Foundations of Critical Thinking

Introduction: Critical Thinking and an Overview of What's to Come. 1. Introduction to Arguments. 2. Separating Good Arguments. 3. Terms. 4. Grounds of Inference I: Facts and Hypotheses. 5. Grounds of Inference II: Facts, Generalizations, and Principles Generalizations. 6. Grounds of Inference III: Analogies. 7. Grounds of Inference IV: Causal Reasoning. 8. Grounds of Inference V: Criteria and Standards. 9. The Subjects and Kinds of Disputes. 10. Negotiations and Resolutions. 11. Tactical Maneuvers. 12. Categorical Logic. 13. Propositional Logic I: Truth Functional. 14. Propositional Logic II: Determining Validity in Propositional Logic Truth Tables for Arguments. Appendix I: Spotting Arguments and Writing Argumentative Essays. Appendix II: Achieving Clarity Through Definitions. Appendix III: Informal Fallacies and Tactical Maneuvers. Appendix IV: Extended Exercises in the Examination of Reasoning.