Critical Thinking

Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist who has taught both psychology and critical thinking at the college level. She has been President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and the Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking for almost 25 years. She has a special interest in the relation of thought and emotion, as well as the cognitive and affective. She has developed an original theory of the stages of critical thinking development. Elder has coauthored four books on critical thinking, as well as all 23 titles found in the Thinker's Guide Library.Dr. Richard Paul was a leading proponent of critical thinking and through his work and legacy remains an international authority in the field. He founded the Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State University in 1980, followed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. He developed concepts, principles, and theory essentials to a robust and fairminded conception of critical thinking and authored more than 200 articles and seven books on the topic. He presented workshops to hundreds of thousands of educators over his 35-year career as a leader in the critical thinking movement.

• Introduction: A Start-up Definition of Critical Thinking.1. How the Mind Can Discover Itself2. Discover The Parts of Thinking3. Discover Universal Standards for Thinking4. Redefining Grades as Levels of Thinking and Learning5. Learn to Ask the Questions the Best Thinkers Ask6. Discover How the Best Thinkers Learn7. Learn How to Read Closely and Write SubstantivelyPart I: Discover Close ReadingPart II: Discover Substantive WritingPart III: Practice Close Reading and Substantive Writing8. Become a Fairminded Thinker9. Deal with Your Irrational MindPart I: The Best Thinkers Take Charge of Their Egocentric NaturePart II: The Best Thinkers Take Charge of Their Sociocentric Thinking10. The Stages of Critical Thinking Development: At What Stage Are You?Appendix A: Further Exercises in Close Reading and Substantive WritingAppendix B: Sample Analyses of “The Logic of . . .”Appendix C: What We Mean By “The Best Thinkers?”Glossary

This book is well-written, lucid and contains abundant examples and applications that not only enliven the subject matter but present relevant contexts for building understanding and advanced critical thinking. In addition, it is faithful to the complexity and work required to improve one's thinking. It does not soft-pedal the challenge but actually throws down the gauntlet to the worthy reader to pick it up.