Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies

by Martin Cohen

Learn how to argue points effectively, analyze information, and make sound judgments

The ability to think clearly and critically is a lifelong benefit that you can apply in any situation that calls for reflection, analysis, and planning. Being able to think systematically and solve problems is also a great career asset. Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies helps you hone your thinking abilities and become a better communicator. You’ll find hands-on, active instruction and exercises that you can put to work today as you navigate social media and news websites, chat with AI, fact-check your own and others’ views, and more. Become a thinking machine, with this Dummies guide.

Identify other people’s arguments and conclusions—and spot holes in them Evaluate evidence and produce more effective arguments in any situation Read between the lines of what people say and form your own judgments Apply critical thinking to school or college assignments to improve your academic performance This is the perfect Dummies title for students, researchers, and everyone who seeks to improve their reasoning and analysis ability.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Reference, Personal Development, Audiobook, Self Help, Psychology

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2015

About the author

Martin Cohen is a well-established author specializing in popular books in philosophy, social science and politics.

I have a book being published November 2018 on the sociology of food this year, called provocatively 'I Think Therefore I Eat'! with an emphasis on how historical philosophers have approached the 'food issue'. It's a popular 'explainer' kind of book, already given a nice plug by Eater!

Food is very much an interdisciplinary area - though it is often treated in a narrow, specialised way. There is the nutritionist's perspective, the economist's, the cook's, the ecological... the list is as long as we want. And each perspective is 'valid', but only partial. So I think it's a good place to bring in a little philosophy.

Part of the book looks at the historical views of well-known philosophers on food (they have indeed had some!) but most of it looks at modern theories which are still philosophical in a fundamental sense, including for example, the ideas that we are living in an 'obesogenic' environment, or that our bodies, far from being guided by a single essential soul, are really constructed out of an uneasy alliance of micro-organisms.

It's published by Turner in the US mid-November, and this is their page for the book including my video trailer if you would like to see a little movie!

For rights inquiries, please contact my literary agent:

Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group
mgottlieb@tridentmediagroup.com
(212) 333-1506
https://www.tridentmediagroup.com/

So, the book contains analysis of many current food-related debates,
including the vexed question of the obesity epidemic, which is much more complicated than merely people eating the wrong things, a fact that won't surprise many of us have explored by trying to go on a diet ourselves!

But perhaps the 'USP element' in it is more on what those venerable philosophy gurus had to say anyway. On the social science side, these two extracts give the flavour:

1. If you went by TV and the newspapers, you could be forgiven for thinking that celebrities, be they chefs or models, have more of a handle on the key food issues than qualified doctors and nutritionists – let alone philosophers. And you might well be right. Because the worst thing about food science, the elephant in the room, is that it’s not just the opinions that are changing – but the ‘facts’ themselves shift too. To get to the bottom of the food question. requires us to tease apart the strands of diet science and biochemistry, as well as an ounce of economics and a dash of human psychology.

Rather the obesity epidemic is an economic issue as I put in back in 2016 in an article for the Guardian newspaper. "The causes of the epidemic are complex, spanning the social sciences to biology and technology"

I took the same issue a bit further when I compared figures for childhood obesity - and found more evidence that, as I wrote, "It's poverty, not individual choice, that is driving extraordinary obesity ..."

Incidentally, the same sort of disgraceful thing applies to educational achievement. Did you know, that you can pretty much do away with exams (hooray!), as exam results mimic exactly a student's position in the class hierarchy (boo!). Shocking and disgraceful and no one - of course - s gong to do anything about it.

So that's really the the Politics of Food Science – as I put it for Gavin Wren's fabulous Brain Food Magazine at Medium , wri

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reminds me a lot to movie Batman vs Superman.

Just like BvS has so many unnecessary, unstructured, and confusing flashbacks and dreams, this book also has a lot of unncessary and unstructured boxes, tips, warnings, closer looks, and whatnots. It is difficult to find the main point, which usually hidden in just a few paragraph. Don't have patience to finish the book

[Lisa]

Anyone else who has difficulties with the title?

What is it supposed to be? A textbook example for oxy-MORONS?

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book on critical thinking I read. It provided very good landscape for me regarding the topic. Lot of references and background. Easy to read, and entertaining at times too. I'd recommend it.

[Amir Jabbari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing excites me more than being able to think differently

[Abdul Raheem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 4 out of 5]

all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimu

My Opinion: I see why not everyone enjoyed this book. But I also see how I’m probably the perfect audience for it, the way my brain works and overclocks, having all those examples, recollections, and little amusing snippets – helped keep attention at the text, whereas if it was just facts, I would’ve wandered off long ago. Additionally, though, I do see how this is probably too basic for a big portion of the audience. I, meantime, always doubt myself so, it was good to reaffirm some beliefs, and have others corrected by very sensible chapter or two, full of various tales to illustrate the point. Didn’t agree with everything, but that’s kind of the point: you don’t need to, and you don’t really have to either. Simply doing better than before is progress enough.

A solid 4 out of 5, a very good book to start the journey on getting a bit more critical.

[YMIR · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many unnecessary points repeated again and again and again, long chapters that never come to the essence of what is mentioned, paragraphs that lead to no conclusions, sometimes irrelevant exercises... The examples are not universal, may be easy to understand for the Americans but definitely not for my Thai students to whom I was about to suggest reading this book. Also the book is not for dummies, the reader definitely needs some background knowledge because sometimes it is really hard to find and get the main point. If it was organized more carefully and if most of the so many unnecessary details and flashbacks got omitted or replaced with some very necessary explanations and conclusive sentences which clarify the main points, it could be a better book.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough look at critical thinking, with the detail you would expect from such a book. Not for dummies at all; some of the chapters require careful re-reading to understand. This is not a flaw of the book, just a warning for people who take the "dummies" title seriously.

Much more than a list of classic fallacies, the book helps you frame your own arguments more clearly and inspect writing, TV documentaries, and conversations with insight.

Neither cynical or glossy, this is an excellent book for understanding deductive and inductive arguments.

[Heather Cromer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr. Cohen sprinkles his anti God throughout the book.

I wanted to understand practical tips for critical thinking. The book does some of that. However the author feels the need to persuade others that there is no God. He kinda sprinkles it through out the book. I didn't finish the book.

[Odette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many references to Hitler for my liking,

[Christine Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished reading this textbook! I'd say that this book offers many concepts on how one can improve his/her critical thinking skills. It provides many different methods of having a structured way of looking at arguments so that you can critically think more about the logic behind it and assess it accordingly. Other than this, I also appreciate the fact that this book included the concept of rhetoric even though it's not part of critical thinking. The book really still valued the art of it because it's part of persuasion even though it's not really under critical thinking.

Overall, this was a fun book! I'd say my head was really challenged when I was going through the thought exercises and when I was also just pondering about the examples and the assessments. This really helped me to see arguments in a different way, and I believe that this is helpful for me to be a better at thinking

[Geert Hofman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is commendable in the sense that it encompasses a broad range of the domain described by "Critical Thinking". It is well structured and often puts the reader on the right track for further reading of research. This is of course the most important aspect of critical thinking.

There is however also often a lack of depth within certain chapters and sometimes even inaccuracies. At certain points in the book 3 stars is closer to the real value, but since it is after all a "for Dummies" book and the most important skill is triggered (provoking the reader to think for him/herself), the current 4-stars are still well deserved.

[Chelsea Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I found this book to be lacking in several key areas. While it does cover some of the basic concepts and principles of critical thinking, I found that the writing was often overly simplistic and condescending, as if the reader was not capable of understanding more complex ideas.

Furthermore, I found the organization of the book to be confusing and disjointed. It jumps from topic to topic without clear transitions, and some of the examples and exercises felt contrived and unhelpful.

[Luca Nicoletti · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who read Critical Thinking by Tom Chatfield, this book was somehow a book for children. Don’t get me wrong, the book was full of useful information and could help a lot of people get a better understanding of how to apply critical thinking in their daily lives. The book is useful, and covers fundamental concepts of critical thinking, including how to evaluate arguments, recognize logical fallacies, and approach problems with a rational mindset.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Dummies books as quick surveys and jumping off points for further reading. This one has pointed me to a number of topics including habits, self-awareness, healthy skepticism and curiosity / questioning. The books was not chock full of stolen and mis-quoted examples presented as real events. And, it is a Dummies book so the writing style is easy going.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many enumerations and in what chapter you can find what...disturbs the flow. Nonetheless good overview on structuring thoughts and spotting fallacy both in yourself and others. It would be useful if some parts were covered in greater detail.

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abilities you need: Tolerance, Analytical skills, Confidence, Curiosity, Truth-seeking

My Highlights: https://learning.oreilly.com/u/748020...

[Jay Merrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book.

[Donald Lanham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A discussion of critical thinking. What it is and methods of implementing it.

[Vincent V · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Book O' Greatness.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational and entertaining if not a bit cheeky. This book is not a deep dive into concepts of critical thinking. But it serves as an effective brief overview with a few simple examples.

[MK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like all books in the Dummies series, this book is 80% conceptual.
Since there is no specific workbook introduced, it is difficult to use it for work or daily life.

[Shahb Ahmd · Rating 3 out of 5]

way too complex for my smooth brain

[Brian Stroud · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started the book but it was very difficult to read, not in a “It really challenged me to think critically” kind of way, but in more of a “What is the point this guy is trying to make?” kind of way.

[Gilberto Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun approach to critical thinking.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Critical thinking is really about a range of skills and understandings, including an ability to play with words, sensitivity to context, feelings, and emotions, and the kind of open-mindedness that allows you to make creative leaps and gain insights."

I started off the book really excited, but it ended up just being okay. There are some points I found helpful and some points I found kinda dodgy. At the end of the day, I think I gain a greater understanding of what being a critical thinker entails so I didn't mind it too much. -3.5 Stars

[Danyelle Williams Ackall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not what I had hoped it would be. I wanted to use it for the classroom, but it’s written in a more general format. There are some key points made by the author that can be used when teaching critical thinking; however, I found it does not flow well. Although it appears the book has been updated several times, I still found spelling and grammar mistakes.

[Sleepyhead · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author randomly tries to shove his political beliefs into this book in increasingly jarring ways. There is a lot of useful information that I did enjoy, but I just have no interest in being convinced in anything regarding welfare, gun rights, or other irrelevant politics.

[Samuel Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it does share useful insights and quotes I found it overly wordy and informal at times.