Good Reasoning Matters!:
A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking
5th Edition
Published on 1. November 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-19-544575-6 (ISBN)
Description
Everyone thinks. But what does it mean to think critically? And what does it mean to create a good or a bad argument? In an age of fast technological and informational advances, living and working in the world is frequently and dramatically changing. We are constantly bombarded with messages conveyed via newspapers, television, and radio through to the social media that is now part of everyday life. The amount of information available to us is immense and growing rapidly. Designed to help students develop the quality of their thinking and to respond effectively to these often confusing and contradictory messages,Good Reasoning Matters! offers a guide to evaluating and constructing arguments. In addition to examining the most common features of faulty reasoning, the text introduces a variety of argument schemes and rhetorical techniques that will help students solve problems and construct sound arguments. Extensive exercises and examples taken from sources such as social media sites, newspapers, and topical news articles encourage students to consider a wide range of views and perspectives.
With new features including a glossary, chapter summaries, and extensive revised exercises throughout, Good Reasoning Matters! is an essential text for courses in critical reasoning.
The fifth edition of Good Reasoning Matters! offers:
A straightforward and valuable introduction to the principles of good reasoning.
Many new examples of arguments drawn from a variety of classical and contemporary sources.
Significant discussion of non-verbal -- especially visual-arguments.
Updated features including a glossary, chapter summaries, and links to exercises and quizzes online.
A revamped companion website with additional resources for both instructors and students.
With new features including a glossary, chapter summaries, and extensive revised exercises throughout, Good Reasoning Matters! is an essential text for courses in critical reasoning.
The fifth edition of Good Reasoning Matters! offers:
A straightforward and valuable introduction to the principles of good reasoning.
Many new examples of arguments drawn from a variety of classical and contemporary sources.
Significant discussion of non-verbal -- especially visual-arguments.
Updated features including a glossary, chapter summaries, and links to exercises and quizzes online.
A revamped companion website with additional resources for both instructors and students.
Reviews / Votes
"The clear presentation of concepts is a strength of the text. There's ample explanation of core ideas as well as good motivation for why they matter."-- Adam Rawlings, Trent University
"The writing style is very engaging and clear."
-- Megan Delehanty, University of Calgary
"The concepts and skills are generally accessible, with good use of examples and illustrations in developing the topics."
-- Ahmad Rahmanian, University of New Brunswick
More details
Edition
5th Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Good Reasoning Matters!: A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking, fifth edition, will serve as a core text for first- and second-year university students studying critical thinking, critical reasoning, and informal and practical logic courses offered mainly in philosophy departments nationwide.
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
38 photos; 83 figures; 2 tables
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
674 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-544575-6 (9780195445756)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Leo A. Groarke | Christopher Tindale
Good Reasoning Matters
A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking
Book
04/2008
4th Edition
Oxford University Press, Canada
€39.60
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Professor Leo A. Groarke is professor of philosophy and provost at the University of Windsor. His research interests include the history of ideas, social and political philosophy, informal logic, and argumentation theory. He has published numerous books, chapters, and journal articles in these and other areas.
Professor Christopher W. Tindale is professor of philosophy at the University of Windsor. His research interests include argumentation theory, ethics, and ancient philosophy. He has published numerous book chapters and extensively in journals and is the author of Fallacies and Argument Appraisal (2007) and Rhetorical Argumentation (2004). He is co-editor of the journal Informal Logic.
Professor Christopher W. Tindale is professor of philosophy at the University of Windsor. His research interests include argumentation theory, ethics, and ancient philosophy. He has published numerous book chapters and extensively in journals and is the author of Fallacies and Argument Appraisal (2007) and Rhetorical Argumentation (2004). He is co-editor of the journal Informal Logic.
Content
PREFACE; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; 1. WHY MAKE ROOM FOR AN ARGUMENT?; EXERCISE 1A; 2. DEFINING ARGUMENT; EXERCISE 1B; 3. ARGUERS AND SYSTEMS OF BELIEF; EXERCISE 1C; 4. AUDIENCES; EXERCISE 1D; 5. OPPONENTS AND PROPONENTS; EXERCISE 1E; 6. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 1M; 1. BIAS; EXERCISE 2A; 2. DETECTING ILLEGITIMATE BIASES; EXERCISE 2B; 3. DIFFICULT CASES; EXERCISE 2C; 4. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 2M; 1. BURDEN OF PROOF; EXERCISE 3A; 2. STRONG ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 3B; 3. LOGICAL CONSEQUENCE: DEDUCTIVE AND INDUCTIVE VALIDITY; EXERCISE 3C; 4. CONTEXTUAL RELEVANCE; EXERCISE 3D; 5. SCHEMES AND COUNTER-SCHEMES; EXERCISE 3E; 6. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 3M; 1. SIMPLE AND EXTENDED ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 4A; 2. INFERENCE INDICATORS: DISTINGUISHING ARGUMENTS AND NON-ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 4B; 3. ARGUMENTS WITHOUT INDICATOR WORDS; EXERCISE 4C; 4. ARGUMENTS AND EXPLANATIONS; EXERCISE 4D; 5. ARGUMENT NARRATIVES; EXERCISE 4E; 6. SUMMARY MAJOR EXERCISE 4M; 1.ARGUMENT DIAGRAMS: SIMPLE ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 5A; 2. DIAGRAMMING EXTENDED ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 5B; 3. LINKED AND CONVERGENT PREMISES; EXERCISE 5C; 4. SUPPLEMENTED DIAGRAMS; EXERCISE 5D; 5. DIAGRAMMING YOUR OWN ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 5E; 6. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 5M; 1. SPEECH ACTS AND THE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION; EXERCISE 6A; 2. HIDDEN CONCLUSIONS; EXERCISE 6B; 3. HIDDEN PREMISES; EXERCISE 6C; 4. NON-VERBAL ELEMENTS IN ARGUMENT: FLAGS AND DEMONSTRATIONS; EXERCISE 6D; 5. SYMBOLS AND METAPHORS; EXERCISE 6E; 6. A NOTE ON ARGUMENT CONSTRUCTION; EXERCISE 6F; 7. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 6M; 1. USING WORDS PRECISELY; EXERCISE 7A; 2. VAGUENESS AND AMBIGUITY; EXERCISE 7B; 3. FORMULATING DEFINITIONS; EXERCISE 7C; 4. RULES FOR GOOD DEFINITIONS; EXERCISE 7D; 5. EXPRESSING YOUR INTENDED MEANING; 6. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 7M; 1. ACCEPTABLE, UNACCEPTABLE, OR QUESTIONABLE?; EXERCISE 8A; 2. CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTABILITY; EXERCISE 8B; 3. CONDITIONS OF UNACCEPTABILITY; EXERCISE 8C; 4. INTERNAL RELEVANCE; EXERCISE 8D; 5. SUFFICIENCY; EXERCISE 8E; 6. APPLYING THE CRITERIA; 7. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 8M; 1. GENERALIZATIONS; EXERCISE 9A; 2. POLLING; EXERCISE 9B; 3. GENERAL CAUSAL REASONING; EXERCISE 9C; 4. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 9M; 1. PARTICULAR CAUSAL REASONING; EXERCISE 10A; 2. ARGUMENTS FROM IGNORANCE; EXERCISE 10B; 3. SCIENTIFIC REASONING; 4. THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD; EXERCISE 10C; 5. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 10M; SCHEMES OF VALUE; 1. SLIPPERY-SLOPE ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 11A; 2. ARGUMENTS FROM ANALOGY; EXERCISE 11B; 3. APPEALS TO PRECEDENT; EXERCISE 11C; 4. TWO-WRONGS REASONING; EXERCISE 11D; 5. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 11M; ETHOTIC SCHEMES; 1. PRO HOMINE; EXERCISE 12A; 2. AD POPULUM ARGUMENTS; EXERCISE 12B; 3. ARGUMENTS FROM AUTHORITY; EXERCISE 12C; 4. AD HOMINEM; EXERCISE 12D; 5. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AUTHORITY; EXERCISE 12E; 6. APPEAL TO EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY; EXERCISE 12F; 7. GUILT (AND HONOUR) BY ASSOCIATION; EXERCISE 12G; 8. OTHER CASES; EXERCISE 12H; 9. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 12M; ESSAYING ARGUMENT; 1. THE GOOD EVALUATIVE CRITIQUE; EXERCISE 13A; 2. THE GOOD ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY; EXERCISE 13B; 3. A STUDENTS PAPER; 4. CONCLUSION; 5. SUMMARY; MAJOR EXERCISE 13M; 1. CATEGORICAL STATEMENTS; EXERCISE A1; 2. IMMEDIATE INFERENCES; EXERCISE A2; 3. CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISMS; EXERCISE A3; 4. VENN DIAGRAMS; MAJOR EXERCISE A(M); 1. SIMPLE AND COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS; EXERCISE APPENDIX B1; 2. DISJUNCTIONS AND CONDITIONALS; EXERCISE APPENDIX B2; 3. TRANSLATION; EXERCISE APPENDIX B3; 4. PROPOSITIONAL SCHEMES AND PROOFS; EXERCISE APPENDIX B4; MAJOR EXERCISE B(M); 1. CONDITIONAL PROOFS; EXERCISE APPENDIX C1; 2. REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM; EXERCISE APPENDIX C2; 3. DILEMMAS; EXERCISE APPENDIX C3; 4. DE MORGANS LAWS; EXERCISE APPENDIX C4; 5. SUMMARY: RULES OF INFERENCE; MAJOR EXERCISE C(M); GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS; CREDITS; INDEX