Critical Thinking

Peg Tittle has taught critical thinking and applied ethics at both the university and high school levels. She is the author of What If…Collected Thought Experiments in Philosophy and the editor of Should Parents be Licensed? and Ethical Issues in Business: Enquiries, Cases, and Readings.

"Peg Tittle’s Critical Thinking: An Appeal to Reason is the ideal book for any class, philosophy and otherwise, in which evaluating arguments is central. Few texts are as thorough, and none are as accessible, clear, and pleasurable. Critical Thinking is chock-full of examples of arguments and fallacies from Tittle’s fecund imagination, as well as an astonishing breadth of sources from classic to contemporary—enough to capture any student’s attention. Add to this some wonderfully lucid diagrams, and you have a book that is unmatched by any in its field."–Ron Cooper, Professor of Philosophy, College of Central Florida“Critical Thinking is appealing because it is carefully and clearly written, presents concrete and contemporary examples, and is well-organized to capture the heuristic that guides students in learning to think critically. In addition, the template for the critical analysis of arguments (introduced in Chapter 1 and helpfully repeated in each chapter) is clear and effective.” –Lauren Weis, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion, American University

• Chapter 1: Critical Thinking 1.1 What is critical thinking? 1.2 What is critical thinking not? Chapter 2: The Nature of Argument 2.1 Recognizing an Argument 2.2 Circular Arguments 2.3 Counterarguments 2.4 The Burden of Proof 2.5 Facts and Opinions 2.6 Deductive and Inductive Argument Chapter 3: The Structure of Argument 3.1 Convergent, Single 3.2 Convergent, Multiple 3.3 Divergent Chapter 4: Relevance 4.1 Relevance 4.2 Errors of Relevance Chapter 5: Language 5.1 Clarity 5.2 Neutrality 5.3 Definition Chapter 6: Truth and Acceptability 6.1 How do we define truth? 6.2 How do we discover truth? 6.3 How do we evaluate claims of truth? Chapter 7: Generalizations, Analogies, and General Principles 7.1 Sufficiency 7.2 Generalizations 7.3 Analogies 7.4 General Principles Chapter 8: Inductive Argument – Causal Reasoning 8.1 Causation 8.2 Explanations 8.3 Predictions, Plans, and Policies 8.4 Errors in Causal Reasoning Supplemental Chapters on the Companion Website: 1. Categorical Logic 2. Propositional Logic 3. Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues