How to Think Critically: A Concise Guide - Softcover

"Jeff McLaughlin's How to Think Critically covers all of the topics important for introductory courses in Critical Thinking, and it does so without bogging down the reader or instructor with extraneous material. The examples and illustrations will, I believe, resonate well with students, and, in particular, with students at Canadian universities. I look forward to using this text the next time I offer Critical Thinking." -- G.K.D. Crozier, Laurentian University "How to Think Critically is a very good text. It is clear and comprehensive and includes an abundance of examples. It provides a plausible and sensible take on arguments as they really do occur." -- Michael Stack, University of Manitoba "McLaughlin's book is clearly written and infused with an engaging sense of humour that sustains interest in a subject area that too often is presented in a dry and uninteresting fashion. McLaughlin uses pedagogically sound techniques and strategies to build competency and confidence in thinking critically." -- Jill Hunter, Athabasca University

Jeff McLaughlin's How to Think Critically begins with the premise that we are all, every day, engaged in critical thinking. But as we may develop bad habits in daily life if we don't scrutinize our practices, so we are apt to develop bad habits in critical thinking if we are careless in our reasoning. This book exists to instill good thinking habits: attentiveness to word choice, avoidance of fallacies, and effective construction and assessment of arguments. With relatable and often amusing examples included throughout, the book adopts a degree of technical sophistication that is rigorous and yet still easily applied to ordinary situations. Venn diagrams, truth tables, and McLaughlin's 'S-Test'-a step-by-step method for argument analysis-are presented to the reader not as concepts for academic study but as tools for better thinking and living.