelve months using only Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other forms of free learning, has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wall Street Journal and other major media sources. His writing on education-related topics has also appeared in Slate, EdSurge and other publications.

Reviews

[Mohammad Ranjbari · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب تفکر انتقادی زمینه‌ساز بحثی است که جای خالی آن را به‌خصوص در محیط‌های آموزشی حس می‌کنیم. تلاش نویسنده بر این است که محتوای اغلب غیرضروری و غیر کاربردی دانشگاه‌ها اندکی تعدیل شده و بخشی از فرایند آموزش به امر تفکر انتقادی و تجهیز دانش‌آموختگان اختصاص داده شود. بخش‌های نخستین کتاب بسیار جامع تدوین شده است. در آغاز، زمینۀ پیدایش تفکر انتقادی و تاریخچه‌ای کوتاه از آن معرفی رائه می‌شود. سپس به ضرورت اِعمال تفکر انتقادی توجه شده و بخش‌های بعدی کتاب رویکردها و راه‌کارهای مختلف را ارائه می‌دهد. برخی مباحث منطقی شاید برای خواننده دشوار و دیرفهم باشد اما مثال‌های کتاب روشنگر هستند.

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title caught my eye. I was curious what would be presented. Turns out that most of the contents was stuff I was taught in college as a philosophy major. About 40% of the book is devoted to what is needed to teach critical thinking. While it is important to teach starting early, I suspect the skills needed are learned post college (brain development studies leads me conclude this). The author writes about comprehensively teaching critical thinking across all subjects in college, but then talks about bringing post-modernism critique (deconstructionist in particular) into the fold. To me post-modernism is an escape from critical thinking. The book "Post-Truth" (also in this same MIT series) does a good job of pointing to post-modernism/deconstructionism as toxic to truth and critical thinking. The author does a poor job of confronting the growing movement of states that want rote memorization and do not want critical thinking skills taught. The author hides behind a weak argument that businesses want critical thinkers and thus the author fails to confront the political arguments being presented.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, confession here. I'm not actually particularly up with the play or knowledgeable about Critical Thinking (I am perpetually confused by the difference between deduction and induction). But I like to think if I had the chance I'd be pretty good at it LOL.

Haber's book seems pretty straightforward, although I agree with other reviewers that point out that its more angled towards fitting Critical Thinking into education rather than helping teach plebes like me how to critically think.

[Mitch Flitcroft · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more a history and pedagogy of critical thinking, rather than a general introduction. It’s more suitable for teachers, rather than students, of critical thinking. If you’re looking for a primer on logic, biases, and fallacies, then this definitely isn’t the book for you.

[الشناوي محمد جبر · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتاب عادي مش حاسس فيه بشيء مميز

[Aidana Alymkulova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it seemed like this book was mainly intended for educators I appreciated the concise overview of the critical thinking field in Haber’s book. I liked how he traced its roots back to Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, highlighting that critical thinking is not a new concept.

For anyone interested in this subject, chapter three provides valuable insights where Haber dives into how our society defines, teaches, and assesses critical thinking.

Additionally, the book’s inclusion of additional resources (which is mentioned several times in chapters) one more time emphasizes the importance of “information literacy”, making it a resource for us.

[Duester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to give this five stars even though I wouldn't say I learned a whole lot of new information. But that's not why I think this book is good.

Let’s see if the book did what it set out to do:

First, a word about the imprint: the MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series, which offers an impressive and ever-growing catalogue of topics, describes itself as "offer[ing] accessible, concise, beautifully produced pocket-size books on topics of current interest. Written by leading thinkers, the books in this series deliver expert overviews of the subjects that range from the cultural and the historical to the scientific and technical." In all of these respects, Jonathan Haber's Critical Thinking accomplishes the series' goal.

Next, let us note the intended audience. Haber writes in the preface that “[w]hile educators are the target audience for this book, my vision of who falls into that category is expansive, including instructors at postsecondary institutions fortunate enough to teach the subject full-time, as well as K-12 teachers trying to instill critical-thinking abilities in students learning … any … discipline requiring higher-order thinking. It also includes parents who want to raise children to think for themselves. Finally, it includes everyone on any kind of educational journey[.]”

Given the intent of the series and the book’s target audience, I think that Haber has done a fine job of giving the reader the “essential knowledge” related to the development of critical thinking skills, including its definition and components, conceptual history, and place in public education policy in the modern era.

Haber begins by tentatively approaching the question of how to define critical thinking—in so doing, he avoids getting bogged down in attempting to establish academic consensus on the early pages of a book written for a general audience—before delving into a very accessible history of the concept, covering the most relevant developments in classical western philosophy, psychology, and modern educational theory. Then, Haber covers the components of critical thinking in a chapter which also summarizes rudimentary formal and informal logical procedure (and astutely suggests, at times, logic’s relationship to rhetoric). In the summative chapter, Haber explains what he believes to be consensus about critical thinking, and proceeds to explain a series of practical suggestions for public policy, pedagogy, and assessment.

Because critical thinking is so central to what contemporary education seeks to develop in learners, I think that every educator would do well to familiarize or re-familiarize themselves with the genealogy of the concept of critical thinking, from Aristotle to Dewey and beyond; with the research, standards, and public policy around critical thinking, which are abundantly found in Haber’s footnotes; and with the means of teaching and assessing the development of learner’s critical thinking.

In a section which I think readers at high levels of familiarity with the subject will nonetheless benefit from, Haber spends much of his final chapters by focusing on epistemological concerns regarding how to assess critical thinking, and practical advice for improving teacher-training and professional-development programming.

All in all, this is a very fine introduction to the topic of critical thinking from a practical and pedagogical perspective, well-situated within the research and theory of the field and self-reflective of the history of this academic approach. The footnotes and additional resources sections are significant contributions toward a more serious engagement by the public with the subject of critical thinking.

A companion book in the same series which I would recommend is Lee McIntyre’s Post Truth.

[Tetiana Garanenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Деякі коментатори виборів у США 2016 року дійшли висновку, що багато американців ухвалюють рішення, спираючись радше на емоції, ніж на розум, натякаючи, що здатність громадськості мислити критично або відсутня, або дуже крихка. Замало людей достатньою мірою користуються навичками критичного мислення. Це пояснює акцент книжки на тому, як критичне мислення можна викладати, практикувати й оцінювати.

Дуже багато років тому, успіх наукового мислення надихнув в інших відкинути релігійні догми й почати мислити самостійно, у раціональний і науковий спосіб. Ви ставити запитання, пропонуєте відповідь на нього (гіпотезу), а тоді вважаєте цю гіпотезу непідтвердженою, поки збираєте докази, які її підтверджують або спростовують. Це є і головний підхід критичного мислення, який спонукає вас не поспішати з відповіддю, а сформулювати її, перевірити на відповідність здоровому глузду й дійти висновку за результатами перевірки.

Мислення - це інструмент, за допомогою якого ми розвіюємо сумніви, а сумніви - це джерело внутрішнього болю, і люди готові на будь-що, аби його ліквідувати. Виявляється, людський розум не застосовує всієї своєї сили до кожної ситуації, ідучи натомість «короткою дорогою» з метою оптимізації потоку інформації від органів чуття й перетворення цієї інформації на розуміння, згідно з яким ухвалюються рішення. Оскільки «сирі» знання стають дедалі доступнішими за допомогою клацання мишкою чи гортання пальцем по екрану телефона, члени суспільства «інформаційної ери» повинні знати, як ефективно використовувати ці знання, мислячі про них чіткіше - і критичніше.

Автор розглядає погоджені складові - структуроване мислення/логіка, мовні навички й аргументація та описано деякі додаткові навички та риси, як-от креативність та індивідуальні схильності, необхідні для критичного мислення. Якщо вас цікавить викладання критичного мислення або ж самостійне його опанування, для цього не існує правильної чи неправильної системи. Єдиним неправильним варіантом є залишити своє мислення неструктурованим. Якщо хочете стати людиною з критичним мисленням, то все здається простішим: спрощуйте якомога більше, але не жертвуйте точністю.

Певні риси людини з критичним мисленням - цікавість, емпатію, креативність, - яким, можливо, місце в профілі особистості, а не в навчальній програмі. Зауважте, що цей набір схильностей охоплює багато неінтелектуальних аспектів людської ситуації: емоційні, етичні та соціальні аспекти нашого характеру. Але всі вони працюють на спільну мету проєкту критичного мислення: виховувати автономних індивідуальних осіб, здатних мислити систематично і незалежно.

[Jerry Vanee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book two stars because any book I manage to finish deserves more than one star. However, even two stars is being generous. As other reviewers have noted, this book tells you very little about Critical Thinking. It spends most of its pages talking about who teaches it and what they have to say about it.

The book mentioned John Dewey’s “How We Think” many times, so I looked it up on Amazon and found a Kindle version for $2.99. Even though that book was written in 1910, it has far more real information on critical thinking than Mr. Hager’s book does. It is a bit difficult to read as the language is from early in the 20th century, but the substance is much better than this book.

I suggest if you really want to find out about critical thinking, you give this book a pass and buy John Dewey’s “How We Think”. It is amazing to me how little things have really changed in the past 114 years. Yes, our technological society is far advanced from what they had in 1910, but people seem to fundamentally unchanged.

Finally, I also still cannot figure out what Mr. Haber meant by the following statement: “The idea of God as infinitely powerful, knowledgeable, and good, or heaven as a place of perfection separate from our physical realm, has very little support in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament.” Say what? Has Mr. Haber not read the Old or New Testament? The bible is positively dripping with those aspects of God and Heaven.

Mr. Haber attributes these characteristics of the Old and New Testaments to the ancient Greeks. He seems to think the bible as it has come down to us, has nothing to do with those aspects of belief and modern Christianity is based solely on Ancient Greek philosophy. I think Mr. Haber should probably spend some time studying the bible before he makes dismissive comments about what is in there.


Jerry Van Ee

[Kamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly structured analysis of the concept of critical thinking. Goes from the ancient Greeks to modern classrooms. Especially useful for students of logic and rhetoric.

[Hussein Harbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتاب عن التربية والتعليم وفق منهج منطقي، يحرّض على الشك والتوصل إلى اليقين عبر التجربة.

[Akbar Madan · Rating 4 out of 5]

لا تستقيم العلوم إن لم يكن التفكير النقدي أحدى أهم عوامل تصحيح مساراتها للوصول إلى أفضل النتائج ،حتى العلم " The science" تقدم كثيرا من خلال مناقشات العلماء المتخصصين وغير المتخصصين في مناهج العلم الحديث أو ما يسمى حاليا " فلسفة العلم " .
في الاساس يصعب تعريف التفكير النقدي بشكل تخصصي الا انه قد تجد عدة تعريفات أهمها " فهم علاقة اللغة بالمنطق مما يؤدي الى قدرة على تحليل الافكار وانتقادها والدفاع عنها والتحلي بالقدرة على التفكير الاستقرائي والاستنباطي والوصول الى الاستنتاجات الواقعية أو تكوين الآراء بناء على استدلالات سليمة مستمدة من عبارات غير غامضة تعبر عن المعرفة أو الاعتقاد " ويضم هذا التعريف أهم خصائص الناقد والعملية النقدية في أي مجال من مجالات المعرفة ، ولا يشترط ان يكون الناقد الذي يعتمد خصائص النقد ينتمي للمجال فهناك الناقد السينمائي دون أن يكون ممثل أو مخرج لكنه مهتم وعلى اطلاع بالمجال .
من أهم خصائص التفكير النقدي ، الاطلاع اللغوي والمنطقي فمن خلال اللغة يكون الهيكل الذي يتوازن بالمسائل المنطقية " البعد عن الانحيازات المعرفية والذاتية ،وعدم الوقوع في المغالطات المنطقية ، وبناء القياسات بشكل سليم " ، ثم لابد للناقد ان يقترب من الموضوعية قدر الامكان ويصيغ عباراته واستنتاجاته من خلال معايير الفن والعلم نفسه وبما يتوافق مع توافق عليه أهل التخصص في مجال ما

[Jay Heinrichs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan Haber, a researcher, writer, and education consultant who helped establish a graduate school at MIT, is one of America's leading critical thinkers (and, full disclosure a friend). His brief guide to critical thinking, easily read in a day, offers a superb summary to one of education's biggest gaps. Haber cites a study showing that, while nearly all college educators believe they teach critical thinking, three quarters of employers complain that college educated recruits lack the ability.

Which leads to the inevitable question: what, exactly, is critical thinking? Haber, relying on more than a century's worth of definitions, describes critical thinking as knowledge of logic and rhetoric, a set of skills and habits, as well as a certain attitude that emphasizes reasoning, open-mindedness, an honesty. A critical thinker is capable of transferring the knowledge and skills learned in one discipline into another discipline--such as applying the tenets of the scientific method to choosing a candidate in an election.

But really: can critical thinking really be taught? And can it be taught in today's sclerotic education system? Haber describes some experiments by clever educators. At Elon University, for instance, two professors remade their higher-education class to imitate a martial-arts class. Instead of grading students on knowledge and effort, they award belt levels for their ability to apply critical thinking too problems. As Haber writes: "Importantly, a decent sensei does not award a belt on the basis of effort: whether a student has tried hard to master a certain action is not relevant. The question is, can the student throw the punch?"

Haber and I have had some fascinating discussions of my own passion, deliberative argument--a discipline that allows mutual decision-making through disagreement. At such a tribal time as ours, when we face existential threats to democracy, the world economy, and humanity itself, the ability to think, disagree, and make common choices constitutes more than better living. It may determine future life itself.

Go ahead and disagree. With the help of Haber's book, you just might persuade me.

[tyler collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

intellectually understimulating. even a second glass of rosé couldn’t make this more interesting for me. i don’t think i’m the intended audience, as a 23 year old who doesn’t think (let alone critically!). good bit for bars though!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Form habits of mind...
instill motivating doubt"
Transferable skills

[Tonya Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to try something different, so I chose this.

[Julian Ajello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many people claim to be critical thinkers and even more complain that others aren't. I wonder how many could give a concise definition of critical thinking and explain it if put on the spot.

This book delves into the foundations that support critical thinking and the philosophy that drives it. How it works and how to apply it are also central to the subjects contained in this book. Haber did a wonderful job explaining things and sets you up for wanting to read more about it and take it up as a real practice.

Critical thinking isn't something you just do, it's something that requires practice and discipline. I'm looking for the next book on the subject.

[Frank Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Haber presents a fairly short, concise, and accessible overview of critical thinking. He begins with "The Genealogy of Critical Thinking" which provides an often ignored examination into the very creation of a kind of thinking that could legitimately be called "critical." And to do this, he goes back to the roots as seen in the work and thinking of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. This is appropriate given our cultural context, but I'd add that someone like the Buddha could be easily included as shown in the famous discourse the Buddha gave to the Kalama people, a discourse that is often referred to as a "Magna Carta" of free-thinking!

By going back to the Greek philosophers, Haber shows that critical thinking is something not new, but already deeply embedded in Western culture. We don't have to invent the wheel! Haber goes on to show how critical thinking evolved over time, most tellingly with the Renaisssance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Liberal Enlightenment. In this first chapter, he takes us right up to the iconic work of John Dewey and his Pragmatism.

In Chapter Two, Haber surveys the "Components of Critical Thinking" and shows that while there is a variety of definitions of "critical thinking," over time a consensus around certain components has been arrived at: structured thinking; language skills; argumentation -- and to a somewhat lesser extent -- creativity and certain specific dispositions such as open-mindedness.

Chapter Three looks at ways our society has defined, teaches and assesses critical thinking. While this helps to broaden understanding of critical thinking, this chapter perhaps is of most interest to those teaching critical thinking.

The final chapter, "Where Do We Go From Here" offers suggestions for teaching critical thinking in formal classroom situations as well as at the dinner table with our children. If you are at all serious about critical thinking -- and thus willing to be challenged and open to changing your mind -- this little book can serve as a wonderful resource. But there's the rub: so many nowadays are so unwilling to change their mind. A question I find useful is asking myself what would it take for me to change my mind. When I ask many who, for instance, are anti-vax or who deny human-caused climate change, OR are certain of the harmfulness of GMOs, the answer I often get is "Nothing." To me, that's the end of any conversation as it shows they are not willing to think critically.

[Roger Mckechnie]

Currently reading current reviews to determine if this book is appropriate for my class at Baruch College of The City University of N Y.

[Puty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just in case you're one of the people who know that critical thinking is among the most important skills for now and the future but also wondering "But, Bruh, WTH is Critical Thinking REALLY??" then
1) You're not alone
2) You might find this book useful

This book systematically explains about critical thinking:
-> The history
-> The components
-> The definition(s) (spoiler alert: there are many and different definitions have things to do with different priorities of qualities)
-> How to teach them (is it better to teach Critical Thinking as a separate specific subject or immerse it into other subjects like History? Another spoiler alert: Teaching it a specific subject works better, according to the study)
-> How to measure them (is it even possible? Well, yes but still questionable~)

I recommend this book to those who seriously think about thinking (😂). I agree with many reviews here that it's more suitable for those in education field, and not those who want to find practical tips to practice critical thinking in daily life.

[Ramesh Naidu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick invaluable read that addresses one of the most burning issues created due to wide proliferation of information on the internet. It is no longer enough to know but critical to discern and judge quality of information

[Parth Sarthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book is written for educators in profession. However, the content serves to anyone who wants to understand the basic concepts of critical thinking and use them to practice in life.

[Alona Puhachova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ні про що. Всю книгу говориться про важливість критичного мислення і ніякої конкретики, як його розвивати

[Teji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a solid discussion of the foundational traits and skills of a critical thinker, reviews several types of fallacies and errors in reasoning, and advocates for the teaching of logic, reasoning, and critical thinking courses as stand-alone subjects. More of a historical and philosophical review, other than providing additional resources at the end, this book doesn’t really discuss practical ways for improving critical thinking.

I object to his assertion that, “Most of the fields that have inspired critical thinking…originated in ancient Greece…” without any reference to the influence of ancient Egypt.

Quotes

“One fallout from the 2016 US presidential election was a sense of crisis regarding voters ability to make choices through reason rather than the emotional judgements and/or tribalism that characterize so much of US and world politics today” -preface

“…there is a consensus regarding what critical thinkers should know and be able to do.” -preface

“One of the skills researchers and educators agree critical thinkers should possess and practice is the ability to look at a problem from different perspectives.” -ch1

“Peirce laid out these idea in one of his few published works: the 1877 Popular Science Monthly essay “The Fixation of Belief,” which proposed that doubt motivates all our thinking and that all of us constantly generate beliefs large and small to dispel the discomfort of doubt…" -ch1

“…our reasoning is flawed in several significant ways…As it turns out, the human mind does not apply the full force of reason to every situation but instead takes shortcuts to more efficiently manage the flow of information coming from our senses and turn that information into understanding upon which decisions can be based....fallacious reasoning is far from benign. Bigoted statements that condemn entire races for the behavior of a few members or public figures hounded from office for the conduct of one of their Twitter followers…are examples of the harm these flawed ways of thinking inflict on the world. ” -ch1

"The disparity of technological resources between rich and poor, including rich and poor nations, is one element of this new information gap—which is really an access- to-information gap…even technology-‘haves’ face a daunting problem: how to navigate this universe of ever-expanding data…to find the right information, evaluate its quality, and make appropriate use of it…this brings us to another modern skill that can be considered an increasingly important component of critical thinking: information literacy.” -ch2

“…you cannot think critically about a subject if you don’t know what you’re talking about.” -ch2

“Did the work of developing conceptions for ‘critical thinking’ unearth universal truths about human nature…or should they be seen as creations of a particular, western culture. If it is the latter, might there be effective methods of reasoning from other cultures that should be considered when teaching thinking skills…feminists scholars…have written analysis of critical thinking that…ask whether the distinctions, hierarchies, and methods of separating ‘bad’ from ‘good’ evidence and reasoning might represent binary approaches to knowledge generated by institutions…that have been historically dominated by men.” -ch3

[Nataliia Osadcha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Чи навчитесь ви критично мислити прочитавши цю книгу?
Звісно, що ні..
Навіть сам автор Джонатан Хейбер застерігає нас від такої хиби в роздумах.

Ну не так працює наш мозок, недостатньо просто почитати книгу і почати одразу критично мислити, або написати свою книгу, або стати математиком, або знайти справжнє кохання.... дивлячись, що ви там читаєте..

❓️А от поцікавитися, що саме розуміють під критичним мисленням?
❔️Для чого воно взагалі нам потрібно?
❓️Які методи впорядкування мислення нам відомі?
❔️Як можна навчитись організовувати і структурувати свої роздуми?
❓️Чому важливо викладати критичне мислення вже в школах?
❔️Як правильно вести дискусії та дебати?
❓️Навіщо нам креативність?

Загалом книга дійсно хороша і цікава, особливо викладачам і коучам, як на мене. Бо основна мета книги показати на життєвих прикладах як ми можемо використовувати інструменти критичного мислення в своєму житті. Як виховувати автономних індивідуальних осіб, здатних мислити систематично і незалежно🧐. Також чимало цікавих історій як з часом змінювалось відношення до науки і способу мислення.

Хиби мислення в наш час впливають на прийняття рішень, на спілкування з іншими. Дуже легко попасти під вплив емоцій, харизму чи популярну думку, зробити поспішне узагальнення. Інформаційна грамотність сьогодні життєво необхідна.

Критичне мислення - це навик, це складний процес і не існує єдиного варіанту його оцінювання чи стандарту.

✔️Щоб стати людиною з критичним мисленням,  потрібно не просто знати тонкощі таких предметів, як логіка й аргументація, а й регулярно застосовувати ці знання.
✔️Свідома практика - це систематичне практикування, яка має на меті підвищити рівень умінь.

Як ми мислимо? Залежить тільки від нас і тих зусиль, що ми доклали в цей процес🧠🦾. Це ще один спосіб ставати кращими.

[Kieran Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting book that looks at the history of critical thinking as well as attempts to put it into practice in education. It's a bit of a mix of psychology, philosophy and public policy to give the full picture of why you should care about critical thinking and how to disseminate it more effectively.

The use of diagrams and additional resources was done really well and helped to bring out the points being made and also to keep the book focused and concise. It lets readers get a better idea of the premise and then provide external resources to elucidate it further if they want.

The book is well worth a read, particularly if you're involved in education, though by the end I did find it getting a little dry with how many approaches were discussed.

[Peter Aronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three-and-a-half stars, rounded up. I particularly like the first 100 pages of the book, where the intellectual history and substance of critical thinking was laid out. In particular, I like that whole issue with the how do you deal with the uncertain correctness of a premise is addressed, if lightly. (Although the vexed issue of how you determine if you translation of fact into logic is correct is not particularly well addressed.) The last 60 pages of text is about teaching critical thinking, and while that might be well done, it is of considerable less interest to me, and seems to be rather specialized and not particularly of general interest.

The Glossary and Further Resource sections are excellent.

[Fernando Bragança · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great read for anyone looking to sharpen their critical thinking skills and understand why it matters so much in our daily lives. He defines it as the skill to think clearly and logically, connecting ideas in a rational way.

Haber splits critical thinking into different parts like structured thinking, language skills, background knowledge, information literacy, intellectual humility, empathy, and open-mindedness.

Haber talks about different ways to teach critical thinking in various subjects and at different education levels and the tricky parts of figuring out how to measure these skills.

Haber highlights why critical thinking is super important today, especially with all the misinformation and emotional decision-making out there.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a pocket guide to the history of critical thinking, just under 200 pages in a 7x5 inch book, 4 chapters in total. I thought the section on dispositional traits of critical thinkers (empathy, creativity, humility of thought, etc) was the most interesting and useful part of this book. Chapter three was so dull I skimmed it.

There's a glossary and a list of additional resources at the end. I thought this author would discuss logical and reasoning fallacies more than he did, but there are sources to find more information in the back of the book. This book is really a superficial glance on critical thinking, not a deep dive.

[Ben Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not to be too critical (harharhar) but this book suffered from focusing too much attention on the lack of consensus when defining what “critical thinking” is and at times was shallow in its historical analysis.

I was most engaged with the discussion of the intellectual virtues and disposition required to engage in critical thinking.

The most interesting idea proposed In the book is that critical thinking is best learned when taught explicitly and the “transferable skills” promised by most liberal arts programs would be acquired quicker through standalone classes.

This book is a passable primer to the subject for educators but I suspect a better primers exists out there.