Critical Thinking: An Introduction to Reasoning Well

Critical Thinking: An Introduction to Reasoning Well provides a concise and accessible introduction to logic and critical reasoning. Designed specifically to meet the needs of undergraduate students encountering philosophical logic and critical thinking for the first time, this comprehensive textbook covers all the themes and topics typically covered in an introductory course. Topics covered include:

•the structure, formation, analysis and recognition of arguments
•deductive validity and soundness
•inductive strength and cogency
•inference to the best explanation
•truth tables
•tools for argument assessment
•informal and formal fallacies

Designed for classroom use, the book features a host of student-friendly exercises, examples, study questions, diagrams, and suggestions for further reading. Ideal for undergraduate students in philosophy and beyond, it also includes full coverage of the reasoning problems typically found on graduate school entrance exams. Guiding students to all the skills and tools necessary for effective critical thinking, the text is supplemented throughout with real life examples that highlight the immense value of thinking critically.

Jamie Carlin Watson is an Assistant Professor at Young Harris College, USA. He has previously taught at Barry University, Florida A&M University and Florida State University.

Robert Arp, Ph.D. has previously taught philosophy at Florida State University, Southwest Minnesota State University, and University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is the author of Scenario Visualization: An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving (MIT Press, 2008) and co-author of Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology (MIT Press, 2011).

He teaches Foundations of Logic (PHIL 222) for the Program for Adult Continuing Education (PACE) program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City every semester. This course is cross listed with UMKC's Department of Philosophy.