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Critical Thinking: Your Guide to Effective Argument, Successful Analysis and Independent Study 3rd Revised edition

Paperback by Chatfield, Tom

Critical Thinking: Your Guide to Effective Argument, Successful Analysis and Independent Study

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£18.69

ISBN:
9781036215699
Publication Date:
12 Dec 2026
Edition/language:
3rd Revised edition / English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications Ltd
Pages:
288 pages
Format:
Paperback
For delivery:
Not yet available: due Dec-2026
Critical Thinking: Your Guide to Effective Argument, Successful Analysis and Independent Study

Description

Learn how to think, not what to think. Written by leading tech philosopher and broadcaster Tom Chatfield, Critical Thinking is the definitive guide to thinking clearly at university. In an information saturated world, it equips students with the skills they need to question sources, evaluate evidence, recognise bias, and build strong, well reasoned arguments with confidence. Clear and practical throughout, the book breaks critical thinking down into techniques students can use across assignments, disciplines, and assessment types. It nurtures digital literacy, ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI), and critical engagement with technology, helping students navigate misinformation, manage information overload, and make sound academic judgements. Each chapter supports learning in action, with clear goals, smart study tips, reflection prompts, exercises, and summaries that help students develop and apply critical thinking skills step by step. Ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students developing critical thinking skills for reading, writing, and reasoning at university.

Contents

Chapter 1: What is critical thinking (and why does it matter)? PART I: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF BEING REASONABLE Chapter 2: Understanding the reasons behind things Chapter 3: Spelling out arguments and assumptions Chapter 4: Deductive reasoning: logic and certainty Chapter 5: Inductive reasoning: observation and uncertainty Chapter 6: Developing explanations and theories Chapter 7: Assessing evidence and planning your study strategy PART II: BEING REASONABLE IN AN UNREASONABLE WORLD Chapter 8: Getting to grips with rhetoric Chapter 9: Seeing through faulty reasoning Chapter 10: Understanding cognitive bias Chapter 11: Overcoming bias in yourself and others Chapter 12: Thinking critically about technology Chapter 13: Putting it all together: critical thinking in study, work and life

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