The Power of Critical Thinking

Lewis Vaughn is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Philosophy Here and Now: Powerful Ideas in Everyday Life, Second Edition (2015), Living Philosophy: A Historical Introduction to Philosophical Ideas (2014), Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, Ninth Edition (2013), The Moral Life, Fifth Edition (2013), and Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases (2012), all published by Oxford University Press. He is the former editor of Free Inquiry and the former executive editor and cofounder of Philo.

Preface:
PART 1. BASICS
1. The Power of Critical Thinking
Why It Matters
How It Works
Claims and Reasons:
Reasons and Arguments:
Arguments in the Rough:
Key Words
Summary
Exercises
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Writing Assignments
2. Obstacles to Critical Thinking
Psychological Obstacles
The Almighty Self:
The Power of the Group:
Philosophical Obstacles
Subjective Relativism:
Social Relativism:
Skepticism:
Key Words
Summary
Exercises
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
3. Making Sense of Arguments
Argument Basics
Judging Arguments
Finding Missing Parts
Argument Patterns
Diagramming Arguments
Assessing Long Arguments
Key Words
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
PART 2. REASONS
4. Reasons for Belief and Doubt
When Claims Conflict
Experts and Evidence
Personal Experience
Impairment:
Expectation:
Innumeracy and Probability:
Fooling Ourselves
Resisting Contrary Evidence:
Looking for Confirming Evidence:
Preferring Available Evidence:
Claims in the News
Inside the News:
Sorting Out the News:
Advertising and Persuasion
Identification:
Slogans:
Misleading Comparisons:
Weasel Words:
Key Words
Summary
Exercises
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
5. Fallacies and Persuaders
Fallacies: Irrelevant Premises
Genetic Fallacy:
Composition:
Division:
Appeal to the Person:
Equivocation:
Appeal to Popularity:
Appeal to Tradition:
Appeal to Ignorance:
Appeal to Emotion:
Red Herring:
Straw Man:
Two Wrongs Make a Right:
Fallacies: Unacceptable Premises
Begging the Question:
False Dilemma:
Decision-Point Fallacy:
Slippery Slope:
Hasty Generalization:
Faulty Analogy:
Persuaders: Rhetorical Moves
Innuendo:
Euphemisms and Dysphemisms:
Stereotyping:
Ridicule:
Rhetorical Definitions:
Key Words
Summary
Exercises
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
PART 3. ARGUMENTS
6. Deductive Reasoning: Propositional Logic
Connectives and Truth Values
Conjunction:
Disjunction:
Negation:
Conditional:
Checking for Validity
Simple Arguments:
Tricky Arguments:
Streamlined Evaluation:
Proof of Validity
Rules of Inference:
Rules of Replacement:
Key Words
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
7. Deductive Reasoning: Categorical Logic
Statements and Classes
Translations and Standard Form
Terms:
Quantifiers:
Diagramming Categorical Statements
Sizing Up Categorical Syllogisms
The Square of Opposition:
Categorical Equivalence:
Key Words
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
8. Inductive Reasoning
Enumerative Induction
Sample Size:
Representativeness:
Opinion Polls:
Analogical Induction
Causal Arguments
Testing for Causes:
Causal Confusions:
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions:
Key Words
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
PART 4. EXPLANATIONS
9. Inference to the Best Explanation
Explanations and Inference
Theories and Consistency
Theories and Criteria
Testability:
Fruitfulness:
Scope:
Simplicity:
Conservatism:
Telling Good Theories from Bad
A Doomed Flight:
An Amazing Cure:
Key Words
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
10. Judging Scientific Theories
Science and Not Science
The Scientific Method
Testing Scientific Theories
Judging Scientific Theories
Copernicus Versus Ptolemy:
Evolution Versus Creationism:
Science and Weird Theories
Making Weird Mistakes
Leaping to the Weirdest Theory:
Mixing What Seems with What Is:
Misunderstanding the Possibilities:
Judging Weird Theories
Crop Circles:
Talking with the Dead:
Summary
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
11. Critical Thinking in Morality and the Law
Moral Arguments
Moral Premises
Moral Theories
Evaluating Moral Theories:
Two Important Theories:
Legal Reasoning
A Coherent Worldview
Key Words
Summary
Exercises
Field Problems
Self-Assessment Quiz
Integrative Exercises
Writing Assignments
Appendix A: Essays for Evaluation
1. "Death Penalty Discriminates Against Black Crime Victims," USA Today
2. "Marine Parks," Bill Daly
3. "A Feminist Defense of Pornography," Wendy McElroy
4. "A Defense of Homosexuality," John Corvino
5. "More Innocents Die When We Don't Have Capital Punishment," Dennis Prager
6. "What's Wrong with Adultery?" Bonnie Steinbock
7. "A Pat-Down Is Better Than a Blow-Up," Caroline Baum
8. "The Cohabitation Epidemic," Neil Clark Warren
9. "Not Being Vaccinated Is Not Acceptable," David Ropeik
10. "Women and the Afghanistan Peace Process," Ann Jones
11. "A Deviance from God's Norm," Richard Land
12. "Marriage Still Evolving, as Ever," Buffalo News
13. "Slouching Toward Chimeras," Jeremy Rifkin
14. "Fighting Islamic Extremists Who Stifle Free Speech," Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Daniel Huff
15. "Is Sluttishness a Feminist Statement?" Wendy Kaminer
16. "Torture: Time for Congress to End the Debate," USA Today
17. "Torture: Severe Interrogations Work," Trent Franks
18. "Freedom of Expression: Protect Student Speech--Even 'Unwise' Bong Banner," USA Today
19. "Freedom of Expression: Policy Reflects Common Sense," Kenneth W. Starr
20. "It's Irresponsible to Spread Fear of Vaccine," USA Today
21. "Flag Amendment: Flag Needs Protection," Dianne Feinstein
Appendix B. Answers to Exercises
Appendix C. Answers to Self-Assessment Quizzes
Appendix D. Critical Thinking and Writing
Notes:
Glossary:
Credits:
Index: