Becoming a Critical Thinker A User-Friendly Manual, Seventh Edition

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Brief Contents
Contents
About Revel and this Course
1 Foundations of Arguments
	Introduction: Foundations of Arguments
	1.1 The Structure of Argument
		1.1.1 The Issue
		1.1.2 The Conclusion
		1.1.3 The Reasons
		1.1.4 Humor as Argument
	1.2 A Decision-Making Method
		1.2.1 The First Steps in Decision-making
		1.2.2 Weighing Your Priorities
		1.2.3 Troubleshooting Your Decision
	Summary: Foundations of Arguments
2 Values and Ethics
	2.1 Value Assumptions and Conflicts
		2.1.1 Value Assumptions
		2.1.2 Comparing Values
	2.2 Ethics
		2.2.1 Value Assumptions about Ethics
		2.2.2 Conflicting Values in Ethics
		2.2.3 Ideal Values versus Real Values
	2.3 Ethics in Argumentation
		2.3.1 Ethics Tests
		2.3.2 Rationalizations
		2.3.3 Toulmin’s Model
	Summary: Values and Ethics
3 Reality Assumptions
	3.1 Assumptions
		3.1.1 Questioning Assumptions
		3.1.2 Detecting Reality Assumptions
		3.1.3 The Importance of Examining Assumptions
	3.2 Deductive Reasoning
		3.2.1 Validity and Soundness in Deductive Arguments
		3.2.2 Patterns of Deductive Reasoning
		3.2.3 Using Toulmin’s Method to Understand Deduction
	3.3 The Uses of Deductive Reasoning
		3.3.1 Deductive Reasoning Helps Us Discover Reality Assumptions and Test Our Logic
		3.3.2 Using Deductive Reasoning to Discover Truth and Make Decisions
		3.3.3 Using Deductive Reasoning to Combat Prejudice and Stereotyping
		3.3.4 Using Deduction to Understand Argument and to Argue Constructively
	Summary: Reality Assumptions
4 Inductive Arguments
	Introduction: Inductive Arguments
	4.1 Inductive Reasoning
		4.1.1 The Inductive Process
		4.1.2 The Relationship between Deduction and Induction
	4.2 Statistical Evidence
		4.2.1 The Many Uses of Statistics
		4.2.2 The Q Score
	4.3 Statistical Research
		4.3.1 How the Research Is Done
		4.3.2 The Size of a Statistical Sample
		4.3.3 Using Surveys as Evidence
		4.3.4 Statistical Generalizations
		4.3.5 Questions to Ask about Statistical Reports
		4.3.6 Truths, Half-Truths, and Distortions
	4.4 Causal Generalizations
		4.4.1 Hume’s Conditions for Cause and Effect
		4.4.2 Technical Causation
		4.4.3 Multiple Causes
		4.4.4 Mill’s Analysis of Cause and Effect
	Summary
5 Inductive Generalizations
	5.1 Evaluating Research
		5.1.1 Research Design
		5.1.2 Criteria for Evaluating Research Findings
	5.2 Expert Testimony
		5.2.1 The Credibility of an Expert
		5.2.2 Problems with Expert Testimony
	5.3 Reasoning by Analogy
		5.3.1 Analogies as Support for Arguments
	5.4 Improving Arguments
		5.4.1 Evaluating Deductive Arguments
		5.4.2 Evaluating Inductive Arguments
	Summary: Inductive Generalizations
6 Reasoning Errors
	6.1 Inadequate Reasons as Fallacies
		6.1.1 Faulty Analogies
		6.1.2 False Cause
		6.1.3 The Slippery Slope
		6.1.4 Straw Man
		6.1.5 Hasty Conclusions
		6.1.6 The False Dilemma
		6.1.7 Begging the Question
	6.2 Fallacies That Mislead
		6.2.1 The Red Herring
		6.2.2 Ad Hominem
		6.2.3 Two Wrongs Make a Right
		6.2.4 Ad Populum
		6.2.5 Appeal to Tradition
		6.2.6 Appeal to Pity
		6.2.7 Equivocation
	Summary: Reasoning Errors
7 The Power of Language
	7.1 Denotation and Connotation
		7.1.1 The Meaning of Names
		7.1.2 The Power of Connotation
		7.1.3 When Words Take on More Power Than Reality
		7.1.4 Meanings Are in People
	7.2 Language Challenges
		7.2.1 The Problem of Vagueness
		7.2.2 Ambiguity in Language
		7.2.3 Doublespeak
	Summary: The Power of Language
8 Suggestion in Media
	8.1 Suggestion in Daily Life
		8.1.1 Sensory Suggestions
		8.1.2 Suggestive Design
	8.2 Televised Suggestion
		8.2.1 The Selection of Issues
		8.2.2 The Use of Time
		8.2.3 Selection and Treatment of Guests and Panel Members
		8.2.4 The Set
		8.2.5 The Use of Language
		8.2.6 The Use of Camera Angles and Cuts
	8.3 Suggestion in Print Media
		8.3.1 The Use of Headlines
		8.3.2 The Use of “Leads”
		8.3.3 The Balance of Reporting on an Issue
		8.3.4 Fairness in Editorials
		8.3.5 Photo Composition
	8.4 The Power of Media to Shape Information
		8.4.1 Frame Hunts
		8.4.2 Faulty Impressions
	8.5 A Bag of Marketing and Advertising Tricks
		8.5.1 Fuzzy Words
		8.5.2 Logical Fallacies
		8.5.3 Stylized Images and Sounds
		8.5.4 Celebrity Associations and Endorsements
		8.5.5 Product Placement
		8.5.6 The Gestalt Principle
	8.6 The Use of Social Media to Build Customer Loyalty
		8.6.1 Facebook
		8.6.2 Instagram
		8.6.3 Twitter
		8.6.4 YouTube
		8.6.5 Crowdsourcing
		8.6.6 Yelp
		8.6.7 Opinion Leaders
	8.7 Technology and Persuasion
		8.7.1 Eye Tracking
		8.7.2 Neuromarketing
		8.7.3 Defense Against the Marketing Arts
		8.7.4 Storytelling as Persuasion
		8.7.5 Citizens, Consumers, and Relationships in an Age of Technology
	Summary: Suggestion in Media
9 Fair-Mindedness
	9.1 How We Defend Our Egos
		9.1.1 Rationalization
		9.1.2 Denial
	9.2 Conformity and Ways to Overcome It
		9.2.1 Social Conformity
		9.2.2 Groupthink
		9.2.3 Freedom of Expression
	9.3 Emotional Reasoning and Rational Responses
		9.3.1 Listening to Self-Talk
		9.3.2 Dysfunctional Reactions
		9.3.3 Ways to Deal with Emotional Reasoning
		9.3.4 Points of Logical Vulnerability
		9.3.5 Antidotes for Points of Logical Vulnerability
	9.4 Listening
		9.4.1 Developing Empathy through Listening
		9.4.2 The Art of Listening Well
		9.4.3 Precautions about Active Listening
	Summary: Fair-Mindedness
10 Persuasive Speaking
	10.1 Communicating Publicly
		10.1.1 Dealing with Speech Fear
		10.1.2 Audience Analysis
	10.2 Three Elements of a Persuasive Argument
		10.2.1 Ethos
		10.2.2 Logos
		10.2.3 Pathos
	10.3 Problem Solving and Collaborative Decision Making
		10.3.1 Prerequisites to Problem Solving
		10.3.2 The Problem-Solving Method
	Summary: Persuasive Speaking
Glossary
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References
Credits
Index
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