The Power of Critical Thinking: Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims 6th Edition by Lewis Vaughn, ISBN-13: 978-0190852719
[PDF eBook eTextbook]
- Publisher: Oxford University Press; 6th edition (September 20, 2018)
- Language: English
- 600 pages
- ISBN-10: 0190852712
- ISBN-13: 978-0190852719
The Power of Critical Thinking: Effective Reasoning About Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims, Sixth Edition, provides the broadest range of tools to show students how critical thinking applies in their lives and the world around them. It explores the essentials of critical reasoning, argumentation, logic, and argumentative essay writing while also incorporating important topics that most other texts leave out, such as “inference to the best explanation,” scientific reasoning, evidence and authority, visual reasoning, and obstacles to critical thinking.
Table of Contents:
The Power of Critical Thinking
Dedication
BRIEF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
PREFACE
PART ONE: BASICS
CHAPTER 1: The Power of Critical Thinking
Why It Matters
How It Works
Claims and Reasons
Reasons and Arguments
Arguments in the Rough
KEY WORDS
Summary
EXERCISES
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 2: Obstacles to Critical Thinking
Psychological Obstacles
The Almighty Self
The Power of the Group
Philosophical Obstacles
Subjective Relativism
Social Relativism
Skepticism
KEY WORDS
Summary
EXERCISES
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 3: Making Sense of Arguments
Argument Basics
Judging Arguments
Finding Missing Parts
Argument Patterns
Diagramming Arguments
Assessing Long Arguments
KEY WORDS
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
PART TWO: REASONS
CHAPTER 4: Reasons for Belief and Doubt
When Claims Conflict
Experts and Evidence
Personal Experience
Impairment
Expectation
Innumeracy and Probability
Fooling Ourselves
Resisting Contrary Evidence
Looking for Confirming Evidence
Preferring Available Evidence
Evaluating Sources: The Internet and Beyond
Fake News
Advertising and Persuasion
Identification
Slogans
Misleading Comparisons
Weasel Words
KEY WORDS
Summary
EXERCISES
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 5: Fallacies and Persuaders
Fallacies: Irrelevant Premises
Genetic Fallacy
Composition
Division
Appeal to the Person
Equivocation
Appeal to Popularity
Appeal to Tradition
Appeal to Ignorance
Appeal to Emotion
Red Herring
Straw Man
Two Wrongs Make a Right
Fallacies: Unacceptable Premises
Begging the Question
False Dilemma
Decision-Point Fallacy
Slippery Slope
Hasty Generalization
Faulty Analogy
Persuaders: Rhetorical Moves
Innuendo
Euphemisms and Dysphemisms
Stereotyping
Ridicule
Rhetorical Definitions
KEY WORDS
Summary
EXERCISES
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
PART THREE: ARGUMENTS
CHAPTER 6: Deductive Reasoning: Propositional Logic
Connectives and Truth Values
Conjunction
Disjunction
Negation
Conditional
Checking for Validity
Simple Arguments
Tricky Arguments
Streamlined Evaluation
Proof of Validity
Rules of Inference
Rules of Replacement
KEY WORDS
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 7: Deductive Reasoning: Categorical Logic
Statements and Classes
Translations and Standard Form
Terms
Quantifiers
Diagramming Categorical Statements
Sizing Up Categorical Syllogisms
The Square of Opposition
Categorical Equivalence
KEY WORDS
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 8: Inductive Reasoning
Enumerative Induction
Sample Size
Representativeness
Opinion Polls
Analogical Induction
Causal Arguments
Testing for Causes
Causal Confusions
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
KEY WORDS
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
PART FOUR: EXPLANATIONS
CHAPTER 9: Inference to the Best Explanation
Explanations and Inference
Theories and Consistency
Theories and Criteria
Testability
Fruitfulness
Scope
Simplicity
Conservatism
Telling Good Theories from Bad
A Doomed Flight
An Amazing Cure
KEY WORDS
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 10: Judging Scientific Theories
Science and Not Science
The Scientific Method
Testing Scientific Theories
Judging Scientific Theories
Copernicus Versus Ptolemy
Evolution Versus Creationism
Science and Weird Theories
Making Weird Mistakes
Leaping to the Weirdest Theory
Mixing What Seems with What Is
Misunderstanding the Possibilities
Judging Weird Theories
Crop Circles
Talking with the Dead
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
CHAPTER 11: Critical Thinking in Morality and the Law
Moral Arguments
Moral Premises
Moral Theories
Evaluating Moral Theories
Two Important Theories
Legal Reasoning
A Coherent Worldview
KEY WORDS
Summary
EXERCISES
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
APPENDIX A: The Truth About Philosophy Majors
Appendix B: Essays for Evaluation
Essay 1 Death Penalty Discriminates Against Black Crime Victims
Essay 2 Marine Parks
Essay 3 A Feminist Defense of Pornography
Essay 4 A Defense of Homosexuality
Essay 5 More Innocents Die When We Don’t Have Capital Punishment
Essay 6 What’s Wrong with Adultery?
Essay 7 A Pat-Down Is Better Than a Blow-Up
Essay 8 The Cohabitation Epidemic
Essay 9 Not Being Vaccinated Is Not Acceptable
Essay 10 Women and the Afghanistan Peace Process
Essay 11 A Deviance from God’s Norm
Essay 12 Marriage Still Evolving, as Ever
Essay 13 Slouching Toward Chimeras
Essay 14 Fighting Islamic Extremists Who Stifle Free Speech
Essay 15 Is Sluttishness a Feminist Statement?
Essay 16 Torture: Time for Congress to End the Debate
Essay 17 Torture: Severe Interrogations Work
Essay 18 Freedom of Expression: Protect Student Speech—Even “Unwise” Bong Banner
Essay 19 Freedom of Expression: Policy Reflects Common Sense
Essay 20 It’s Irresponsible to Spread Fear of Vaccine
Essay 21 Flag Amendment: Flag Needs Protection
Appendix C: Answers to Exercises
Appendix D: Answers to Self-Assessment Quizzes
Appendix E: Critical Thinking and Writing
NOTES
GLOSSARY
CREDITS
INDEX
Lewis Vaughn is the author or coauthor of several textbooks, including Philosophy Here and Now, Third Edition (2018), Writing Philosophy, Second Edition (2018), Living Philosophy, Second Edition (2017), and Concise Guide to Critical Thinking (2017), all published by Oxford University Press.
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