Joel Best is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He is the author of the best-selling Damned Lies and Statistics, Stat-Spotting, and American Nightmares.

• Acknowledgments1. What Is Critical Thinking?2. The Basics: Arguments and Assumptions3. Everyday ArgumentsAnecdotes • Ad Hominem Arguments • Myths • Folk Wisdom and Metaphors • Facts • Everyday Reasoning4. The Logic of Social SciencePatterns • Causality • Judging Social Scientific Claims • The Importance of Evidence5. Authority and Social Science ArgumentsChallenges for Social Science • The Case of Sociology • Thinking about Sociology and Critical Thinking6. Sociology as a Social WorldCamps • Envy • Sociology’s Subdivisions7. OrientationsOptimism and Pessimism • Team Culture and Team Structure • Insiders and Outsiders • Tragedy and Comedy • The Importance of Orientations Contents8. WordsJargon • Word Fads • Definitions • Concept Creep9. Questions and MeasurementsSociological Questions • Empirical Questions • Measurement • What Is Being Measured? • Questioning Measurements10. Variables and ComparisonVariables • Issues with Comparison • Varieties of Comparative Findings • Replication • Comparison in Qualitative Research • Questioning Comparisons11. TendenciesPatterned Tendencies • The Ecological Fallacy • The Modesty of Sociological Explanations • Thinking about Tendencies12. EvidenceEffective Evidence • Not-So-Effective Evidence • Questioning Evidence Choices • Questions about Research13. Echo ChambersRecognizing and Addressing One’s Own Biases • Expectations and Sociologists • The Complications of Ideological Homogeneity • The Importance of Self-Criticism14. Tough TopicsCultural Waves • Good Guys and Bad Guys • Taboos • Thinking about What’s DifficultAfterword: Why Critical Thinking Is ImportantNotesReferencesIndex

Joel Best is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He is the author of the best-selling Damned Lies and Statistics, Stat-Spotting, and American Nightmares.

• Acknowledgments1. What Is Critical Thinking?2. The Basics: Arguments and Assumptions3. Everyday ArgumentsAnecdotes • Ad Hominem Arguments • Myths • Folk Wisdom and Metaphors • Facts • Everyday Reasoning4. The Logic of Social SciencePatterns • Causality • Judging Social Scientific Claims • The Importance of Evidence5. Authority and Social Science ArgumentsChallenges for Social Science • The Case of Sociology • Thinking about Sociology and Critical Thinking6. Sociology as a Social WorldCamps • Envy • Sociology’s Subdivisions7. OrientationsOptimism and Pessimism • Team Culture and Team Structure • Insiders and Outsiders • Tragedy and Comedy • The Importance of Orientations Contents8. WordsJargon • Word Fads • Definitions • Concept Creep9. Questions and MeasurementsSociological Questions • Empirical Questions • Measurement • What Is Being Measured? • Questioning Measurements10. Variables and ComparisonVariables • Issues with Comparison • Varieties of Comparative Findings • Replication • Comparison in Qualitative Research • Questioning Comparisons11. TendenciesPatterned Tendencies • The Ecological Fallacy • The Modesty of Sociological Explanations • Thinking about Tendencies12. EvidenceEffective Evidence • Not-So-Effective Evidence • Questioning Evidence Choices • Questions about Research13. Echo ChambersRecognizing and Addressing One’s Own Biases • Expectations and Sociologists • The Complications of Ideological Homogeneity • The Importance of Self-Criticism14. Tough TopicsCultural Waves • Good Guys and Bad Guys • Taboos • Thinking about What’s DifficultAfterword: Why Critical Thinking Is ImportantNotesReferencesIndex

Joel Best is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He is the author of the best-selling Damned Lies and Statistics, Stat-Spotting, and American Nightmares.

• Acknowledgments1. What Is Critical Thinking?2. The Basics: Arguments and Assumptions3. Everyday ArgumentsAnecdotes • Ad Hominem Arguments • Myths • Folk Wisdom and Metaphors • Facts • Everyday Reasoning4. The Logic of Social SciencePatterns • Causality • Judging Social Scientific Claims • The Importance of Evidence5. Authority and Social Science ArgumentsChallenges for Social Science • The Case of Sociology • Thinking about Sociology and Critical Thinking6. Sociology as a Social WorldCamps • Envy • Sociology’s Subdivisions7. OrientationsOptimism and Pessimism • Team Culture and Team Structure • Insiders and Outsiders • Tragedy and Comedy • The Importance of Orientations Contents8. WordsJargon • Word Fads • Definitions • Concept Creep9. Questions and MeasurementsSociological Questions • Empirical Questions • Measurement • What Is Being Measured? • Questioning Measurements10. Variables and ComparisonVariables • Issues with Comparison • Varieties of Comparative Findings • Replication • Comparison in Qualitative Research • Questioning Comparisons11. TendenciesPatterned Tendencies • The Ecological Fallacy • The Modesty of Sociological Explanations • Thinking about Tendencies12. EvidenceEffective Evidence • Not-So-Effective Evidence • Questioning Evidence Choices • Questions about Research13. Echo ChambersRecognizing and Addressing One’s Own Biases • Expectations and Sociologists • The Complications of Ideological Homogeneity • The Importance of Self-Criticism14. Tough TopicsCultural Waves • Good Guys and Bad Guys • Taboos • Thinking about What’s DifficultAfterword: Why Critical Thinking Is ImportantNotesReferencesIndex