Critical Thinking: An Introduction to Reasoning Well

'You shouldn't drink too much. The Earth is round. Milk is good for your bones.' Are any of these claims true? How can you tell? Can you ever be certain you are right? For anyone tackling philosophical logic and critical thinking for the first time, Critical Thinking: An Introduction to Reasoning Well provides a practical guide to the skills required to think critically. From the basics of good reasoning to the difference between claims, evidence and arguments, Robert Arp and Jamie Carlin Watson cover the topics found in an introductory course. Now revised and fully updated, this Second Edition features a glossary, chapter summaries, more student-friendly exercises, study questions, diagrams, and suggestions for further reading. Topics include: the structure, formation, analysis and recognition of arguments deductive validity and soundness inductive strength and cogency inference to the best explanation truth tables tools for argument assessment informal and formal fallacies With real life examples, advice on graduate school entrance exams and an expanded companion website packed with additional exercises, an answer key and help with real life examples, this easy-to-follow introduction is a complete beginner's tool set to good reasoning, analyzing and arguing. Ideal for students in basic reasoning courses and students preparing for graduate school.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the Second Edition Part I: The Basics of Good Reasoning 1. The Basic Tools of Reasoning 2. Evaluating Arguments Part II: Deductive Reasoning 3. Thinking and Reasoning with Categories 4. Basic Propositional Logic 5. Truth Tables 6. Rules of Inference Part III: Inductive Reasoning 7. Probability and Induction 8. Inductive Arguments 9. Experiment and Inference to the Best Explanation 10. Informal Fallacies 11. Putting it All Together 12. Reasoning on Graduate Entrance Exams Glossary Index

About the Author :
Robert Arp teaches Logic at the University of Missouri, USA and is a Researcher and Analyst for projects with the US Army at Ft. Leavenworth. He is the author of An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving (2008), co-author of Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology (2011) and 101 Ideas that Changed the Way We Think (2013). Jamie Carlin Watson is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Broward College, USA.

Review :
With its new glossary and appendix material, novel real-life examples and freshly created summary boxes, Arp and Watson's second edition of Critical Thinking is now the most incisive (and still affordable) introduction to the subject matter. Philosophy majors, law school aspirants, students taking the GRE, of if you just want to improve your reasoning skills-this is the book for you. -- Kevin Decker, Professor of Philosophy, Eastern Washington University, USA Well-explained, clearly laid out and hip, this is one of the best-if not the best-critical thinking textbooks on the market today. Critical Thinking comes close to hitting the ideal balance between explanation and meaningful practice, making this book the whole package -- Adam Barkman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Redeemer University College, Canada Engagingly written with a good mix of academic and real life examples and exercises, this textbook by Arp and Watson is a great option for a wide range of logic courses. Covering all of the terrain required by a logic text, this book does a very nice job of taking on what can be dauntingly formal topics in a way that doesn't feel so abstract and obscure. Unlike many other logic books, this text does a much more thorough job on inductive logic-a topic seriously neglected in too many logic books-and includes a much welcomed section on putting all of the critical thinking skills learned together. Highly recommended. -- Benjamin W. McCraw, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, University of South Carolina Upstate, USA This is a great text for any critical thinking or introductory logic course. Jamie and Rob have a way of explaining key words and ideas simply and clearly, providing examples that students observe in everyday life. -- Matt Stanfill, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Pensacola State College, USA Critical Thinking balances clarity, detail and a user-friendly approach for students with the kind of rigor and care instructors will welcome. As a thorough introduction to basic tools of logic, probability and scientific reasoning, this text is a winner. -- Robert Bass, Department of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, USA Watson and Arp have built an accessible portal for students learning logic and its basis in human language and expression. In addition to serving courses on formal logic, the text provides straightforward and clear supplements for instructors who teach college writing with a focus on argumentation. In particular, its sections on the challenges of inductive reasoning and logical fallacies will prove especially helpful for showing undergraduates how to better analyze evidence and critique arguments. -- Ray Bossert, Assistant Professor of English and Writing Center Director, Notre Dame of Maryland University, USA In this book, Robert Arp and Jamie Watson provide the tools to overcome one of the greatest deficits in the developed world: that of critical thinking. -- Jai Galliott, Senior Research Associate, The University of New South Wales, Australia