The Power of Critical Thinking

Part 1: Basics
1. The Power of Critical Thinking
Why It Matters
How It Works
Claims and Reasons
Reasons and Arguments
Arguments in the Rough
2. The 'Environment' of Critical Thinking
Perils of a Haunted Mind
The Almighty Self
The Power of the Group
Perils of a Haunted Worldview
Subjective Relativism
Social Relativism
Skepticism
3. Making Sense of Arguments
Argument Basics
Judging Arguments
Finding Missing Parts
Argument Patterns
Diagramming Arguments
Assessing Long Arguments
Part 2: Reasons
4. Reasons for Belief and Doubt
When Claims Conflict
Experts and Evidence
Personal Experience
Impairment
Expectation
Innumeracy
Fooling Ourselves
Resisting Contrary Evidence
Looking for Confirming Evidence
Preferring Available Evidence
Claims in the News
Inside the News
Sorting Out the News
Advertising and Persuasion
Identification
Slogans
Misleading Comparisons
Weasel Words
5. Faculty Reasoning
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
Unacceptable Premises
Begging the Question
False Dilemma
Slippery Slope
Hasty Generalization
Faulty Analogy
Part 3: Arguments
6. Deductive Reasoning: Propositional Logic
Connectives and Truth Values
Conjunction
Disjunction
Negation
Conditional
Checking for Validity
Simple Arguments
Tricky Arguments
Streamlined Evaluation
7. Deductive Reasoning: Categorical Logic
Statements and Classes
Translations and Standard Form
Terms
Quantifiers
Diagramming Categorical Statements
Sizing Up Categorical Syllogisms
8. Inductive Reasoning
Enumerative Induction
Sample Size
Representativeness
Opinion Polls
Statistical Syllogisms
Evaluating Statistical Syllogisms
Analogical Induction
Relevant Similarities
Relevant Dissimilarities
The Number of Instances Compared
Diversity Among Cases
Casual Arguments
Testing for Causes
Casual Confusions
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
Part 4: Explanations
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
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
11. Judging Moral Arguments and Theories
Moral Arguments
Moral Theories
A Coherent Worldview
Appendix A: Essays for Evaluation
Appendix B: Answers to Exercises

Comprehensive online supplement package features helpful resources for instructors and students.
Instructor's Resources:
Instructor's Manual
Test Generator
PowerPoint Slides
Student Study Guide:
Chapter Objectives
Chapter Summaries
Chapter Study Questions
Study Guide Exercises - Short Answer and Essay Questions
Glossary
Self-grading Review Quizzes
Links to Online Resources
Partial Answer Key to Textbook Exercises

Lewis Vaughn is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Chris MacDonald is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Philosophy at Saint Mary's University in Halifax.

Special Features

• Student-friendly tone. Concepts and examples are presented in clear, conversational, and engaging prose while maintaining accuracy and philosophical rigour.
• Step-by-step guidelines. Students will learn how to work through processes such as evaluating claims, arguments, and explanations methodically and effectively.
• Canadian examples. References to Canadian places, persons, political events, and current debates help students place key concepts in a familiar context.
• Writing modules and samples. Five modules on drafting a clear and concise analytical research papers as well as ten full-length essays provide students with the tools and examples they need to hone their skills.
• Abundance of exercises. Hundreds of exercises drawn from a wide range of sources and configured in a variety of forms will give students the practice they require to become confident critical thinkers. Selected answers are provided at the back of the book so that students can check their comprehension.
• Comprehensive coverage of inference to the best explanation. Step-by-step instructions and plentiful examples show students how to assess theories and claims in science, pseudoscience, ethics, medicine, the media, popular culture, and many other arenas using this type of inference.
• Extensive treatment of scientific reasoning. Chapters on inductive reasoning and causal arguments, scientific theories and inference, and scientific method and theory evaluation provide students with examples of how scientific reasoning can be applied to a wide range of questions in many scientific fields, everyday life, and extraordinary phenomena.
• Emphasis on evaluation of evidence, authority, and credibility. Students will be equipped with the critical tools to assess the evidence and claims offered by experts, science, the news media, and personal experience.
• Across-the-curriculum learning. Helps students apply critical thinking principles across a broad spectrum of subjects and real-world contexts through current interdisciplinary examples, exercises, and discussions.

• NEW! Contemporary design. Vibrant and full-colour, the second Canadian edition has been fully redesigned and is sure to capture students' attention.
• NEW! Quick-reference guides. The inside front and back covers feature a list of 'Common Fallacies', a list of 'Truth-Functional Argument Patterns', and a 'Divisions of Philosophy' flowchart to keep useful information at students' fingertips.
• NEW! New boxes. 'Review Notes' boxes outline the main points of chapter sections, helping students improve their comprehension and making later review more efficient. 'Food for Thought' boxes provide additional interesting material and challenge students to apply their knowledge.
• NEW! Expanded companion website. Includes a new Test Generator to help instructors create quizzes, tests, and exams that will challenge students. Also includes an Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint Slides, and a comprehensive Student Study Guide.