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ISBN: Print 978-1-64739-326-7 | eBook 978-1-64739-327-4
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I would like to dedicate this book to my wonderful grandchildren, Alexander, Sarah, and Charlotte, who are all young critical thinkers most of the time. I also wish to dedicate it to all those who have been victimized by falsehoods, in the hope that they will find the intellectual tools in this book to shelter themselves from any future victimization brought about by dishonesty and duplicity.
Contents
CHAPTER 1:
Critical Thinking: The Basics
CHAPTER 2:
The Art of Reasoning
CHAPTER 3:
Rhetoric, Fallacy, and Bias
CHAPTER 4:
Thinking Smarter in the Digital Age
CHAPTER 5:
Critical Thinking for Life
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Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
Francis Bacon
A while back, when my only child (a wonderful daughter) was a teenager, I faced challenges with her day in and day outlike any other parent, of course. I was especially frustrated by her nonchalance and indifference to my constant excoriations of her behavior. One day, I had a so-called epiphany! I realized that my approach was off-putting. I would say things like When I was your age..., You shouldnt do that, you know? and so on. I realized that I was moralizing rather than reasoning with her. Gradually, I started engaging her in arguments and in dispassionate dialogues, focusing on ideas rather than on her behavior: What message does your favorite band convey to someone like me? Did you read that article about drinking and driving? What do you think?
The positive change in our relationship was almost instantaneous, and I came to realize the relevance of what the South African clergyman Desmond Tutu once said: My father used to say, Dont raise your voice; improve your argument. I had discovered, in a phrase, the importance and power of critical thinking the ability to evaluate something objectively, rather than emotionally, in order to form a judgment.
I am a professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto, and this experience changed my whole approach to teaching and led me to develop a keen interest in how the relationship between language and logic works, establish a course on puzzles and problem-solving at the university, and conduct research on this topic ever since. So here I am, ready to share my expertise with you, with a practical book that hopefully will not only help you improve relations with family members (if that is the case), but also sharpen your reasoning skills, alert you to falsehoods, and shield you against clever persuasive languagein short, a book that will help you develop the basic skills required for critical thinking. In an era of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and plain outright lies, these skills have become absolutely vital. The ability to see through the quagmire of disinformation throughout cyberspace and to evaluate complex subjects reflectively and objectively will put you in a better position to make reasonable choices in your daily life, from deciding what to buy to voting rationally to avoiding scams.
I planned this book to be as informative and enjoyable as possible for anyone. Educators looking for supplemental critical-thinking material will find this book provides digestible and engaging content. Unlike denser treatments of critical thinking, my goal is to get you involved in it through activities and real-life examples. Nonetheless, it will offer a comprehensive look at the major skills that underlie critical thinking in clear language.
