critical thinking skills for dummies pdf

Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Book description

Turbocharge your reasoning with Critical Thinking

Just what are the ingredients of a great argument? What is the secret to communicating your ideas clearly and persuasively? And how do you see through sloppy thinking and flim-flam? If you've ever asked any of these questions, then this book is for you!

These days, strong critical thinking skills provide a vital foundation for academic success, and Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies offers a clear and unintimidating introduction to what can otherwise be a pretty complex topic. Inside, you'll get hands-on, lively, and fun exercises that you can put to work today to improve your arguments and pin down key issues.

With this accessible and friendly guide, you'll get plain-English instruction on how to identify other people's assumptions, methodology, and conclusions, evaluate evidence, and interpret texts effectively. You'll also find tips and guidance on reading between the lines, assessing validity - and even advice on when not to apply logic too rigidly!

Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies:

Provides tools and strategies from a range of disciplines great for developing your reflective thinking skills

Offers expert guidance on sound reasoning and textual analysis

Shows precisely how to use concept mapping and brainstorming to generate insights

Demonstrates how critical thinking skills is a proven path to success as a student

Whether you're undertaking reviews, planning research projects or just keen to give your brain a workout, Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies equips you with everything you need to succeed.

Table of contents

• About This Book
• Foolish Assumptions
• Icons Used in This Book
• Beyond the Book
• Where to Go from Here
• Opening the Doors to the Arguments Clinic
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills: Reading between the Lines
• Understanding What Critical Thinking Isn't
• Thinking Logically or Instinctively: Evolution and Consciousness
• Watching How the Brain Thinks
• Getting Inside Scientists’ Heads
• Answers to Chapter 2’s Exercises
• Asking Whether You're Thinking What You Think You're Thinking
• Thinking and Indoctrination: Propaganda
• Appreciating the Difficulties of Staying Impartial
• Appealing to Feelings: The Psychology of Argument
• Manipulating Minds and Persuading People
• Answers to Chapter 3’s Exercise
• Discovering Your Personal Thinking Habits
• Busting Myths about Thinking
• Exploring Different Types of Intelligence: Emotions and Creativity
• Answers to Chapter 4’s Exercises
• Investigating Inventiveness and Imagination
• Confused Comparisons and Muddled Metaphors
• Becoming a Thought Experimenter
• Answers To Chapter 5’s Exercise
• Thinking Like a Computer Programmer
• Combining the Thinking Spheres
• Sort, Select, Amplify, Generate: Using Design Skills to See New Solutions
• Ordering Yourself a Nice, Fresh Argument! (Exercise)
• Answers To Chapter 6’s Exercises
• Discovering Graphical Tools: Mind Mapping and Making Concept Charts
• Putting Graphical Tools To Use
• Considering Other Thinking Tools
• Answers to Chapter 7’s Exercises
• Building the Knowledge Pyramid with Data and Information Blocks
• Turning the Knowledge Hierarchy Upside Down
• Maintaining Motivation: Knowledge, Skills and Mindsets
• Answers to Chapter 8’s Exercises
• Appreciating Critical Reading as a Practical Skill
• Reading between the Lines
• Playing Detective: Examining the Evidence
• Filtering out Irrelevant Material
• Answers to Chapter 10’s Exercises
• Structuring Your Thoughts on the Page
• Choosing the Appropriate Style of Writing
• Getting Down to the Specifics of Critical Writing
• Answers to Chapter 10’s Exercise
• Getting the Most from Formal Talks
• Participating in Seminars and Small Groups
• Noting a Few Notes
• Democratising the Learning Environment
• Answers to This Chapter
• Introducing Real-Life Arguments
• Delving Deeper into Real Arguments
• Setting out Laws for Thinking Logically
• Seeing How People Use Logic
• Putting Steel in Your Arguments with Logic
• Answers to Chapter 13’s Exercises
• Introducing Rhetoric: When an Argument Isn't an Argument
• Winning When You're Right
• Debating Successfully When You're Wrong
• Discerning a Message
• Answers to Chapter 14’s Exercise
• Challenging Received Wisdom about the World
• Digging into Scientific Thinking
• Counting on the Fact that People Don't Understand Numbers: Statistical Thinking
• Answers to Chapter 15’s Exercise
• Claiming to Follow Logically: Non Sequiturs and Genetic Fallacies
• Making Assumptions: Begging the Question
• Restricting the Options to Two: ‘Black and White’ Thinking
• Being Unclear: Equivocation and Ambiguity
• Mistaking a Connection for a Cause: Correlation Confusion
• Resorting to Double Standards: Special Pleading
• Thinking Wishfully
• Detecting the Whiff of Red Herrings
• Attacking a Point that Doesn't Exist: Straw-Man Arguments
• Redefining Words: Playing at Humpty Dumpty
• Suggesting That Only a Small Elite Is Clever Enough To Be In Charge
• Crossing the Line: An Argument for Breaking the Law
• Staying on the Right Side of the Law: An Argument for Always Obeying the Law
• Arguing that Human Misery is Due to a Greedy Elite Exploiting Everyone Else
• Proving That, ‘Logically’, God Exists
• Proving That, ‘in Practice’, God Doesn't Exist
• Defending Human Rights
• Making Everything Relative
• Getting All Relative with Einstein
• Posing Paradoxes to Prove Your Point
• About the Author
• Cheat Sheet
• Advertisement Page
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement

Product information

• Title: Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies
• Author(s): Martin Cohen
• Release date: April 2015
• Publisher(s): For Dummies
• ISBN: 9781118924723

You might also like

Critical thinking.

by Gerald J. Watson Jr.

Mistakes occur for many reasons. This book takes a hands-on approach to the reasons mistakes happen, …

An Introduction to Critical Thinking

by Madhucchanda Sen

An Introduction to Critical Thinking, useful for undergraduate students, discusses critical thinking, relation between critical thinking …

A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking, 2nd Edition

by David A. Hunter

A thoroughly updated introduction to the concepts, methods, and standards of critical thinking, Applying rigor when …

The Critical Thinking Toolkit

by Marlene CAROSELLI

It’s not just for geniuses. Everyone can learn to think creatively, analytically, and quickly with brain-boosting …

Don’t leave empty-handed

Get Mark Richards’s Software Architecture Patterns ebook to better understand how to design components—and how they should interact.

It’s yours, free.

Check it out now on O’Reilly

Dive in for free with a 10-day trial of the O’Reilly learning platform—then explore all the other resources our members count on to build skills and solve problems every day.

Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies

Cohen, Martin

1. Edition April 2015 376 Pages, Softcover Wiley & Sons Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-118-92472-3 John Wiley & Sons

Sample Chapter

Short Description

These days, strong critical thinking skills provide a vital foundation for academic success, and Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies offers a clear and unintimidating introduction to what can otherwise be a pretty complex topic. Inside, you'll get hands-on, lively, and fun exercises that you can put to work today to improve your arguments and pin down key issues. With this accessible and friendly guide, you'll get plain-English instruction on how to identify other people's assumptions, methodology, and conclusions, evaluate evidence, and interpret texts effectively. You'll also find tips and guidance on reading between the lines, assessing validity - and even advice on when not to apply logic too rigidly! Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies: * Provides tools and strategies from a range of disciples great for developing your reflective thinking skills * Offers expert guidance on sound reasoning and textual analysis * Shows precisely how to use concept mapping and brainstorming to generate insights * Demonstrates how critical thinking skills is a proven path to success as a student

Price: 20,90 €

Price incl. VAT, excl. Shipping

Further versions

• Description
• Author information

Turbocharge your reasoning with Critical Thinking Just what are the ingredients of a great argument? What is the secret to communicating your ideas clearly and persuasively? And how do you see through sloppy thinking and flim-flam? If you've ever asked any of these questions, then this book is for you! These days, strong critical thinking skills provide a vital foundation for academic success, and Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies offers a clear and unintimidating introduction to what can otherwise be a pretty complex topic. Inside, you'll get hands-on, lively, and fun exercises that you can put to work today to improve your arguments and pin down key issues. With this accessible and friendly guide, you'll get plain-English instruction on how to identify other people's assumptions, methodology, and conclusions, evaluate evidence, and interpret texts effectively. You'll also find tips and guidance on reading between the lines, assessing validity - and even advice on when not to apply logic too rigidly! Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies: * Provides tools and strategies from a range of disciplines great for developing your reflective thinking skills * Offers expert guidance on sound reasoning and textual analysis * Shows precisely how to use concept mapping and brainstorming to generate insights * Demonstrates how critical thinking skills is a proven path to success as a student Whether you're undertaking reviews, planning research projects or just keen to give your brain a workout, Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies equips you with everything you need to succeed.

M. Cohen, The Philosopher

©2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH - Provider - www.wiley-vch.de - [email protected] - Data Policy - Cookie Preferences Copyright © 2000-2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., or related companies. All rights reserved.

• Business & Money
• Management & Leadership

Buy new: $19.99

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies 2nd Edition

• 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.

• ISBN-10 1394244584
• ISBN-13 978-1394244584
• Edition 2nd
• Publisher For Dummies
• Publication date June 18, 2024
• Language English
• Print length 384 pages
• See all details

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Dummies; 2nd edition (June 18, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1394244584
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1394244584
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
• #1,228 in Philosophy of Logic & Language
• #3,250 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)
• #3,254 in Decision-Making & Problem Solving

About the author

Martin cohen.

Martin Cohen is a journalist, editor and author specializing in popular books in philosophy, social science and politics. His books include the bestselling ‘101 Philosophy Problems’, ‘Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies' as well as more social scientific books such as ‘I Think Therefore I Eat’, on food science, and a look at how scientists work called 'Paradigm Shift’. This sounds rather technical but is actually a great deckchair read, taking a look at many perplexed and perplexing issues in life, from religion to science, from food fads to black holes in space..Another recent book, now issued in paperback, called 'The Leaders' Bookshelf', is all about ideas and inspirations - and how even quite ordinary books can be 'intuition pumps' sending their readers off to achieve extraordinary things.

Martin now writes full-time, but in the past has taught philosophy and social science at a number of universities in the UK and Australia, and was involved in a research project exploring ways to shift philosophy teaching away from the the mere study of philosophical facts and toward a view of philosophy as an activity.

An activist environmentalist, he wrote an influential series of articles in the Times Higher (London) about the politics of the climate change debate. He has written discussion papers on environmental concerns for the European Parliament and been invited by the Chinese government to discuss ecological rights and indigenous communities.

As an editor, his strategy is to allow as wide a range of ideas as possible a forum and he loves articles by non-specialists with unusual and original ideas. He is currently based in Aquitaine, France, but travels often to the US and UK.

For new book projects and rights inquiries, please just drop me a line via Twitter @docmartincohen and we'll take it from there!

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

No customer reviews

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

We understand that it's difficult to learn how to use critical thinking more effectively in just one article, but our service is here to help.

We are a team specializing in writing essays and other assignments for college students and all other types of customers who need a helping hand in its making. We cover a great range of topics, offer perfect quality work, always deliver on time and aim to leave our customers completely satisfied with what they ordered.

The ordering process is fully online, and it goes as follows:

• Select the topic and the deadline of your essay.
• Provide us with any details, requirements, statements that should be emphasized or particular parts of the essay writing process you struggle with.
• Leave the email address, where your completed order will be sent to.
• Select your prefered payment type, sit back and relax!

With lots of experience on the market, professionally degreed essay writers , online 24/7 customer support and incredibly low prices, you won't find a service offering a better deal than ours.