Critical Thinking. Eleventh Edition

Description

Cover Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Chapter 1 What Is Critical Thinking, Anyway? Beliefs and Claims Objective Claims and Subjective Claims Fact and Opinion Relativism Moral Subjectivism Issues Arguments Cognitive Biases Truth and Knowledge What Critical Thinking Can and Can't Do A Word About the Exercises Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 2 Two Kinds of Reasoning Arguments: General Features Conclusions Used as Premises Unstated Premises and Conclusions Two Kinds of Arguments Deductive Arguments Inductive Arguments Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Telling the Difference between Deductive and Inductive Arguments Deduction, Induction, and Unstated Premises Balance of Considerations Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE) What Are not Premises, Conclusions, or Arguments Pictures If … then… Sentences Lists of Facts "A because B" Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Techniques for Understanding Arguments Clarifying an Argument's Structure Distinguishing Arguments from Window Dressing Evaluating Arguments Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 3 Clear Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Clear Writing Vagueness Ambiguity Semantic Ambiguity Grouping Ambiguity Syntactic Ambiguity Generality Defining Terms Purposes of Definitions Kinds of Definitions Some Tips on Definitions Writing Argumentative Essays Good Writing Practices Essay Types to Avoid Persuasive Writing Writing in a Diverse Society Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 4 Credibility The Claim and Its Source Assessing the Content of the Claim Does the Claim Conflict with Our Personal Observations? Does the Claim Conflict with Our Background Information? The Credibility of Sources Interested Parties Physical and Other Characteristics Expertise Credibility and the News Media Consolidation of Media Ownership Government Management of the News Bias Within the Media Talk Radio Advocacy Television The Internet, Generally Advertising Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 5 Rhetoric, the Art of Persuasion Rhetorical Force Rhetorical Devices I Euphemisms and Dysphemisms Weaselers Downplayers Rhetorical Devices II Stereotypes Innuendo Loaded Questions Rhetorical Devices III Ridicule/Sarcasm Hyperbole Rhetorical Devices IV Rhetorical Definitions and Rhetorical Explanations Rhetorical Analogies and Misleading Comparisons Proof Surrogates and Repetition Proof Surrogates Repetition Persuasion through Visual Imagery The Extreme Rhetoric of Demagoguery Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 6 Relevance (Red Herring) Fallacies Argumentum Ad Hominem Poisoning the Well Guilt by Association Genetic Fallacy Straw Man False Dilemma ( Ignoring Other Alternatives) The Perfectionist Fallacy The Line-Drawing Fallacy Misplacing the Burden of Proof Begging the Question (Assuming What You are Trying to Prove) Appeal to Emotion Argument from Outrage Scare Tactics Appeal to Pity Other Appeals to Emotion Irrelevant Conclusion Recap Exercises Chapter 7 Induction Fallacies Generalizations Generalizing from Too Few Cases (Hasty Generalization) Generalizing from Exceptional Cases Accident Weak Analogy Fallacious Appeal to Authority Fallacious Appeal to Popularity (Fallacious Appeal to Common Belief) Fallacious Appeal to Common Practice Bandwagon Fallacy Fallacies Related to Cause and Effect Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc Slippery Slope Untestable Explanation Line-Drawing Again Recap Exercises Chapter 8 Formal Fallacies and Fallacies of Language Three Formal Fallacies: Affirming the Consequent, Denying the Antecedent, and Undistributed Middle Affirming the Consequent Denying the Antecedent The Undistributed Middle The Fallacies of Equivocation and Amphiboly The Fallacies of Composition and Division Confusing Explanations with Excuses Confusing Contraries and Contradictories Consistency and Inconsistency Miscalculating Probabilities Gambler's Fallacy Overlooking Prior Probabilities Overlooking False Positives Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 9 Deductive Arguments I Categorical Logic Categorical Claims Venn Diagrams Translation into Standard Form The Square of Opposition Three Categorical Relations Conversion Obversion Contraposition Categorical Syllogisms The Venn Diagram Method of Testing for Validity Categorical Syllogisms with Unstated Premises Real-Life Syllogisms The Rules Method of Testing for Validity Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 10 Deductive Arguments II Truth-Functional Logic Truth Tables and Logical Symbols Claim Variables Truth Tables Symbolizing Compound Claims "If" and "Only If" Necessary and Sufficient Conditions "Unless" "Either … Or" Truth-Functional Arguments The Truth-Table Method The Short Truth-Table Method Deductions Group I Rules: Elementary Valid Argument Patterns Group II Rules: Truth-Functional Equivalences Conditional Proof Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 11 Inductive Reasoning Argument from Analogy Evaluation of Arguments from Analogy Three Arguments from Analogy Other Uses of Analogy Generalizing from a Sample Evaluation of Arguments That Generalize from a Sample Three Arguments That Generalize from a Sample Scientific Generalizing from a Sample The Statistical Syllogism Causal Statements and Their Support Forming Causal Hypotheses Weighing Evidence Confirming Causal Hypotheses Calculating Statistical Probabilities Joint Occurrence of Independent Events Alternative Occurrences Expectation Value Calculating Conditional Probabilities Causation in the Law Recap Additional Exercises Chapter 12 Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning Value Judgments Moral versus Nonmoral Two Principles of Moral Reasoning Moral Principles Deriving Specific Moral Value Judgments Major Perspectives in Moral Reasoning Consequentialism Duty Theory/Deontologism Moral Relativism Religious Relativism Religious Absolutism Virtue Ethics Moral Deliberation Legal Reasoning Justifying Laws: Four Perspectives Aesthetic Reasoning Eight Aesthetic Principles Using Aesthetic Principles to Judge Aesthetic Value Evaluating Aesthetic Criticism: Relevance and Truth Why Reason Aesthetically? Recap Additional Exercises Appendix: Exercises from Previous Editions Glossary A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Answers, Suggestions, and Tips for Triangle Exercises Credits Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z