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“At once rigorous and entertaining, thorough and precise, Peter Nardi’s book provides an invaluable toolbox for everyone who wants to free themselves of needless fears, misinterpretations, and mental manipulation by politicians, marketers, and pseudo experts in the news media.”—Barry Glassner, Lewis & Clark College and author of the bestselling book The Culture of Fear
List of contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Critical Thinking
1. Numeracy
2. Sampling and Generalizability
3. Probability and Coincidence
4. Visual Thinking
5. Correlation and Causation
6. Scientific Thinking
7. Fact, Opinion, and Logical Reasoning
References
Index
About the author
Peter M. Nardi is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Pitzer College. He is the author of Doing Survey Research: A Guide to Quantitative Methods.
Summary
Critical Thinking prepares students to thoughtfully interpret information and develop a sophisticated understanding of our increasingly complex and multi-mediated world. Peter M. Nardi’s approach helps students sharpen their critical thinking skills and improve their analytical reasoning, enabling them to ward off gullibility, develop insightful skepticism, and ask the right questions about material online, in the mass media, or in scholarly publications. Students will learn to understand common errors in thinking; create reliable and valid research methodologies; understand social science concepts needed to make sense of popular and academic claims; and communicate, apply, and integrate the methods learned in both research and daily life.
A
companion website includes links to articles and books mentioned in the chapters, illustrative items, videos, and current news and research that elaborate on each chapter’s key concepts.
Additional text
“Clear and concise, ... this book is helpful for anyone looking to enhance their critical thinking skills.”
