Critical Reasoning & Philosophy has been praised as an innovative and clearly written handbook that teaches new philosophy students how to read, evaluate, and write in a critical manner. Concise, accessible language and ample use of examples and study modules help students gain the basic knowledge necessary to succeed in undergraduate philosophy courses, and to apply that knowledge to achieve success in other disciplines as well. With a reorganized presentation, fresh modules, new examples and illustrations, the second edition is even more clear and accessible to students.

This book will help you to reason critically; to recognise, analyse and evaluate arguments and to classify them as inductive or deductive. It will introduce you to fallacies (bad arguments that look like good arguments) and, in two optional chapters, to the rudiments of formalisation. Linked to Marianne Talbot's hugely successful Critical Reasoning podcasts (downloaded 4 million times from iTunesU!), and full of interactive exercises and quizzes, the book was written to satisfy demand from fans of the podcasts. Marianne is the Director of Studies in Philosophy at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.

Critical Reasoning in Ethics is an accessible introduction that will enable students, through practical exercises, to develop their own skills in reasoning about ethical issues such as: * analysing and evaluating arguments used in discussions of ethical issues * analysing and evaluating ethical concepts, such as utilitarianism * making decisions on ethical issues * learning how to approach ethical issues in a fair minded way Ethical issues discussed include the arguments about abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, animal rights, the environment and war. The book will be essential reading for philosophy, health, social work and nursing courses.

Here we have, for the first time in a single volume, diverse perspectives on the meaning, conditions, and goals of critical reasoning in contemporary culture. Part One emphasizes critical reasoning and education, engaging the debate over the connection between critical reasoning skills and the learning of the content. Part Two offers analyses of the theoretical, methodological, and historical debates concerning critical reasoning abilities. The authors represent a variety of disciplines and theoretical approaches which lend the book valuable intellectual pluralism. The book evaluates other aspects of critical thinking such as creativity, insight, questioning, learning, practical thought, interpretation, intellectual prejudice, and the historical and temporary aspects of thought.

Practical reasoning and clear thinking are essential for everyone if we are to make sense of the information we receive each day. Being able to quickly know the difference between valid and invalid arguments, the contradictory versus the contrary, vagueness and ambiguity, contradiction and self-contradiction, the truthful and the fallacious, separates clear thinkers from the crowd. How to Think Straight lays the foundation for critical reasoning by showing many ways in which our thinking goes awry. Celebrated philosopher Antony Flew entertainingly instructs on the many and varied faults that occur in argument, the power of reason, how to challenge assertions and find evidence, and how not to be persuaded by half-truths. Flew also examines poor reasoning, and why we should be concerned with finding the truth. Lucid, terse, and sensible, with study questions and exercises to help along the way, this enlightening second edition will help you develop the skills necessary to argue and reason effectively by following a few simple, easy-to-remember directions.

With 'Thinking from A to Z', Nigel Warburton presents an alphabetically arranged guide to help readers understand the art of arguing. This fully updated edition has many new entries including lawyer's answer, least worst option, stonewalling, sunk-cost fallacy and tautology.

A much-needed guide to thinking critically for oneself and how to tell a good argument from a bad one. Includes topical examples from politics, sport, medicine, music, chapter summaries, glossary and exercises.