Focuses on the mechanics of Socratic dialogue, on the conceptual tools that critical thinking brings to Socratic dialogue, and on the importance of questioning in cultivating the disciplined mind. --from publisher description.
The Thinker’s Guide to Analytic Thinking explores the practice of analyzing problems and opportunities and provides a framework for finding common denominators, inconsistencies, biases, and underlying causes. It helps readers learn to think within the logic of subjects and professions. By offering proper tools for analysis and assessment of thought, it empowers readers to address any decision with confidence. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.
The Thinker’s Guide to Fallacies introduces the concept of mental trickery and shows readers how to discern and see through forty-four different types of fallacies. Focusing on how human self-deception and manipulation lie behind fallacies, this guide builds reasoning skills and promotes fairminded, logical thought, discussions, and debate. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fair-minded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.
This volume of the Thinker's Guide Library addresses the vital role of questions in every area of life. As readers develop a questioning mind, they also come to a better understanding of the world and of themselves. This book illustrates how well developed questions lead to deeper knowledge and counteract dangerous ignorance.
The Art of Asking Essential Questions illuminates an underappreciated yet vital skill set that lies at the root of all learning and success. Not only do questions help us gain knowledge on a topic, but they also allow us to dispel erroneous or deceptive information, uncover assumptions and motivations, draw accurate conclusions, and make sustainable plans. Linda Elder and Richard Paul illustrate the elements of an effective question and discuss the differences between analytic and evaluative questions. They also show how questions can uncover and help us avoid dangerous egocentric and sociocentric tendencies. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.
In The Thinker’s Guide to Ethical Reasoning, Richard Paul and Linda Elder present the vital role of ethics in the creation and ultimate success of cooperative societies. Independent of religious or cultural norms, ethical concepts promote sustainable advancement and offer a framework by which all people can not only coexist but prosper. Exploring the nature of ethical reasoning, the guide reveals the most common ways ethical reasoning becomes flawed and teaches readers how to avoid these flaws. It lays out the function of ethics and its main impediments, the social counterfeits of ethics, the elements of ethical reasoning, important ethical abilities and traits, a vocabulary of ethics, and intellectual standards essential to assessing ethical reasoning. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.
Though close reading and substantive writing are essential skills for the educated person, they are frequently ignored in education. How to Write a Paragraph applies critical thinking tools to the process of writing to guide students towards developing clear, effective, and meaningful written communication. As a companion to How to Read a Paragraph, this volume in the Thinker’s Guide Library includes activities to sharpen writing skills and overall reasoning abilities. Readers who work through this guide learn to be clearer, more purposeful, more aware of the assumptions guiding their thoughts, and more substantive in their approach to writing. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.
Designed to help readers learn to seek out and recognize bias in the news; detect ideology, slant, and spin; and recognize propaganda, this volume in the Thinker’s Guide Library empowers readers to weed through overwhelming and often subjective media. It is an ideal supplement for media courses or a companion to daily news reports
Since all human thoughts are controlled by the mind, understanding our thoughts is essential to personal and societal advancement. The Thinker’s Guide to the Human Mind delves into the core functions of the human mind to allow readers to take charge of their intellect and emotions more effectively. Linda Elder and Richard Paul explore the basic impulses that influence our thoughts and can distract us from logical or ethical action. Exploring the dangers of egocentric and sociocentric thinking, this guide presents strategies for strengthening emotional intelligence and developing critical thinking virtues. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues within every field of study across the world.
This ONE skill is the basis of your ability to think critically. Do you know what it is? It's the ability to ask the RIGHT questions. What is life if not filled with questions? There was a time you took for granted the trustworthiness of the answers you got from the government, the media, religion, subject experts, and friends and family. But, with the massive erosion of public trust in every major institution, like most people, you've been forced to rely on your own problem-solving and critical thinking faculties. What if you were never taught to do this? It's likely that you're overwhelmed by the information you are bombarded with on a daily basis. It doesn't help that much of this information is suspect. Fake news has reached such epidemic proportions that, according to Statistica, only 26 percent of Americans think they could recognize a fake news story. Worse, as much as 90 percent of Americans pass on fake news unintentionally. That means people aren't even examining or questioning the "facts" of the information they pass on. This doesn't have to be you. The Socratic questioning method will help you develop the critical thinking skills to resolve the tough life questions you may have. Socrates was considered to be one of the wisest men of his time, and he's reputed to have said the unexamined life isn't a life worth living. What he meant is if you never looked at the assumptions underlying the information or rules that governed your life, what was the point of living? Socrates himself once questioned whether he was the wisest man in all Greece, even though it was a commonly held opinion. He didn't just accept it. We understand and agree with Socrates' perspective. We all want to get to the truth of all matters, be better at examining and assessing facts, and build stronger arguments. This is exactly what Socrates was teaching through his method, at the heart of which lies the art and science of coming up with the right questions. And this is what the book is all about. The Socratic Way Of Questioning: How To Use Socrates' Method To Discover The Truth And Argue Wisely book will teach you: The 10 deadly sins of logic - how many are you guilty of? - Pg. 137 The 9 skills you need to be a critical thinker and the tools to develop them - Pg. 18 What the Socratic Method is and how to use it - even if you're not a lawyer or a scientist - Pg. 51 These 8 traits that make your mind more like Socrates' - Pg. 64 Why people fail to ask questions they should and how you can avoid falling into this trap - Pg. 106 How to get people to answer your questions, even if they're resistant - Pg. 113 The 7 techniques for creating questions that get you to the truth - Pg. 114 Why you don't really "know" anything until you put it through these tests - Pg. 91 ....and much, much more The 21st century will see information become more valuable than even oil or gold. Don't you want to be able to accurately assess the information you encounter in your daily life? It's easy to go with the flow and get pulled in every direction by current trends and thinking. What has set innovators and the successful apart has been their ability to see beyond what everyone else does. Like Socrates, they always begin with this most important weapon in their arsenal: the right question. If you want to be as wise as Socrates, then click "Add To Cart" now!