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 Contents vii

Claims in the News 147

Inside the News 148
Sorting out the News 153
Advertising and Persuasion 154
Identification 156
Slogans 156
Misleading Comparisons 156
Weasel Words 157
Summary 158
Field Problems 163
Self-Assessment Quiz 163
Integrative Exercises 165
Critical Thinking and Writing Exercise 167
Writing Assignments 172
Notes 172

5 Faulty Reasoning 174

Irrelevant Premises 176
Genetic Fallacy 176
Appeal to the Person 176
Composition 179
Division 179
Equivocation 180
Appeal to Popularity 181
Appeal to Tradition 183
Appeal to Ignorance 184
Appeal to Emotion 185
Red Herring 187
Straw Man 188
Unacceptable Premises 190
Begging the Question 190
False Dilemma 191
Slippery Slope 194
Hasty Generalization 195
Faulty Analogy 196
Summary 197
Field Problems 202
Self-Assessment Quiz 202
Integrative Exercises 204
Critical Thinking and Writing Exercise 206
Writing Assignments 210
Notes 211
viii Contents

PART THREE Arguments 213

6 Deductive Reasoning: Categorical Logic 214
Statements and Classes 216
Translations and Standard Form 219
Terms 220
Quantifiers 223
Diagramming Categorical Statements 227
Assessing Categorical Syllogisms 232
Summary 242
Field Problems 244
Self-Assessment Quiz 245
Integrative Exercises 246
Writing Assignments 247

7 Deductive Reasoning: Propositional Logic 248

Connectives and Truth Values 250
Conjunction 251
Disjunction 253
Negation 256
Conditional 257
Checking for Validity 263
Simple Arguments 263
Tricky Arguments 267
Streamlined Evaluation 270
Summary 276
Field Problems 279
Self-Assessment Quiz 279
Integrative Exercises 281
Writing Assignments 283
Note 283

8 Inductive Reasoning 284

Enumerative Induction 286
Sample Size 288
Representativeness 289
Opinion Polls 291
Statistical Syllogisms 300
Evaluating Statistical Syllogisms 302
Analogical Induction 304
Relevant Similarities 307
 Contents ix

Relevant Dissimilarities 308

The Number of Instances Compared 309
Diversity among Cases 309
Causal Arguments 313
Testing for Causes 314
Causal Confusions 320
Confusing Cause with Temporal Order 323
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 326
Mixed Arguments 333
Summary 335
Field Problems 336
Self-Assessment Quiz 336
Integrative Exercises 339
Writing Assignments 341
Notes 342

PART FOUR Explanations 343

9 Inference to the Best Explanation 344
Explanations and Inference 346
Abductive Reasoning 357
Theories and Consistency 358
Theories and Criteria 360
Testability 362
Fruitfulness 363
Scope 365
Simplicity 367
Conservatism 369
Telling Good Theories from Bad 374
A Doomed Flight 377
Summary 384
Field Problems 384
Self-Assessment Quiz 385
Integrative Exercises 386
Writing Assignments 388
Notes 389

10 Judging Scientific Theories 390

Science and Not Science 391
The Scientific Method 393
Testing Scientific Theories 396
Judging Scientific Theories 398
x Contents

Copernicus versus Ptolemy 400

Evolution versus Creationism 402
Science and Weird Theories 412
Making Weird Mistakes 414
Leaping to the Weirdest Theory 414
Mixing What Seems with What Is 415
Misunderstanding the Possibilities 416
Judging Weird Theories 417
Talking with the Dead 418
Summary 423
Field Problems 426
Self-Assessment Quiz 426
Integrative Exercises 428
Writing Assignments 430
Notes 431

11 Contexts of Application: Thinking Critically

about Health, Law, and Ethics 432
Thinking Critically about Health and Health Care 433
Key Skills 433
Evaluating Health Claims in the News 435
Finding and Evaluating Expert Advice 436
Stumbling Blocks 438
Thinking Critically about the Law 440
Key Skills 442
Stumbling Blocks 444
Thinking Critically about Ethics 446
Key Skills 446
Stumbling Blocks 453
Summary 455
Field Problems 457
Self-Assessment Quiz 458
Writing Assignments 459
Notes 459

Appendix A Essays for Evaluation 460

Appendix B Answers to Select Exercises 483

Glossary 512
Index 516
Boxes
Food For Thought
Dumb and Dumber 5
Passion and Reason 7
Architecture: Creativity through Critical
Thinking 9
Religious Faith and Critical Thinking 11
When We Construct the Facts Ourselves 38
Is It Unethical to Believe without Good
Reasons? 40
Prejudice, Bias, and Racism 44
Constructing Your Own World—from the News 47
Persuading or Reasoning? 65
When Reasoning Crashes . . . Leave the Scene of
the Accident 73
Arguments on the Net 83
No Arguments, Just Fluff 106
Fact and Opinion 125
Folk Psychology 127
Evaluating Internet Sources 132
Do Non-experts Know Best? 134
Anti-expert Sentiments 135
How Reliable Is Eyewitness Testimony in Court?
An Interview with Dr John Turtle 137
Gorilla? What Gorilla? 139
Race Expectations 140
This Is Lunacy! 144
The Dangers of Fooling Ourselves 147
Fake News 149
Facebook and the News 152
Hypocrisy in Politics 178
Bamboozling the Taxpayers 182
Are We Begging the Question Yet? 190
False Dilemmas, Evolution, and Creationism 193
Categorical Inspiration 220
Standard Form versus Fuzziness 222
Let Us Count the Ways . . . 224
Living by the Rules 234
The Limits of the Venn Diagram Method 241
When Critical Thinking Leads to Strange
Places 249
Logic and Computers 254
Arguments We Have Known and Loved 255
Propositional Logic and Essay-Writing 273
How Survey Questions Go Wrong 292
Mean, Median, and Mode 293
Polling the Clueless 295
Analogical Induction in Ethical Reasoning 307
Semmelweis, Clean Hands, and Childbed
Fever 315
Is It Causal Confusion or ESP? 318
Spurious Correlations 321
Darwin and the Best Explanation 350
Sherlock Holmes and Inference to the Best
Explanation 351
Inference to the Best Explanation and the
External World 361
The Importance (and Fun) of Outrageous
Theories 364
There’s No Theory Like a Conspiracy
Theory 368
Was the Moon Landing a Hoax? 370
Are You Scientifically Literate? 395
The Philosophy of Science 399
Ancient Interest in Stars and Planets 400
Can You See Evolution? 404
Gaps in the Fossil Record? 406
Critical Thinking and “Magic” 413
Eyewitness Testimony and Extraordinary
Things 419
Why People Believe Psychic Readings 422
Critical Thinking and Health Professionals 438
Hey, Doc! Don’t Look for Zebras! 440
Ought Implies Can 452
xii Boxes
Everyday Problems and Decisions
What Should I Believe? 7
Self-Concept and Consumerism 39
It’s at the Drugstore. Should I Buy It? 129
The High Cost of a Fallacy 180
Logic and Racism 233
Propositional Logic and Bad Choices 258
Review Notes
Why Critical Thinking Matters 10
Claims, Reasons, and Arguments 17
Avoiding Self-Interested Thinking 41
Avoiding Group Pressure on Your Thinking 45
Deductive and Inductive Arguments 69
Valid Conditional Argument Forms 86
Invalid Conditional Argument Forms 88
Diagramming Arguments: Step by Step 98
Conflicting Claims 135
Personal Experience 141
Fallacies with Irrelevant Premises 189
Fallacies with Unacceptable Premises 196
The Four Standard-Form Categorical
Statements 222
Three Steps to Diagramming a Categorical
Statement 228
Health Care Decisions 325
Grades, Studying, and the Criteria of
Adequacy 375
Conspiracy and Vaccines 417
Jury Duty 441
Five Steps to Checking Validity with Venn
Diagrams 237
Statements and Connectives 259
Common Argument Forms Symbolized 264
The Short Method: Step by Step 271
Enumerative Induction 296
Analogical Induction 310
Causal Confusions 327
A Look Back at the Basics 346
The Lore of Explanations 349
Minimum Requirement: Consistency 359
Criteria of Adequacy 363
Evaluating Theories: The TEST Formula 377
Steps in the Scientific Method 396
Common Errors in Evaluating Extraordinary
Theories 416
 List of Boxes xiii

From the Publisher

The fifth Canadian edition of The Power of Critical Thinking builds on the success-
ful approach used in the previous Canadian editions that have served instructors
and students so well. It gives first-time students a comprehensive, engaging, and
step-by-step introduction to critical thinking, providing them with the tools they
need to apply their critical thinking skills to the real world.
The fifth edition retains qualities that will be familiar to long-time users while
adding new features to help students use their critical thinking skills in everyday
life. Highlights include the following:

1 | The Pow
er of Critical Thinki

W
ng 3
hen you were bor
n, you were com
ments or values pletely without
or viewpoints— opinions or jud
with them. Opinio and now your hea g-
They guide you ns help you to ma d is overflowing
to success (or fail ke your way thr
sions (or bad), emp ure), understand ough the world.
owerment (or par ing (or ignorance
and some blind alysis). Some of ), good deci-
you. Some are tru your beliefs truly
are which? This e; some are not. enable you,
kind of question— But the question
is the fundament a question about is, which ones
al concern of crit the quality of you
Determining the ica l thinking. r beliefs—
quality or value
Student-friendly tone Without compromising rigour kind of thinkin
sity or college edu
g that does this
cati
of your beliefs
job best is critical
thin
requires though
king—a skill tha
t, and the
critical thin
The systematic
king

directly about wha on seeks to foster. This means

evaluation
t a univer- or formulation
or oversimplifying material, this introductory text is t you think but
The quality of beli rather how you
efs is not about
that critical thin
think.
king is not or statements
standards.
of beliefs
by rational
that you do. A soc what factors cau
iolo sed you to have
moral views. A psy gist might tell you how society
written in an engaging tone that students will enjoy. to certain opinio
chologist might
describe how you
has influenced som
the beliefs
e of your
“The recipe for
ignorance is: be
perpetual
ns. Your best frie r emotions cause satisfied with
absorbed most of nd might claim you to cling
The authors tackle tough topics with a casual ap-
your opinions
that you have unc and content
your beliefs dire with your know
lations have mu ctly from your par onsciously ledge.”
ch to do with the ents. But none of
Critical thinkin central task of crit these specu- —Elbert Hub

proach, mixed with humour where appropriate, to ical thinking. bard

g focuses not on
believing. A belief what causes a beli
is worth believin ef but on whether
g, or accepting , if it is worth
we have good reas
enhance students’ understanding and enjoyment. ons to accept it.
CartoonStock
Bradford Veley/

Critical thinking
helps us to asse
most valued beli ss our beliefs
efs. Are they and core valu
supported by es. Consider
good reasoning? some of your

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xiv From the Publisher

4 Abundant exercises New and revised exercises

draw from contemporary culture, politics, and
media to provide students with the practice they
need to become confident critical thinkers. Select
B elief
Re asons for answers are provided at the back of the book (Ap-
a nd D ou bt pendix B).

ec tives
Chap te r O bj
s Conflict
When Claim son to
have good rea
You will be able
to other claims we
m conflicts with
that when a clai
• understand
accept, we hav
e good ground
s for dou btin g it.
our backgroun
d information
, we hav e good Emphasis on evaluation of evidence, authority,
conflicts with
that if a claim ely dubi-
• recognize
reason to dou
bt it.
are confronted
with a claim tha
t is neither
to the evidenc
com
e.
plet
and credibility Students are encouraged to critically
that when we tion our belief
• appreciate uld pro por goo d reason for
assess evidence and claims put forward by ex-
ible, we sho there is no
ous nor fully cred a claim when
able to believe
t it is not reason
• realize tha
doing so.
perts, news media, politicians, business leaders,
Evidence
Experts and
You will be able
to
eone an expert
and what doe
s not.
have good rea
son to and friends. In each case, the main principles and
what makes som ert opinion, we
• understand flicts with exp
• understand
doubt it.
that if a claim con

about a claim,
we have goo d reason to suspend procedures are explained and illustrated.
erts disagree
t when the exp
• realize tha
judgment. ity. ertise.
eals to author indicators of exp
• recognize
fallacious app using the four
non-experts by
true experts from
• distinguish

PM
12/17/18 04:44

21-173.indd 122
mac30439_ch04_1

236 Par t Thr ee |

Arg uments

Let’s diagram our

one premise at a syllogism about
politicians and civi
time. We can star l servants, diagram
empty, overlappin t by labelling the ming
g circles: diagram like this
, with three

Elected officials

An updated art program New photos, along with

thought-provoking captions, reinforce key concepts
in each chapter. Most captions pose questions that
will prepare students for in-class discussions and
Politicians
Civil servants

Now, we diagram
participation. To do this, we
“elected official
the first premise
look only at the (“A ll elected offi
two circles invo cials are civil serv
lved in premise ants”).
s” circle and the 1—namely the
circle entirely. You “civil servants”
should literally circle. For now,
A-statement. So, pretend that it is ignore the other
to represent prem not there at all.
circle that does ise 1, we shade the Premise 1 is an
not overlap with part of the elected
existing elected the civil servant officials
officials are also s circle. This sign
civil servants: ifies that all the

Rigorous attention to detail All exercises, Elected officials

philosoph­ical facts, figures, and diagrams have been

checked and validated by a panel of leading ex-
perts in the field.
Politicians
Civil servants

Notice that, if you

gram looks exactly just look at the two
like our original circles we’re wor
A-statement diag king with here,
of A-statements the dia-
always look like ram on page 228
that! . Diagrams

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 From the Publisher xv

Enhanced Pedagogy
This edition of The Power of Critical Thinking builds on10the| Judging
pedagogical approach
Scientific Theories 417
that has successfully helped students practise and refine their critical thinking skills.

Everyday Problems and Decisions

Conspiracy and Vaccines
Being a parent means making many critical decisions, including decisions about your child’s health care.
One of the most important steps in insuring a child’s health is making sure that he or she gets properly
vaccinated. Standard vaccinations for infants include vaccinations that protect against diphtheria, teta-
nus, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and more. Some of the diseases that these vaccines help
to prevent are deadly. Many of them have been virtually eliminated in countries like Canada and the
United States, in large part because almost all children are now vaccinated against them. But many of
them are still a frequent cause of illness and death in parts of the world where vaccination is unavailable
or unaffordable.
Some parents in Canada and the United States, however, still opt not to have their children vaccin-
ated. In some cases, they fear the side effects they believe the vaccines to cause. It is true that all vac-
cines can have side effects, but most of them are very minor (like a sore arm or a mild fever) and more
serious side effects are extremely rare. In other cases, parents may believe that the vaccines are simply
unnecessary and that their widespread use is the result of an evil scheme, a conspiracy funded by the
major pharmaceutical companies that make the vaccines. Is that possible? Perhaps, but is it likely? Par-
ents who choose not to have their children vaccinated are ignoring the guidance of the entire med-
ical profession, the conclusions of epidemiologists (scientists who study the spread of disease), and the
advice of every single public health agency. Which theory stands up best when subjected to the tests
provided in this chapter and the previous one?
Everyday Problems and Decisions boxes
allow students to apply their critical think-
ing skills to real-world issues.
Some
12
thingsBasthat
Par t On e |
ics are logically possible, however, are physically impossible. It’s
logically possible for Vaughn’s dog to fly to another galaxy in 60 seconds. Such an
Reasons and
astounding performance Reasons provide
would Argunot ments violate a principle of logic. But it does violate
support for a stat
laws of science pertainingbelieving that a
So a statement
statto
ementspeed-of-light
is true .
ement. That is, they
Rea sons are themselv
travel
prov and
ide us with groundsgravitation;
for
it is therefore
expressing a reas es expressed as stat
physically impossible.
argument
The
ment is true or
(or stateme upshot
like ly to be true.of
nts) supposedly Thi s all
on or reasons is
com
this is
used to
bination of stat
that,
show that ano contrary
ements.
ther state-
to what some people
providing reasons ements—a stateme
would have us believe, the fact that are the main focu is logically
umentssomething ther statement— possible doesn’t mean it’s
known as an arg for accepting ano nt
A group of state
ments in um ent. Arg
are the mos
which some of
t important tool is
them (the
we have for eval s of critical thin
physically possible. That
own and those of
is,othifers)something isemelogically king; they
possible, that doesn’t mean it
premises) are
intended to uating the truth
support another
acceptan and for formulat of stateme nts (our
conclusion).
of them (the
ce. Arg uments are, ing stat nts that are trul
therefore, essentia y worthy of
happened or exists—manyin all fields. In ever
debate or an ang logically
yda y conversation, possible
ry exchang
l for
things
the advancement
people use the wor
d argu
of may
kno wled genot be real.
e. In critical thin men
assertion of reas
ons in support of king, however, argu t to indicate a
The statements a statement. ment refers to the
premise (reasons) given
In an argumen ally called the pre in support of ano
mises. The stateme ther statement

Judging Weird Theories

t, a statement
or reason given is called the con nt that the prem are technic-
clusion. We can ises are intended
A marginal glossary highlights key terms
in support of
the conclusio
n. define an argumen to support
ARGUMENT t, then, like this
: A group of stat :
premises) are inte ements in which
some of them (the
near
thetheir
TESTfirst mention in the text, reinfor-
nded to support
Now let’s do a detailed evaluation of an extraordinary theory using
conclusion
In an argumen
The following are
some simple argu
another of them
(the conclusion)
.
t, the ments:
formula from Chapter 9. Recall the four steps of the procedure: cing important concepts for students.
statement that
are intended
the premises
to support.
1. Because you
world, you sho
want a job that
will allow you to
uld consider wor mak e a difference in
Doctors Withou king for a charita the
t ble organization
2. The Globe and Borders.
Step 1. State the theory and check for consistency.
heavily in gold.
Mail’s Report on
Business says that
like
Therefore, investin people should inve
Step 2. Assess the evidence for the theory.
3. When Jose
ph takes the bus
today, so I’m sure
g in gold is a sma
, he’s always late rt move.
. And he’s taki
st
he’s going to be ng the bus
Step 3. Scrutinize alternative theories.
4. Yikes! This
movie is on Net
It’s not a good sign
late.
flix, but it was nev
er even shown in
when a movie goe theatres.
Step 4. Test the theories with the criteria of adequacy.
shown in theatres
5. No one sho . This one must
uld drink a beer
s straight to vide
be pretty bad.
o without ever bein
g
is brewed by a gian brew ed by a giant corp
t corporation, so oration. Labatt’s
no one should drin Blue
Here are the sam k it.
e arguments whe
re the parts are
1. [Premise] Bec easily identified:
ause you want a
in the world, [Co job that will allo
nclusion] you sho w you to make a differen
organization like uld consider wor ce
Doctors Withou king for a charita
2. [Premise] The t Borders. ble
Globe and Ma
should invest hea il’s Report on
vily in gold. [Co Bus iness says that
is a smart move. nclusion] Therefo people
re, investing in
3. [Premise] Wh gold
mac30439_ch10_390-431.indd 417 en Joseph takes 12/20/18 03:07 PM
taking the bus tod the bus, he’s alw
ay, [Conclusion ays late. [Premis
] so I’m sure he’s e] And he’s
going to be late.

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statement (claim)
that doesn’t stop them from counting as statements!) They assert that some state
of affairs is or is not actual. You may know that a specific statement is true, or you
An assertion that something
is or is not the case. may know that it is false, or you may not know either way. There may be no way
xvi From the Publisher
to find out at the time if the statement is true or false. There may be no one who
believes the statement. But it would be a statement nonetheless.

Review Notes
Why Critical Thinking Matters
• Our thinking guides our actions, so it should be of high quality.
• If you have never critically examined your beliefs, they are not truly yours.
• Critical thinking is one way of defending against the cognitive biases that tend to lead us to false con-
clusions and bad decisions.
• To examine your beliefs is to examine your life. Socrates said: “The unexamined life is not worth
living.”
• Critical thinking involves determining what we’re justified in believing, being open to new perspec-
tives, and fairly assessing the views of others and ourselves.
• Critical thinking complements our emotions and can enhance our creativity. Review Notes boxes appear through-
• Critical thinking is thinking outside the box.
out each chapter to reiterate the main
points of chapter sections, improving
comprehension and making later review
more efficient.
4 | Reasons for Belief and Doubt 149

mac30439_ch01_001-032.indd 10 12/20/18 03:55 PM

Food For Thought

Fake News
What is “fake news”? There has always
been fake news—news presented by
sources whose main purpose is to
entertain rather than to inform. Tab-
loids, such as the National Enquirer,
are often accused of falsehoods, with
some of them even tending to favour
silly, sensationalistic headlines along
the lines of “Tom Cruise Fathers Space
Alien’s Baby!” Other sources of “fake”
news are more obviously intended to
be fun: the satirical news source The

Harley Schwadron/www.CartoonStock.com
Onion reports on “news” stories that
are entirely fake but obviously so and
clearly aimed at entertaining rather
than informing.
Unfortunately, the idea of “fake
news” took on a new, more sinister
meaning during the 2016 US presi-
dential election. During that election, When someone tries to convince you that something really is news-
several websites and social media ac- worthy, what steps can you take to critically analyze their claim?
counts sprang up that were dedicated
to spreading false but damaging stories about political candidates. This was fake news in the worst sense
of the word. Soon after that problem came to light, Donald Trump began using the term “fake news” to
refer to any news story that didn’t reflect well on him, including stories reported by reputable, highly reli-
able news sources, such as CNN and the New York Times.

Food for Thought boxes provide addi-

its money not from selling its product (news) through subscriptions or direct
tional, sometimes humorous, sales material
but from selling opportunities for other companies to advertise to the news
on a topic and challenge students outlet’s audience.
to The organization wants a big audience because big audiences
bring in big advertising dollars. “Everything is being
apply the critical thinking skills they
Thearepressure on news organizations to turn an acceptable profit is immense compressed into tiny tablets.
You take a little pill of news
learning. The material is purposely
and has di-
been growing in the past two decades. Indeed, today many traditional every day—23 minutes—
verse in both subject matter andnews outlets (especially print outlets such as newspapers) are struggling to survive
format.
in the face of competition from online outlets, which tend to be cheaper to run
and that’s supposed to be
enough.”
and quicker to update as news unfolds. The old ideal of journalism as primarily a —Walter Cronkite

public service and not a cash cow has seldom been able to withstand the corporate
push for profits. The effects of this trend on the nature and quality of the news
 From the Publisher xvii

| Basics
20 Pa rt On e
n. They
for identificatio
neatly labelled arg uments.
ost never appear are not part of the
Arguments alm of statem ent s tha t clusion
bedded in a lot identify the con
usually come em ur main task is to
s can be com plex and long. Yo of wo rds .
Argument t in the maze
hout getting los
and premises wit

Exer cise 1.1 may be fou nd in Appendix

B,
h an asterisk (*)
rcises marked wit
Answers to exe
Exercises.
Answers to Select
ions
Review Quest
ical thinking? te to critical
is crit formulation rela
*1. W hat c, evaluation, and
terms systemati
2. How do the h how
you think or wit
thinking? ned with what
ica l thi nk ing primarily concer
3. Is crit ing is done
you think? that critical think
s it mean to say
the text, what doe
*4. According to s?
ional standard l thinking?
according to rat refer to in critica a loss of
the term critical l thinking cause
*5. What does t, how doe s a lack of critica
Ac cor din g to the tex
6.
personal freedo
m?
e does it play in
critical thinking
?
Hundreds of exercises cover a wide range
and what vital rol
7. What is logic, ce, on the
*8. What is a sta
tement?
. Then give an exa
mple of a sen ten
of topics. They are found throughout each
Giv e an exa mp le of a statement
9. . to be-
is not a statement ng how strongly chapter, presented progressively from simple
same topic, that how should we
go about decidi
g to the tex t,
10. Accordin
lieve a statement
? to complex, elementary to more advanced,
arg ument? mises.
*11. What is an ent with three pre
12. Give an exa
mp of an arg um
le and familiar to unusual.
a pre mi se?
13. What is stitute an
*14. What is a con
clusion? iefs by itself con
statement of bel
W hy can ’t an assertion or
15. ent.
arg ument? contain an arg um
of disagreement ple passage: Jail
sen-
e: All expressions an arg ument? Sam
16. True or fals sag e con tai n
es the fol low ing pas kn ow I’m rig ht!
*17. Do ger. I sage: I know
nals should be lon ent? Sample pas
tences for crimi contain an arg um iculous—there’s
lowing passage he. But that’s rid
18. Does the fol ed you r hea dac
bal tea cur
you say that her do that.
t herbal tea can
no evidence tha rds play in arg um
ents?
do indicator wo
*19. What role ind icator words.
mi se
20. List three pre words.
clusion indicator
21. List three con

12/20/18 03:55
PM
PA R T O N E
mac30439_ch01
_001-032.indd
20

B a s ic s
Contemporary Design
The design of the fifth Canadian edition reflects
the vibrancy and excitement of learning how to
think critically without sacrificing content or
authoritativeness.

mac30439_ch01_00
1-032.indd 1

12/20/18 03:55
PM
xviii From the Publisher

Aids to Student Learning

Chapter openers preview the contents of

1
each chapter with chapter objectives that
provide a concise overview of the key con-
cepts to be covered.

Chapter summaries at the end of each chap-

ter provide additional support to ensure that
students have identified and understood key
f Critical
T h e Po w e r o concepts.
T hin king
ec tives of the
Chap te r O bj of critical thinking
and the importa
nce and meaning
and the meaning onal standards.
• To underst
luation, form ulation, and rati truth or falsity of state-
tic, eva ted to logic, the
terms systema thinking is rela
and how critical nt.
• To underst al empowerme
dge, and person
ments, knowle

rs
Why It Matte beliefs.
to acceptance of
You will be able than the passive g” to
king is better is not worth livin
why critical thin unexamined life
• appreciate of the claim “Th e
the relevance
• appreciate thin king makes people
. ious: “Critical
critical thinking g claims are dub l,” and
why the followin and unemotiona
• understand es people cold
l thinking mak
cynical,” “Critica
too critical or my of creativity.” eav our s.
is the ene an end
“Critical thinking of critical thin
king in all hum
the usefulness
• appreciate

How It Works
to tements.
You will be able nts and non-sta premise, and con
clusion.
between stateme ment, inference,
• distinguish ts of reasons, argu ions.
the basic concep es and conclus
• understand oint premis
r words to help
pinp an argument.
• use indicato do not contain nts and
es that do and ween argume 3 | Making
between passag distinguish bet Sen se of Arg um
• distinguish contexts and and conclusions
.
ents
ume nts in various s, and premises 115
• iden tify arg
l, arg uments and exp
lana tion
Critic al Th in
superfluous materia
ki ng and W
riting Exer ci
12/20/18 03:55
PM From Th es is to Outline se
In the “Critical
Thinking and Wr
second step in wri iting Exercise”
mac30439_ch01_0
01-032.indd 2 ting an arg ument in Chapter 1, we
ment, or conclus ative essay (after saw that the
ion) is to create determining you
other things, the an outline. Outlin r thesis state-
y help to avert disa es are useful bec
ing two-thirds ster in the essay-w ause, among
of your essay, the riting phase. Ima
arg ument cannot n discovering tha gine writ-
be supported and t the second pre
the whole arg um is, in fact, false. mise of your
ent and start ove You might have
At the head of you r. to thr ow out
and as precisely as r outline, insert
your thesis stateme
possible. At ever nt, expressing it
ment for guidan y stage of outlini as clearly
ce. The premises ng, you can then
will constitute the and conclusion refer to the state-
major points of of your argumen
preliminary out your outline. The t (or arguments)
line for the essay following, for exa
discussed in the mple, is the
Thesis: Allowing module at the end
Writing modules embedded within oxide will most
coal-burning pow
likely increase the
er plants to emit
of Chapter 2:
more sulphur di-
incidence of resp
iratory illnesses.
the end-of-chapter student activities I. High amount
creases in the inci
s of sulphur dioxide
in the air have bee
n linked to in-
dence of asthma
II. Many areas and other respirat
in the first five chapters introduce the of the countr y alre
dioxide in the air. ady have high am
ory illnesses.
ounts of sulphur
III. Most sulphur
dioxide in the air
rudiments of argumentative essay- plants.
IV. Therefore, allo
comes from coa
l-burning power
wing coal-burnin
writing. phur dioxide wil
tory illnesses.
l most likely incr
g power plants to
ease the inciden
emit more sul-
ce of respira-
After you clearly
state the premis
them need to be es, you need to
defended. As we ask yourself whe
any premise like discussed in the ther any of
ly to be questioned module at the end
premise itself wil by your readers of Chapter 1,
l need arg ument will need suppor
should be indicat s to back it up, t. Tha t is, the
ed in your outline and the suppor
port because the . (Some premises, ting arg uments
y are obvious or though, may not
you can support generally accept need sup-
a premise (claim) ed.) As discusse
premises made through deduct d in this chapte
up of examples, ive or inductive r,
research or trustw analogies, empiric arg uments with
orthy observatio al evidence (suc
from reliable exp ns), and authoritat h as scientific
erts). Here’s how ive judgments (suc
tional) supporting the preceding out h as those
arg uments clearly line might look
shown: with (fic-
Thesis: Allowing
coal-burning pow
oxide will most er plants to emit
likely increase the more sulphur di-
incidence of resp
iratory illnesses.

mac30439_ch03_0
63-120.indd 115

12/20/18 05:56
PM
 From the Publisher xix

| Basics
26 Pa rt On e
ple like you
ple. People—peo
ns as if they’re peo rporations
treat corporatio ations don’t. Co
4. It’s wrong to righ t to free spe ech, and corpor con vin ce you that
and me—have the law yers may try to
conscience. Corpo
rate an rights,
also don’t have a all rights are hum
you and I do. But n.
e rights, just like about a corporatio
corporations hav not hin g hum an is
for sure . . . there’s just society, this
and one thing is to thin k that we are a fair and bee n treated
hou gh Ca nad ians like nad a hav e never, ever
5. Alt ples in Ca igenous
Indigenous peo ment and non-Ind
a boldfaced lie. Canadian govern ous com-
dreds of years, the people in Indigen
fairly. Over hun the m bad ly. Today, many fairness all they
treated about our
Canadians have . People can talk nt.
terrible conditions peoples is abhorre
munities live in bt that trea tme nt of Indigenous
no dou 4 | Reasons
want, but there is for Belief and Do
ubt 165
Enrique Portillo
laughed, smiled and brothers Ale
and joked with xi Saenz and
each other as pro Jairo Saenz
s
Field Problem
were waiting to secutors said the
hear from the U.S y
one arg u- they can pursue . Justice Departme
contains at least the death penalty nt about whether
ct an entry that .
t interests you. Sele The family of 16-
year-old Kayla Cu
1. Find a blog tha conclusion and each premise. but that con- they are accuse eva s, the Bre
ment. Identif y the a point of view d of slaughterin ntwood, N.Y. girl
ry that presents contains at leas
t one Nisa Mickens, 15, g in cold
e blog, find an ent entry so that it glared at them from blood alongside her friend
2. From the sam Rew rite the sible, and stay reported. the gallery, the New
s no arg um ent at all. orig ina l entry as pos York Post
tain of the
preserve as much The two teenage
arg ument. Try to spaper). hood near an elem
girls were slaught
ered in a residen
ic. town’s main new entary school on tial neighbor-
on the same top jor new spa per (or your own comment that Mickens’ 16th Sept. 13, 2016—
3. Go to the web
site of a ma
posted below it. Find a birthday. Her bod
y was
the day before
me nts mise and in Brentwood, wh
Find a stor y tha
t has reader com identif y the pre ile Cuevas’ beaten found on a tree-lined street
opinion!—and backyard of a nea
ent—not just an rby home a day
body turned up
in the wooded
presents an arg um The two teens wer late r.
conclusion. had been insepa e lifelong friends
who friends and
rable and shared family said
an interest in bas
17. Is the stor y ketball.12
slanted in a way
ent Quiz defendants in thi that seems to enc
Self-Assessm s case are especia our age readers to believe
18. Are there inst lly good or bad that the
ances of loaded people? How?
make the victims or biased langua
icators. in thi s cas ge or emotional
1. What is an arg
ument? ee conclusion ind 19. What main e seem
source did the rep especially sympathetic?
app eals that
indicators and thr s:
t three premise s are not statement problematic? Wh orter use for the
2. Name at leas sen ten ces , ind icate which one y? details of this stor
y? Is that
owing 20. On the ma
3. From the foll nki ng exa m? in page for the
is our Critical Thi Fox News website
a. On what day e indicators. ts and different. It read,
“MS -13 monsters , the headline for
mples of premis rantees the righ this stor y was
b. Give two exa and Freedoms gua by for heinous murde laugh in court as
ian Charter of Rights such reasonable
limits prescribed rs of teen girls.”
Can you see the
feds mull death
penalty
c. The Canad sub ject onl y to soc iety . main page use diff
erent wording? difference? Wh
in it, ocratic y might the
freedoms set out d in a free and dem
onstrably justifie Water Cafe.
law as can be dem ver is at the Blue mises in
d. The best sea
food in Vancou ported by the pre
sele ct the con clusion that is sup Integrative Ex
below, ercises
4. From the list
ument: nothing wrong
with
the following arg pus wh o see The
ber of stu den ts on cam the y just did n’t get it. se exercises pertain to
I spoke to a num material in Chapt
issue to them, but ers 1–4.
d to explain the 1. What is an
plagiarism. I trie 2. How can bac
inductive arg um
ent? What is a ded
kground informa uctive arg ument
deductive arg um tion help us to ?
ent or the cogenc determine the sou
12/20/18 03:553.
PM
Can our backgr y of an inductive ndness of a
| Ba sic s od oun d informa one ?
Pa rt On e rk. Every go is valid? If so, how tion help us to det
32
be yo ur ver y best wo be st wo rk 4. Is your own exp
? If not, why not
?
ermine whether
an arg ument
ost never ng their
mac30439_ch01_0
01-032.indd 26
ort will alm key to putti writers aren’t
ertise more imp
Your first eff ng and revising is the ird. Good
ductive arg ument ortant for determ
8. Revise. s th at ed iti an d a th 5. or the strength
of an inductive
ining the validity
of a de-
writer know draft What is an appeal
ite a second to authority? Is one?
need be, wr nd on them
. appealing to aut
for ward. If th ey de pe hority always fall
acious?
isions; For each of the
afraid of rev say whether it is
following arg um
ents, specify the
deductive or ind conclusion and
n m e n ts uctive. If it’s ind premises, and
ssig nd ix A, uct ive,
Writi ng A
pe
oning Shou
ld Be Permitt
ed ”) in Ap
s statement
or main Student activities are included at the end of say whether it is
strong or
Human Cl fy the thesi
Es say 7 (“Yes, nted. Speci
1. Re ad
and outline
the arg um en t pr ese
pporting pr
emise.
d a claim th
at contradic
ts the each chapter; they reinforce concepts and ideas
and each su ich you defen Watching”) in Append
ix A.
conclusion paper in wh
2. Write
a 50 0-w ord
ent in Es say 2 (“H urray ! No On e’s
2 ac tu ally suppor ts yo ur thesis through a variety of formats, including the
mac30439_ch04_1
21-173.indd 165

esi s sta tem e cit ed in Essay ord ing ly.

th evidenc nce acc in
Pretend th at all th e
u may alter
the details of
th e ev ide
s in the Class
3 (“Electronic and objections con-
ro om ”)
following: 12/20/18 06:21
PM

statement. Yo ent presented in Essay premises

the arg um ion and the the claim
St ud y th e co nc lus Th at is, defend
3. Identif y to the essay. laptops in
• “Field Problems” that invite students to apply
Appendix A. ite a two-page rebuttal ab ou t wh ether to use
wr oice
sidered, then ould not be given a ch ding
s sh paper defen
that student
m. t, and write
a 750-word newly acquired and refined critical thinking
the classroo m the fol low ing lis
issue fro ?
4. Select
an
a claim perta
ining to the
issue: m their classr
artphones fro overseas, should they
ooms
follow skills to real-world problems.
ssors ban sm ting try?
• Should profe n companies are opera s of th eir “host” coun
dia ard
When Cana or the stand
•
Canadia n eth ica l standards
atory for he
alt h ca re workers?
to attempt
to red uce • “Self-Assessment Quizzes” that allow students
ots be mand carbon tax
Should flu sh n provinces institute a
•
• Should Ca na dia
greenhouse
gases? to test their understanding of the material.
emissions of

• “Integrated Exercises” that help students

to bring information and techniques from
multiple chapters together, ensuring that
their understanding of critical thinking is
comprehensive.
• “Writing Assignments” that allow students to
apply their knowledge and practice working in
12/20/18
03:55 PM
longer formats such as essays.

dd 32
01_001-032.in
mac30439_ch
xx From the Publisher

Supplements
The Power of Critical Thinking also includes a comprehensive online ancillary
package, available at www.oupcanada.com/MacDonaldVaughn5Ce, along with
a new Dashboard. An instructor’s manual, a test generator, and a comprehensive
set of PowerPoint slides are available to those teaching the course. A student study
guide is also available online.

Dashboard is an integrated online learning and assessment platform that delivers

a simple, informative, and textbook-specific experience. It connects students and
instructors in a way that simplifies the learning experience to save time and put
students progress first.

The Power of Critical Thinking, Dashboard for The Power of Critical

Fifth Canadian Edition
Thinking includes the following:
• Integrated e-book
• Test bank
• Chapter summaries
• Key terms lists
• Interactive flash cards for students
Welcome to the Dashboard to accompany The Power of
Critical Thinking, 5Ce. From here you can access your • Self-grading quizzes for students
syllabus, go directly to assignments and quizzes, and
communicate with your instructor and your classmates. • Venn diagram modules
Click or touch one of the buttons above to access direct
links to the task you wish to perform.

Dashboard can be packaged with The Power of Critical Thinking or can be

purchased on its own. Contact your sales and editorial representative or email
sales.hed.ca@oup.com for more information.
Preface
The fifth edition of the Canadian version of The Power of Critical Thinking is a
truly Canadian volume. The current edition features examples and topics that
will be familiar to Canadian students, and all 10 of the Essays for Evaluation
at the back of the book are by Canadian authors. We’ve also updated many of
the end-of-chapter exercises, expanded explanations of key concepts, and added
several new text boxes, including one on the role of critical thinking in religious
belief in Chapter 1 and another on eyewitness testimony in Chapter 4. As always,
we’ve worked hard to keep the book practical and informal yet rigorous. We like
to think it’s about as much fun as a textbook can be, while remaining informative
and providing students with tools they can use.

Acknowledgements
As everybody knows, critical thinking textbooks are easy to write and require
almost no effort at all. Just kidding! A book like this is the product of plenty of
hard work by real people, including people other than those lucky enough to have
their names on the front cover. Among those who deserve thanks, I’d like to begin
at the very top of the list, with my friends at Oxford University Press, especially
Stephen Kotowych and Kerry O’Neill, for their uncommon patience and support
and for the very high quality of their work. In addition, I would like to thank
several anonymous reviewers for their excellent feedback and suggestions. I’d also
like to blame the reviewers and editors for any mistakes that you may find. But
you’re a critical thinker, so you’ll see right through me. In fact, of course, I bear
responsibility for whatever mistakes remain. If you spot a mistake—and if you’re
really sure it’s a mistake!— let me know. Finally, as always, I would like to thank
Professor Nancy Walton, who inspires me every day to be both a more critical
thinker and a more charitable interpreter of other people’s points of view.
xxii Preface

Reviewers
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following reviewers, whose
thoughtful comments and suggestions have helped to shape this new edition:

Gerald Beaulieu, University Of Manitoba

Peter Denton, International College of Manitoba
Leland Harper, Siena Heights University
Shereen Hassanein, Seneca College
Thomas Mathien, University of Toronto
Clifford Roberts, University of Victoria
Krzysztof Swiatek, MacEwan University
Brian Zamulinski, University of Saskatchewan
Chris MacDonald
Ted Rogers School of Management
Ryerson University
PART ONE
Basics
 1
The Power of Critical
Thinking

Chapter Objectives
• To understand the meaning of critical thinking and the importance and meaning of the
terms systematic, evaluation, formulation, and rational standards.
• To understand how critical thinking is related to logic, the truth or falsity of state-
ments, knowledge, and personal empowerment.

Why It Matters
You will be able to
• appreciate why critical thinking is better than the passive acceptance of beliefs.
• appreciate the relevance of the claim “The unexamined life is not worth living” to
critical thinking.
• understand why the following claims are dubious: “Critical thinking makes people
too critical or cynical,” “Critical thinking makes people cold and unemotional,” and
“Critical thinking is the enemy of creativity.”
• appreciate the usefulness of critical thinking in all human endeavours.

How It Works
You will be able to
• distinguish between statements and non-statements.
• understand the basic concepts of reasons, argument, inference, premise, and conclusion.
• use indicator words to help pinpoint premises and conclusions.
• distinguish between passages that do and do not contain an argument.
• identify arguments in various contexts and distinguish between arguments and
superfluous material, arguments and explanations, and premises and conclusions.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
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