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The Power of Critical Thinking, 2nd Edition

Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims

by Lewis Vaughn

Counts as 2

Mem. Ed. $53.99

Pub. Ed. $69.00

You pay $3.98

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The Power of Critical Thinking, 2nd Edition

What does it mean to reason effectively? Which of our beliefs are true and which are false? How can we learn to tell the difference? Packed with hundreds of exercises and examples, The Power of Critical Thinking, Second Edition lets us find the answers to questions such as these. Lewis Vaughn explores the essentials of critical reasoning, argumentation, and logic, as well as argumentative essay writing. Vaughn divides the book into four sections: Basics, Reasons, Arguments, and Explanations. After defining critical thinking, the first section shows the difference between deductive and inductive arguments, and explores a range of argument patterns both valid and invalid. One of the latter, known as affirming the consequent, runs like this: If Buffalo is the capital of New York, then Buffalo is in New York. Buffalo is in New York. Therefore, Buffalo is the capital of New York. Nope! Part Two shows, for example, that we should question any claim that conflicts with expert opinion as well as any claim about which the experts disagree. Not only should we proportion our belief to the available evidence; it’s not reasonable to believe a claim when there’s no good reason for doing so. Unfortunately, many of us engage in “confirmation bias”—seeking out and using only confirming evidence while resisting conflicting evidence. (The common misconception that criminal behavior is more prevalent during the full Moon is one example.) Parts Three and Four serve a range of purposes. You will discover the proper use of the four logical connectives (i.e., conjunction, disjunction, negation, and conditional); learn about such inductive strategies as inference to the best explanation; see how best to judge scientific theories as well as pseudoscientific ones; and much more. This edition includes a new section on evaluating news reports and advertising; timely discussion of the claims of intelligent design theory; new sample essays for analysis; and more. A companion Web site offers a range of features including study questions, short review quizzes, and links to relevant Web resources. The Power of Critical Thinking, Second Edition is a unique guide to clear cogitation.

Softcover: 560 pages

Publisher: Oxford University Press ( January 22, 2007 )

Item #: 61-1693

ISBN: 9780195320411

Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.25 x 0.0 inches

Product Weight: 35.0 ounces

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1 to 5 of 7

Critical Thinking
June 16, 2008

The edition I received is the "full" one, which actually is 560 pp if the Roman-numeraled pages at the beginning are counted. It is refreshing to see a logic/argument textbook that actually talks TO you rather than AT you, compared with drier ones of the past. The only criticism is I believe some of the presentations & examples of different types of arguments are bound a little too much by objectivity.

Reviewer: Ramsay M

A great buy on a very good text
April 03, 2008

I received the 2nd Ed. (2008) within days of placing my order. I'm quite happy with the book which appears to be well designed and thoughtfully revised/updated. I've only skimmed the book in 2 days since it arrived; it seems to be a solid introductory textbook on critical thinking that has been refined to engage the student and afford flexibility for the teacher. In over 10 years as a member of the book club I've always found the service to be excellent and responsive.

Reviewer: David W

Note of shipped edition
April 01, 2008

This note is prompted by the prior remarks regarding different editions. Just received mine, and the ISBN matches that recorded below, but this NEW Second Edition (copywrite 2008) is exactly 540 pp, not the 560 shown in the illustration or the 580 quoted at the end of the Club's review. I don't think anyone's getting shorted, but I do think the Club should update its promotional entries, to avoid misunderstandings in the future.

Reviewer: Jean K

We need more folks who can think critically!
December 26, 2007

I have not yet finished reading this book but, after scanning it and reading parts in detail, I find it well-written, balanced and witty. As per the club review, it is intended as the text for a course in critical thinking. It certainly fills the bill with many relevant, worked examples---even to the annotated essay of a real student. Anyone mastering the methods of critical thinking laid out in this book should have little trouble evaluating the validity of arguments they consume and create. I must add that, contrary to the previous reviews, which were complaints about customer service rather than reviews of the book, I received the second edition as pictured in the club literature and on the web site. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was printed on high-quality, acid-free paper. I have never had any complaints with customer service over the many years I have been a member. Any problems I have had with offers and shipments have been handled promptly and courteously.

Reviewer: Leroy S