The Power of Critical Thinking

Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims

Seventh Edition

Lewis Vaughn

• Offers the clearest step-by-step explanations available
• Provides students with a solid grounding in a wide range of critical thinking skills applicable to many kinds of claims, evidence, and arguments
• Incorporates hundreds of diverse exercises--including Field Problems, Integrative Exercises, Self-Assessment Quizzes, and Essay Questions--presented progressively, from simple to complex and elementary to more advanced, with selected answers at the back of the book
• Includes numerous photos with caption questions that encourage critical thinking
• Covers the evaluation of evidence, authority, and credibility, showing students how to assess the evidence and claims offered by scientists and other experts, the news media, advertising, and everyday experience
• Emphasizes writing throughout, with writing assignments in each chapter and an extensive appendix on argumentative writing that includes twenty-one essays for analysis

New to this Edition:

• An expanded and updated guide to thinking critically about the media.
• In-depth coverage of how to apply critical thinking to advertising, both commercial and political.
• A greatly expanded chapter on obstacles to critical thinking.
• New material on important topics such as how to argue (or not argue) online, the backfire effect, the cognitive snares of social media, the power of reasonable skepticism, how to "read laterally" online, and how to use trustworthy fact-checkers.
• New text boxes: "The Ethics of Sharing Fake News," "Can You Tell the Difference Between Fact and Opinion?" and "Racism Is Group Thinking at Its Worst-- But What Is It?"

The Power of Critical Thinking

Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims

Seventh Edition

Lewis Vaughn

Description

The Power of Critical Thinking

Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims

Seventh Edition

Lewis Vaughn

Table of Contents

The Power of Critical Thinking

Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims

Seventh Edition

Lewis Vaughn

Author Information