Thinking Critically

by John Chaffee

Thinking Critically, 8/e, 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 introduces students to the cognitive process while teaching them to develop their higher-order thinking and language abilities.

A number of distinctive characteristics make the text 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.

The enduring themes surrounding the events of September 11 have been infused throughout the text, encouraging students' (and faculty's) critical reflection and analysis. Themes and dilemmas explored include patriotism, individual freedom versus national security, and the ways in which different cultures perceive each other.Two portfolios of color images?"Thinking Critically About Truth and Reality in Popular Culture" and "Thinking Critically About Truth and Reality in the Media"?help students improve their ability to think critically about visual information. From advertising to current events to web sites, these sections provoke careful and creative analysis of the ways our values, beliefs, and perceptions are influenced (and, occasionally, manipulated) by visual information.Thinking Activities appear in the text and link students to the book's companion Web site. These activities encourage students to move seamlessly from the classroom to the world beyond, offering additional links and web-based activities to enhance their critical and creative engagement with the exercises.In-text readings?and dozens more on the companion web site?reflect the latest thinking on cross-disciplinary topics such as human cloning, globalization, the environment, and challenges to civil liberty, giving instructors choice and currency.

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

553 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.