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

by Neil Browne (Author), Stuart M. Keeley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"I have assigned ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS to a wide range of students in a wide range of courses over my fourteen years as a college professor. First-year college students have used the book to analyze and evaluate arguments about contemporary business issues. College juniors and seniors have used the book to analyze and evaluate legal arguments, and issues related to race and gender. ... Many of my students tell me the book has changed the way they read, write, and argue." - Andrea Giampetro-Meyer, J.D., Loyola College in Maryland "I think ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS is one of the most valuable resources currently available for higher education courses as well as for other contexts... Virtually any course could benefit from the addition of this book and the integration of the authors' approach to critical thinking. I myself have used the book for several years in a variety of courses and know that it has truly enhanced my students' rational thinking processes." - Norrine L. Ostrowski, Ph.D., University of Minnesota-Morris "As an instructor I like the approach ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS takes. It is practical and uses a cross-disciplinary approach. Asking the "right" questions is a technique that can be used in any discipline at any level."- Valeri Farmer-Dougan, Illinois State University --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The habits and attitudes associated with critical thinking are transferable to consumer, medical, legal, and general ethical choices. When our surgeon says surgery is needed, it can be life sustaining to seek answers to the critical questions encouraged in Asking the Right Questions This popular book helps bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information, and the greater challenge of critical analysing the things we are told and read. It gives strategies for responding to alternative points of view and will help readers develop a solid foundation for making personal choices about what to accept and what to reject.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 8 edition (February 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132203049
• ISBN-13: 978-0132203043
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,505 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Alexander Technique
  #4 in	Books > Reference > Words & Language > Semantics
  #21 in	Books > Reference > Writing > Academic & Commercial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

184 of 193 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone who wants to be a smarter thinker!, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (5th Edition) (Paperback)

This book has been a tremendously positive influence on my life as well as on the lives of those to whom I have recommended it! Before studying "Asking the Right Questions," I was well educated, but nevertheless my thinking was often muddled and illogical. As a graduate student, this book helped me to better define my own ideas as well as understand the ideas of others. I learned how to engage in truly meaningful discourse with others about ideas and principles because I could apply a more rational approach. Differences of opinion became engaging rather than destructive or unproductive. This book and its philosophy gives me hope in the idea of the "democracy of ideas."

As a college professor, I use this book in all of my classes and require students to purchase it. We work on one skill a week as we learn the course content. Students regularly report that having a class focused around critical thinking is a unique and highly valuable experience. While I find it sad and disturbing that few college students are exposed to such skills regularly, I find it encouraging the ARQ provides an effective forum to help me teach these skills. The book is engaging, with many current examples and vivid illustrations. The reading level is appropriate for anyone in high school or higher. And because the content and skills are ones that are pertinent to any individual or college major or profession, it can be integrated into virtually any course. I especially think it would be an excellent foundation for the first-year seminars that are so popular on college campuses.

While I use this book in a classroom setting, it is one that an individual can easily benefit from. I recommended it to my mom, who said, "This book taught me more about evaluating ideas on tv, from politicians, and from other books than anything else I've ever done or read!" She found the examples and exercises quite engaging and helpful.

The ideas and philosophy of "Asking the Right Questions" have the potential to profoundly change an individual by making them a better, smarter thinker! I think it should be required reading for all of us.

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to Critical Thinking, February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (6th Edition) (Paperback)

Asking the Right Questions is a practical book in the category of Critical Thinking or Informal Logic. It discusses a set of questions that may be used to analyze and evaluate rational arguments. After a short introduction explaining the scope, purpose, and relative usefulness of thinking critically, the book divides into chapters, each centered around a particular critical question, e.g., "What significant information is omitted?" and "How good is the evidence?"

Throughout the text, the vocabulary of informal logic is introduced. Arguments are defined, a nice distinction is made between descriptive and prescriptive assumptions, and most of the major fallacies are discussed. While the text is not a complete reference in these respects, it covers most of the basic terms and structural features of arguments with which those new to the field should be familiar.

The editing is disappointing for a sixth edition, especially a paperback sixth edition at this price. Punctuation is occasionally missing. Correctly-spelled but misused words are sprinkled throughout, e.g., 'rationale' is used where 'rational' would be more appropriate. Perhaps most disturbing is an argument about abortion that inappropriately becomes one about divorce, which suggests a careless attempt to reuse past writing.

This book would be appropriate for bright high school students, undergraduates, or anyone wishing to develop their critical thinking skills. If you, like many others, frequently find that most of the arguments you read or hear seem to "make sense" and would like guidance in deciding whether to accept or reject a particular claim (and why), then you would likely find reading this book to be enlightening and rewarding.

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read it but not necessary to buy it., April 16, 2004

By	Manish (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking, Seventh Edition (Paperback)

The issue is that we don't ask the right questions to understand a piece of information and form our independent opinion consistently.

The conclusion is to form your own independent opinion by asking the following questions and evaluating the answers objectively:
1. What are the issues and the conclusion?
2. What are the reasons?
3. What words or phrases are ambiguous?
4. What are the value conflicts and assumptions?
5. Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?
6. How good is the evidence?
7. Are there rival causes?
8. Are the statistics deceptive?
9. What significant information is omitted?
10. What reasonable conclusions are possible?

It is a good book because it gives a very good framework along with a lot of examples and practice work. There is also a companion website www.prenhall.com/browne.

You need to get a copy of this from a library and practice the basic premise of the book. After that, you need to practice.