Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Basic Skills - Softcover

Lavery; Hughes, William; Jonathan

3.55

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9781551115733: Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Basic Skills

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551115735 ISBN 13: 9781551115733

Publisher: Broadview Press, 2004

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William Hughes's Critical Thinking, recently revised and updated by Jonathan Lavery, is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the essential skills required to make strong arguments. Hughes and Lavery give a thorough treatment of such traditional topics as deductive and inductive reasoning, logical fallacies and how to spot them, the importance of inference, how to recognise and avoid ambiguity, and how to assess what is or is not relevant to an argument. But they also cover a variety of topics not always treated in books of this sort - special concerns to keep in mind when reasoning about ethical matters and how the nature of a language can affect the structure of an argument. The book gives a lucid treatment of the differences between descriptive and evaluative meaning: one person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist.
For the fourth edition, Jonathan Lavery has added a new chapter on scientific reasoning, expanded the treatment of analogies, added numerous examples, and revised and updated the text throughout.

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From the Back Cover:

William Hughes's Critical Thinking, recently revised and updated by Jonathan Lavery and Katheryn Doran, is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the essential skills required to make strong arguments. Hughes, Lavery, and Doran give a thorough treatment of such traditional topics as deductive and inductive reasoning, logical fallacies, the importance of inference, how to recognize and avoid ambiguity, and how to assess what is or is not relevant to an argument. The authors also cover less traditional topics such as special concerns to keep in mind when reasoning about ethical matters, and how the nature of a language can affect the structure of an argument. In addition to covering basic concepts for analyzing and assessing arguments, the text also has two chapters that are designed to help students write argumentative essays. Last but not least, Critical Thinking includes a selection of logical paradoxes and puzzles that are as entertaining as they are enlightening. For the sixth edition particular attention has been paid to the needs of American students and instructors.

About the Author:

Jonathan Lavery is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Contemporary Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University: Brantford.

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