The Thinker's Way : 8 Steps to a Richer Life

by John Chaffee

The author of Thinking Critically presents an eight-step program to enhance one's personal and professional life, explaining how to utilize the principles of critical thinking to change one's view of oneself and relationships with others. 125,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I stumbled on this book in Powell's Books when I was in Portland for work several years ago. Many life changes took place after I bought it, so it sat in a box as I bounced around the country, but I finally got around to reading it.

I agree with the author's premise that we are becoming an "unthinking" society, and I believe it is even worse than when he first wrote this book about 12 years ago. But Dr. Chaffee presents a set of traits we can develop to return ourselves to a life that prizes the unique human gift -- the intellect.

I would not call this a true self-help book, and maybe that's why I found it in the used books, out of print. It provides the reader with some habits to incorporate in life, or perhaps it is better to call it a framework. But that's as far as he goes. He does not tell you what to think. He gives you the framework for thinking for yourself, and leaves the rest up to you. Form your own opinions, but form them with reason.

One of the things I particularly liked about the book was the assessment at the end of each chapter. Although I have good critical thinking skills, I still found some areas of weakness that I need to improve.

I felt the writing was accessible, and I would be curious to see how his book on critical thinking directed at college students compares to this book.

[Gerald Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Thinker’s Way is a great introduction in how to evaluate difficult situations in the world. From personal to global problems, the tools Chaffee provides are described as helping a person to explore the subject, examine different points of view, evaluate supporting evidence, and synthesizing analysis into a cogent conclusion. Chaffee covers social issues like abortion and euthanasia, personal issues like relationships and child rearing, as well as how to develop a world view. This is a book that could truly help our society at this juncture where people seem to latch on to one side of an issue without ever considering why someone else would hold a different view. Though published in 1998, these principles are more important than ever.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an intuitive type who looks for mashable ideas in contemporary business guides, I respect this book as a resource for orderly standardization of what dictates a good plan. This makes it a rare find.

[Shawn]

Intellectually stimulating

[Norris]

A must read book.

[Gmendra Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woww!

[Skip Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read on how to think and make decisions more clearly and effectively. No real revelations, but well organized approach to improving cognitive ability.

[Ray Savarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, concise, inspiring.
I fully agree with all the information in this book - translating it to daily use is always the hard part.
Would be great if we could get every teenager to read it...

[Viktor Alasti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up on a whim, surprised by how much info and knowledge I was able to extract from it...

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book advocating the need for critical thinking in a time of information overload. This book teaches techniques on how to sift through "data smog".