The New Critical Thinking: An Empirically Informed Introduction

This book aims to improve real-world critical thinking by addressing intuitive heuristics and evaluating information sources. It incorporates psychological insights and epistemology to develop practical skills for assessing online media. The Second Edition includes a discussion of fake news and conspiracy theories and offers online resources for instructors.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 394 pages
Publication date: 21 May 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Traditional critical thinking texts often overlook two crucial aspects. Firstly, psychologists have demonstrated that many of our errors arise not from faulty formal reasoning but rather from relying on intuitive, often unreliable heuristics. Secondly, effective critical thinking necessitates not only the correct assessment of inferences but also the evaluation of our premises, particularly in the age of fake news and politicized science. This groundbreaking text is psychologically informed, offering insights into inferential errors and teaching students how to identify and avoid their natural intellectual blind spots. It also incorporates insights from epistemology and philosophy of science to develop best practices for assessing information sources in the digital age, including the internet and other media.

The authors, with over five decades of classroom experience, cover a comprehensive range of core topics in critical thinking, including deductive, inductive, causal, and probabilistic inference, argument identification, reconstruction, and diagramming. Additionally, the text expands its scope to include testimony, the nature and credibility of science, rhetoric, and dialectical argumentation. The Second Edition of this text further develops and refines these innovations, incorporating in-depth discussions of "fake news" and conspiracy theories alongside exercises and projects designed to impart broadly applicable source assessment skills.

Furthermore, the Second Edition presents a more nuanced and positive account of science, emphasizing its continuity with commonsense causal reasoning. For instructors, the book offers additional online resources, such as banks of exam questions, to enhance the teaching experience.

In conclusion, this book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their critical thinking skills in the real world. By addressing the shortcomings of traditional critical thinking texts and incorporating psychological insights, it provides students with the tools they need to navigate the complex information landscape and make informed decisions. Whether you are a student, professional, or simply interested in developing your critical thinking abilities, this text is an essential read.

Weight: 840g
Dimension: 174 x 253 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032317281
Edition number: 2 ed