Critical Thinking for College Students

About this book

The purpose of critical thinking according to this text is rethinking: that is reviewing evaluating and revising thought. The approach of Critical Thinking for College Students is pragmatic and pluralistic: truth is viewed in terms of public confirmation and consensus rather than with regard to naive realism relativism or popular opinion. The value of empathy and the legitimacy of diverse points of view are stressed. Nevertheless it is necessary to use specific linguistic logical and evidential standards in order to evaluate thought. The primary elements of critical thinking are: --proper definition --paraphrasing --reconstruction --empathy --analysis of arguments --evaluation of reasoning --brainstorming --imagination --problem solving The opening chapters of the text provide a thorough discussion of linguistic standards of meaning. A detailed examination of logical inference and informal fallacies follows. The final chapters of the book cover standards of evidence and problem solving. Instructors Manual: ISBN 0-8476-9603-0