the critical thinking book gary jason

Dangerous Thoughts - Gary Jason

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Critical Thinking Book

The Critical Thinking Book covers not only standard topics such as definitions, fallacies, and argument identification, but also other pertinent themes such as consumer choice in a market economy and political choice in a representative democracy. Interesting historical asides are included throughout, as are images, diagrams, and reflective questions. A wealth of exercises is provided, both within the text and on a supplemental website for instructors. The author also offers additional exercises, videos, and other teaching and study materials that can be digitally integrated into Learning Management Systems.

Cinematic Thoughts: Essays on Film and the Philosophy of Film

Cinematic Thoughts: Essays on Film and the Philosophy of Film is an anthology of essays Gary Jason published (mainly) between 2012 and 2018. The book has seven parts. Part One consists of essays on propaganda films. The topics include how the Nazi Regime used film as a tool of propaganda, and its use of radio for propaganda.

Purchase, Power and Persuasion: Essays on Political Philosophy

In Purchase, Power and Persuasion: Essays on Political Philosophy , Gary James Jason brings together his articles on political and economic philosopher between 2004 and 2018. These articles touch on issues surrounding two contrasting political systems: a complete totalitarian systemthe paradigm case of which was Nazi Germanyversus a classical liberal system.

Philosophic Thoughts: Essays on Logic and Philosophy

Philosophic Thoughts: Essays on Logic and Philosophy comprises a collection of essays on logic and philosophy. The first section features essays that address issues in informal logic, such as the question of whether fallacies are common and the nature of the ad baculum and ad hominem fallacies. The section also includes essays on formal dialogue logic and its applications in computer science. The second section contains articles on epistemology and philosophy of science, including issues surrounding induction, the role of error in computer science, the relation of science to common sense, and the concept of discovery. The third section features ethical issues - from the sketching out of an ethical theory to the discussion of a variety of ethical issues, such as the ethics of organ sales, tort reform, free trade, and computer ethics. The final section includes essays on a number of miscellaneous issues, such as using thought experiments to teach philosophy, the soul-making defense against the problem of free will, and the limitations of postmodern philosophy.

Disturbing Thoughts: Unorthodox Writings on Timely Issues

Philosophy lecturer and essayist Gary Jason tackles timely issues from education reform to the Arab Spring in his new anthology Disturbing Thoughts: Unorthodox Writings on Timely Issues.

Disturbing Thoughts collects more than 160 political and social commentary essays published between 2010 and 2012. Among the many topics addressed are environmentalism, public employee pensions, education, and political reform.

Todays headlines are filled with discussion on the growing dysfunction of unfunded pension benefits, the debate over immigration, and concerns about the shale industry. Whatever the topic, Jason doesnt shy away from offering his opinion, asking, for instance, how could we allow in many more immigrants legally without causing financial strain.

Devious Thoughts: Unconventional Thoughts on Contemporary Issues

This anthology covers a wide variety of Gary Jason's most recent articles. The first chapter contains essays on education and educational reform. The second chapter contains essays on energy policy and environmentalism. The third chapter contains essays on immigration and demographic change. The fourth chapter contains essays on politics and political reform. The fifth chapter contains essays on economics and economic reform. And the sixth and final chapter has essays on the methods which governments employ to control their citizens, with a special focus on the Nazi Regime.

Critical Thinking: Developing an Effective Worldview

This is a text intended for use by undergraduates in critical thinking classes, and for lay readers who want to learn that subject. In the first part of the text, basic logical concepts are covered. These include statements, questions, answers, single arguments, multiple arguments, and the distinction between validity and inductive strength. In the second part of the text, the basic criteria for an effective world view are discussed. These include: clarity and various pitfalls of language; definition; relevance; consistency (including truth tables and Venn diagrams); observation, memory and testimony; generalization and instantiation; analogical reasoning; causal reasoning; and explanation. The third part of the book includes applications, such as the nature of decision making, sales trickery, and political trickery. The book has numerous exercises. All even -numbered exercises are answered in the back of the text. The text also has an extensive glossary.

Introduction to Logic

This textbook offers a dynamic new approach to logic with emphasis on the development of skills. The reader learns to use practical guidelines and helpful hints in dealing with statements, questions and their presuppositions, single and multiple arguments, and dialogues as they occur in ordinary language. Symbolic logic is presented in a clear and measured fashion with an eye to ordinary language applications. The reader is introduced to natural deduction through the use of proof constructions based on a core set of simple rules. This text also presents a fresh approach to traditional logic though set theory. Carroll diagrams are used in place of Venn diagrams in order to help develop a more intuitive understanding of syllogisms.

The Logic of Scientific Discovery

While considerable discussion has taken place regarding scientific discovery, we are still in the dark about what a «logic» of discovery should look like. In this work, the author argues that formal dialogue theory is the best candidate for a logic of discovery. Formal dialogue logic is explored in detail. More broadly, a view of knowledge is put forward which encourages exploring the epistemological aspects of discovery.

Dangerous Thoughts

From Gary Jason, a published author and writer who has published several books and roughly 600 academic and trade articles, book and movie reviews, and opinion editorials, comes Dangerous Thoughts , a collection of his most popular and provocative articles from newspapers and political magazines, nearly 300 in all.

This book contains the author's most trenchant essays, some of which were published as far back as the 1970s but most of which are of recent vintage. It is divided into eight chapters representing broad topics, through which readers can explore: school reform and the critical need for school choice; environmentalism and its negative impact on rational energy policy; demographic change and the continuing need for immigration (legal, and within reasonable limits); the continuing need for free trade; the need for entitlement reform; the need for political reforms aimed at reducing the size of government; the need for free market economic reforms; and the struggle between intellectual elites and ordinary citizens. The concluding chapter gathers together miscellaneous pieces which provide further information and insight.