Is That True?: Critical Thinking for Sociologists

Critical thinking is praised, taught, and put into practice across disciplines, but what does it actually mean? Joel Best examines how to evaluate arguments and the evidence used to support them in the field of sociology and beyond. He also examines how sociologists engage in fuzzy thinking through bias, faddish cultural waves, spurious reasoning, and implicit bias. Students will learn the building blocks of critical thinking in a sociological context and come away with key concepts to put into practice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 16 February 2021
Publisher: University of California Press

Critical thinking is highly valued, imparted, and applied across various fields. However, its precise definition remains a subject of exploration. In this concise volume, sociologist Joel Best delves into the art of assessing arguments and the evidence employed to support them, with a particular focus on how to think critically within the realm of sociology and beyond. Best's writing style, characterized by a blend of ethnographic vigor and dry humor, uncovers the ways in which sociologists engage in questionable thinking, including bias, faddish cultural trends, flawed reasoning, and implicit biases. The book is organized into short chapters that cover:

A comprehensive introduction to critical thinking and logic in the social sciences

Sociology as an academic pursuit

Key issues in critically evaluating sociological research

Challenging questions that confront sociologists and a call for the discipline to address them

Students from diverse disciplines will acquire the fundamental principles of critical thinking within a sociological framework and gain valuable concepts to apply in their endeavors.

Weight: 208g
Dimension: 140 x 209 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520381407