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| Preface | |
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| The Benefit of Asking the Right Questions Introduction Critical Thinking to the Rescue | |
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| The Sponge and Panning for Gold: Alternative Thinking Styles | |
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| An Example of the Panning-for-Gold | |
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| Approach Panning for Gold: Asking Critical Questions | |
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| The Myth of the ldquo;Right Answerrdquo; Thinking and Feeling | |
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| The Purpose of Asking the Question, ldquo;Who Cares?rdquo; | |
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| Weak-Sense and Strong-Sense Critical Thinking | |
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| The Satisfaction of Using the Panning-for-Gold | |
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| Approach Trying Out New Answers | |
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| Effective Communication and Critical Thinking | |
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| The Importance of Practice The Right Questions | |
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| What Are the Issue and the Conclusion? | |
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| Kinds of Issues Searching for the Issue | |
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| Searching for the Authorrsquo;s or Speakerrsquo;s | |
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| Conclusion Clues to Discovery: How to Find the Conclusion Critical | |
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| Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking | |
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| Practice | |
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| Exercises | |
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| What Are the Reasons? | |
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| Reasons + Conclusion = Argument Initiating the Questioning | |
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| Process Words That Identify | |
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| Reasons Kinds of Reasons | |
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| Keeping the Reasons and Conclusions | |
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| Straight Reasons First, Then Conclusions | |
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| ldquo;Freshrdquo; Reasons and Your Growth Critical | |
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| Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking | |
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| Practice | |
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| Exercises | |
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| What Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous? | |
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| The Confusing Flexibility of Words Locating Key Terms and Phrases Checking for Ambiguity | |
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| Determining Ambiguity Context and Ambiguity | |
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| Ambiguity, Definitions, and the Dictionary | |
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| Ambiguity and Loaded Language | |
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| Limits of Your Responsibility to Clarify Ambiguity | |
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| Ambiguity and Your Own Writing and Speaking | |
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| Summary | |
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| Practice | |
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| Exercises | |
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| What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions? | |
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| General Guide for Identifying Assumptions Value Conflicts and Assumptions Discovering Values | |
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| From Values to Value Assumptions | |
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| Typical Value Conflicts | |
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| The Communicatorrsquo;s Background as a Clue to Value Assumptions | |
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| Consequences as Clues to Value Assumptions | |
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| More Hints for Finding Value Assumptions | |
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| Avoiding a Typical Difficulty When Identifying Value Assumptions | |
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| Finding Value Assumptions on Your Own Values and Relativism | |
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| Summary | |
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| Practice | |
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| Exercises | |
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| What Are the Descriptive Assumptions? | |
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| Illustrating Descriptive Assumptions | |
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| Clues for Locating Assumptions | |
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| Applying the Clues | |
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| Avoiding Analysis of Trivial Assumptions | |
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| Assumptions and Your Own Writing and Speaking | |
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| Summary | |
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| Practice | |
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| Exercises | |
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| Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning? | |
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| A Questioning Approach to Finding Reasoning | |
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| Fallacies Evaluating Assumptions as a Starting Point | |
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| Discovering Other Common Reasoning Fallacies | |
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| Looking for Diversions Sleight of Hand: Begging the Question | |
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| Summary of Reasoning Errors | |
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| Expanding Your Knowledge of Fallacies | |
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| Fallacies and Your Own Writing and Speaking | |
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| Practice | |
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| Exercises | |
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| How Good Is the Evidence: Intuition, Personal Experience, Testimonials, and Appeals to Authority? | |
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| The Need for Evidence | |
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| Locating Factual Claims Sources of Evidence | |
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| I | |