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CRITICAL THINKING Consider the Verdict
Critical thinking is a valuable whether you are deciding which courses to take or
career to pursue, what toothpaste to use or what stocks to buy, which candidate to vote for
or which cause to support, which reports to believe or what claims to reject, critical think-
ing can be very useful. One of the most important places for careful critical thinking is the
jury room. Serving on a jury is one of the most significant and basic ways that citizens
actively participate in their government, and jury service makes strong demands on citi-
zen-jurors. Jurors must set aside any biases and judge the issues fairly; they must reason
carefully about what laws are involved and how those laws apply to the specific case at
hand; they must evaluate testimony and weigh both its accuracy and its relevance; and
they must give a fair hearing to both sides, distinguish sound from erroneous arguments,
and ultimately reach a just and reasonable conclusion. The courts offer fascinating cases
for examination and analysis, and the courts have long grappled with many of the key
issues in critical questions about burden of proof, legitimate analogies, distinc-
tions between relevant and irrelevant reasons, question-begging arguments and unfair
questions, the weighing of testimony (including expert testimony and appeals to expert
authority), the distinction between argument and testimony, the legitimate and illegiti-
mate use of ad hominem arguments.
The courtroom demands a high level of critical thinking skill, and it is also a fascinat-
ing place for studying and developing the key skills of critical determining exactly
what the conclusion is, and who bears the burden of proving it; separating false claims from
reliable information; setting aside irrelevant distractions and focusing on the question at
issue; and distinguishing between erroneous and legitimate arguments. The skills that
make you an effective juror will also make you an intelligent consumer, an effective planner,
and a wise citizen.
The sixth edition of Critical Consider the Verdict uses the jury room as the
focus for developing basic critical thinking skills, but it does not stop there. Those skills
are also applied to the various arguments and issues that arise in our daily lives as
consumers, students, planners, and citizens. While the courtroom and the jury room are
valuable laboratories for learning and testing and applying critical thinking abilities,
those abilities must also be exercised when reading editorial columns, debating social
issues, making intelligent consumer choices, working effectively at a career, and
fulfilling one’s responsibilities as a thoughtful critical citizen of a democracy
career to pursue, what toothpaste to use or what stocks to buy, which candidate to vote for
or which cause to support, which reports to believe or what claims to reject, critical think-
ing can be very useful. One of the most important places for careful critical thinking is the
jury room. Serving on a jury is one of the most significant and basic ways that citizens
actively participate in their government, and jury service makes strong demands on citi-
zen-jurors. Jurors must set aside any biases and judge the issues fairly; they must reason
carefully about what laws are involved and how those laws apply to the specific case at
hand; they must evaluate testimony and weigh both its accuracy and its relevance; and
they must give a fair hearing to both sides, distinguish sound from erroneous arguments,
and ultimately reach a just and reasonable conclusion. The courts offer fascinating cases
for examination and analysis, and the courts have long grappled with many of the key
issues in critical questions about burden of proof, legitimate analogies, distinc-
tions between relevant and irrelevant reasons, question-begging arguments and unfair
questions, the weighing of testimony (including expert testimony and appeals to expert
authority), the distinction between argument and testimony, the legitimate and illegiti-
mate use of ad hominem arguments.
The courtroom demands a high level of critical thinking skill, and it is also a fascinat-
ing place for studying and developing the key skills of critical determining exactly
what the conclusion is, and who bears the burden of proving it; separating false claims from
reliable information; setting aside irrelevant distractions and focusing on the question at
issue; and distinguishing between erroneous and legitimate arguments. The skills that
make you an effective juror will also make you an intelligent consumer, an effective planner,
and a wise citizen.
The sixth edition of Critical Consider the Verdict uses the jury room as the
focus for developing basic critical thinking skills, but it does not stop there. Those skills
are also applied to the various arguments and issues that arise in our daily lives as
consumers, students, planners, and citizens. While the courtroom and the jury room are
valuable laboratories for learning and testing and applying critical thinking abilities,
those abilities must also be exercised when reading editorial columns, debating social
issues, making intelligent consumer choices, working effectively at a career, and
fulfilling one’s responsibilities as a thoughtful critical citizen of a democracy
877 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 16, 2018
مفيد. يمتاز بأنه مليء بالأمثلة والقضايا والتمارين للتدرب على القواعد المذكورة في الكتاب.
يعيبه عيب كبير وهو أن أكثر التمارين غير محلولة والتمارين تأخذ تقريبا ثلث الكتاب ويوجد ملحق حل لبعض التمارين لكنه لا يكفي لذلك مررت على معظم التمارين مرورًا سريعًا.
قد يعاب عليه أن أكثر القضايا هي من المحاكم مما قد يسبب شيئًا من الملل.
يعيبه عيب كبير وهو أن أكثر التمارين غير محلولة والتمارين تأخذ تقريبا ثلث الكتاب ويوجد ملحق حل لبعض التمارين لكنه لا يكفي لذلك مررت على معظم التمارين مرورًا سريعًا.
قد يعاب عليه أن أكثر القضايا هي من المحاكم مما قد يسبب شيئًا من الملل.
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January 18, 2008Systematic and trustful , but too much concentrated on the aspect of jury .
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August 6, 2024Bruce N. Waller's Critical Thinking: Consider the Verdict is the best book of critical thinking on the market. The book demonstrates how good critical thinking comes about through arguments in the technical sense, where a set of premises is used to establish a conclusion. Deductive and inductive arguments are distinguished and common logical fallacies exposed, and also some important issues related to critical thinking are explored, including scientific reasoning and the value of testimony as a source of evidence.
Featured here on Goodreads is the fifth edition. I have the sixth edition, which expands upon some chapters and material, and I believe there is now a seventh edition. My first exposure to this book was about 20 years ago with the fifth edition, which was more than satisfying.
Featured here on Goodreads is the fifth edition. I have the sixth edition, which expands upon some chapters and material, and I believe there is now a seventh edition. My first exposure to this book was about 20 years ago with the fifth edition, which was more than satisfying.
December 6, 2022
A good book you can read about logical fallacies
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May 9, 2024Insightful book, incites one to think critically about things such as language used by politicians and marketers that would ordinarily seem innocent.
June 2, 2018
Great Book.Eye opener !!!
December 8, 2024
Study book for law-practicing people
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December 19, 2025Bruce and I have beef
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews