Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking 8th Edition

This is one of those books that I wish I had 20 years ago. For so long I have listened to people talk and knew there was something wrong in their logic or that there were assumptions being made, but I couldn't quite figure out how to break it down to explain or argue against it. This books very simply shows you how to do that.For many years I wondered how lawyer knew what questions to ask and when. I wondered how politicians could even believe half of the nonsense they spewed out, but again, wasn't quite sure what was wrong with what they were saying. It was just a feeling. This book will help you to see clearly, argue in a direct manner, and may even help you to understand yourself and your friends better. A very good reference book to have.

Was generally uncomfortable posing questions in public forum. This book helped me ask constructive, logical questions that added value to the discussion. Also helped with logic flow so I am able to get to the heart of an issue. A bit long and detailed, so took me a while to get through it. but worth reading.

Learn to be a good leader this is the book for you.

I read the 6th edition. Very short and easy to read but still powerful; good examples throughout. If you can only read one book on critical thinking, this is it (at least it was when I read it some years ago). But, hopefully, you have more time for the advanced material of the subject ... and the psychology of decision making.

This book is a good text book for college students but not for the general public. I wanted something that I could use as quick reference to help my young son learn how to analyze things quickly. This book goes into depth on how to disect a question, pose a question, and much more, etc. Very good for an academic setting. Ordinary people who have already left college do not have time to read a book as detailed and involved as this one is -- which is why I said it is not for the general public. Of course, this is just my opinion. It would be great for students. Not a quick read.

I have ordered three different paperbacks within the last year on the subject of critical thinking. This is by far the most usable. I liked it so much that I gave it to my granddaughter (15) and told her that it just might be the most important little paperback that she ever reads

I strongly agree with the author on pg 13, that "by the end of the book, you should know when and how to ask these questions productively (elaborated through individual chapters):-1. What are the issues and the concclusions?2. What are the ressons?3. Which words or phrases are ambiguous?4. What are the value conflicts and assumptions?5. What are the descriptive assumptions?6. Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?7. How good is the evidence?8. Are there rival causes?9. Are the statistics deceptive?10. What significant information is omitted?11. What reasonable conclusions are possible?Of course, a compilation of good questions doesnt qualify it to be a good book. Indeed, the samples and stories well illustrate the principles and concepts behind. The discussions on various fallacies are marvelous, including:-Ad hominem: An attack, or an insult, on the person, rather than directly addressing the person's reasons.Slipperly Slope: Making the assumption that a proposed step will set off an uncontrollable chain of undesirable events, when procedures exist to prevent such a chain of events.Hasty Generalization: A person draws a conclusion about a large group of based on experience with only a few members of the group.Causal Oversimplification: Explaining an event by relying on causal factors that are insufficient to account for the event or by overemphasizing the role of one or more of these factors.Confusion of Cause and Effect: Confusing the cause with the effect of an event or failing to recognise that the two events may be influencing each other.Neglect of a common cause: Failure to recognize that two events may be related because of the effects of a common third factor.Post hoc: Assuming that a particular event, B, is caused by another event, A, simply because B follows A in time.............In short, an excellent food for thought. Highly recommended!p.s. I like the following story on pg 137 the most."After carefully conditioning a flea to jump out of a box following the presentation of a loud noise, the researcher removed the first pair of legs to see what effect this had. Observing that the flea was still able to perform his task, the scientist removed the second pair of legs. Once again noting no difference in performance, the researcher removed the final pair of legs and found that the jumping behaviour no longer occurred. Thus, the investigator wrote in his notebook, "When all the legs of a flea have been removed, it will no longer be able to hear."

Book arrived in a timely fashion and was in great condition.