Hard Thinking

John D. Mullen is professor of philosophy at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York. He is the co-author, with Byron Roth, of Decision Making: Its Logic and Practice (Rowman & Littlefield, 1992).

• Chapter 1 What is Hard Thinking? The Core Language of ReasoningChapter 2 How to Read ArgumentsChapter 3 Myths of Privileged SourcesChapter 4 Hard Thinking About ValuesChapter 5 Mastering LanguageChapter 6 Everyday Fallacies of ReasoningChapter 7 Fallacies of Technical ReasoningChapter 8 Modern Formal LogicChapter 9 Appendix: Aristotle's Herculean Try

Mullen effectively combines logic, epistemology, and good old fashioned common sense. The dialogues and examples are telling; the explanations clear and to the point. The book articulates, defends, and exemplifies all the important features of 'hard thinking'. Many texts purport to aid in the teaching of thinking; this one will clearly succeed.