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Logic and Critical Thinking: An Introduction for Muslim Students

An Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking for Muslim Students provides a concise, rigorous, skills-oriented training course in basic analytic and inferential thinking of the sort covered in a standard course on that subject, but without the implicit western cultural and anti-religious bias often found in other such textbooks. It presents critical thinking and the life of the mind as an integral part of Muslim life and culture, drawing for exemplars on the historical Islamic intellectual tradition, alongside others, and as well as some specific problems confronting the thinking Muslim today, in a context where Islamic values regarding truth and the purpose and ethics of debate are made explicit and taken as a given.

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Logic and Critical Thinking: An Introduction for Muslim Students

Edward Ryan Moad

9781567446104

Part 1 Basic Concepts: What is Critical Thinking? 

Chapter 1. Critical Thinking and Judgment: 1.2. Judgments and Truth 1.3. Critical Thinking and Debate: Separating the Benefits from the Dangers

Chapter 2: Propositions: 2.1. Subject and Predicate Terms 2.2. Contradiction and Entailment 

Chapter 3: Inference and Argument: 3.1. Arguments and Other Explanations 3.2. Formalizing Arguments and Other Explanations

Chapter 4: Inferential Diagrams: 4.1. Linked Inferences and Implicit Premises 4.2. Basic Inferential Analysis in Five Steps 

Part 2 Deductive Reasoning

Chapter 5: Things and Categories: 5.1. Visualizing Categorical Propositions 5.2. Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 5.3. Applying Venn Diagrams 5.4. Definitions 5.5. Definition Mistakes

Chapter 6: Categorical Syllogisms: 6.1. Deduction and Validity 6.2. The Rules of Inference for Categorical Syllogisms

Chapter 7: Truth-functional Deductive Argument Forms: 7.1. Modus Ponens (Affirming the Antecedent) 7.2. Fallacy of Affirming the Consequent 7.3. Modus Tollens (Denying the Consequent) 7.4. Fallacy of Denying the Antecedent 7.5. Hypothetical Syllogism 7.6. Bi-conditionals 7.7. Disjunctive Syllogism

Chapter 8: Truth-functional Natural Deduction: 8.1. Rules of Inference 8.2. Well-formed formulas 8.3. Replacement Rules 8.4. Constructing Proofs 

Part 3 Inductive Reasoning

Chapter 9: Inductive Reasoning: 9.1. Analogy 9.2. Analogical Arguments 9.3. Evaluating Analogical Arguments

Chapter 10: Inductive Generalization: 10.1. Evaluating Inductive Generalization 10.2. Sample Size 10.3. Sample Representativeness 10.4. Random Sampling 10.5. Stratification 10.6. Inductive Generalization in Natural Science 10.7. Observation 

Chapter 11: Causal vs. Statistical Relevance: 11.1. Different Kinds of Causal Relevance 11.2. Causal Conditions 11.3. First Principles of Causal Reasoning 11.4. Hypothetico-Deductive Method 11.5. Mill’s Methods 11.5.1. Method of Agreement 11.5.2. Method of Difference 11.5.3. Method of Agreement and Difference 11.5.4. Concomitant Variations 11.5.5. Method of Residues 

Chapter 12: Inference to the Best Explanation: 12.1. Plausibility 12.2. Consistency with Known Facts 12.3. Comprehensiveness 12.4. Explanatory Power 12.5. Simplicity 12.6. Predictability 12.7. The Unfalsifiable

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• Print length 266 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Kazi Pubns Inc
• Publication date 15 Feb. 2017
• Dimensions 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm
• ISBN-10 1567446108
• ISBN-13 978-1567446104
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kazi Pubns Inc (15 Feb. 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1567446108
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1567446104
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm
• 6,959 in Religious History of Islam

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Logic and Critical Thinking: An Introduction for Muslim Students Paperback – 15 February 2017

• Print length 274 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Kazi Publications
• Publication date 15 February 2017
• Dimensions 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm
• ISBN-10 1567446108
• ISBN-13 978-1567446104
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kazi Publications (15 February 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1567446108
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1567446104
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm

Customer Reviews

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• Print length 266 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Kazi Pubns Inc
• Publication date 15 February 2017
• Dimensions 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm
• ISBN-10 1567446108
• ISBN-13 978-1567446104
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kazi Pubns Inc (15 February 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1567446108
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1567446104
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 373 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm

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Logic and critical thinking: an introduction for muslim students - softcover, moad, edward ryan.

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• About this edition
• Publisher Kazi Pubns Inc
• Publication date 2017
• ISBN 10  1567446108
• ISBN 13  9781567446104
• Binding Paperback
• Number of pages 266

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Synopsis: Logic and Critical Thinking: An Introduction for Muslim Students is the product of the author s years of experience providing training in core thinking skills for an ethnically diverse range of mostly Muslim students, in the Arabian Gulf. While the basic principles of good reasoning entail at least an aspiration to universality, their presentation will invariably reflect a specific cultural context. This book responds to the need for a critical thinking curriculum free of the uncritical western cultural and ideological presumptions present in much of the currently available material, the effect of which is to assert (implicitly if not explicitly) that the use of logic and reason is an exclusively western cultural practice. This textbook presents reason and the life of the mind as both universal and an integral feature of the Islamic intellectual and cultural heritage, but makes it operational in contemporary Muslim life by approaching the subject properly, as a set of intellectual skills requiring rigorous practice rather than simply a historical or theoretical subject matter. The book facilitates a 12-week course, divided into three sections (basic concepts, deduction, and induction) with a variety of carefully designed exercise sets at the end of each weekly section. Contents Part 1 Basic Concepts: What is Critical Thinking? Chapter 1. Critical Thinking and Judgment: 1.2. Judgments and Truth 1.3. Critical Thinking and Debate: Separating the Benefits from the Dangers; Chapter 2: Propositions: 2.1. Subject and Predicate Terms 2.2. Contradiction and Entailment Chapter 3: Inference and Argument: 3.1. Arguments and Other Explanations 3.2. Formalizing Arguments and Other Explanations; Chapter 4: Inferential Diagrams: 4.1. Linked Inferences and Implicit Premises 4.2. Basic Inferential Analysis in Five Steps Part 2 Deductive Reasoning: Chapter 5: Things and Categories: 5.1. Visualizing Categorical Propositions 5.2. Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 5.3. Applying Venn Diagrams 5.4. Definitions 5.5. Definition Mistakes; Chapter 6: Categorical Syllogisms: 6.1. Deduction and Validity 6.2. The Rules of Inference for Categorical Syllogisms; Chapter 7: Truth-functional Deductive Argument Forms: 7.1. Modus Ponens (Affirming the Antecedent) 7.2. Fallacy of Affirming the Consequent 7.3. Modus Tollens (Denying the Consequent) 7.4. Fallacy of Denying the Antecedent 7.5. Hypothetical Syllogism 7.6. Bi-conditionals 7.7. Disjunctive Syllogism; Chapter 8: Truth-functional Natural Deduction: 8.1. Rules of Inference 8.2. Well-formed formulas 8.3. Replacement Rules 8.4. Constructing Proofs Part 3 Inductive Reasoning: Chapter 9: Inductive Reasoning: 9.1. Analogy 9.2. Analogical Arguments 9.3. Evaluating Analogical Arguments; Chapter 10: Inductive Generalization: 10.1. Evaluating Inductive Generalization 10.2. Sample Size 10.3. Sample Representativeness 10.4. Random Sampling 10.5. Stratification 10.6. Inductive Generalization in Natural Science 10.7. Observation Chapter 11: Causal vs. Statistical Relevance: 11.1. Different Kinds of Causal Relevance 11.2. Causal Conditions 11.3. First Principles of Causal Reasoning 11.4. Hypothetico-Deductive Method 11.5. Mill s Methods 11.5.1. Method of Agreement 11.5.2. Method of Difference 11.5.3. Method of Agreement and Difference 11.5.4. Concomitant Variations 11.5.5. Method of Residues Chapter 12: Inference to the Best Explanation: 12.1. Plausibility 12.2. Consistency with Known Facts 12.3. Comprehensiveness 12.4. Explanatory Power 12.5. Simplicity 12.6. Predictability 12.7. The Unfalsifiable

About the Author: Edward Omar Moad is Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities at Qatar University. He took his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004. He has taught courses in logic and critical thinking (along with other areas of philosophy) in south Texas, Singapore, and Qatar, where he established the curriculum for Qatar University s first Minor program in philosophy. Meanwhile he has pursued research in Islamic philosophy, travelling extensively in West and Southeast Asia and publish- ing in academic journals.

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Title: Logic and Critical Thinking: An Introduction... Publisher: Kazi Publications Publication Date: 2017 Binding: Soft cover Condition: Fine

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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 266 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.50 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # 1567446108

A good deed for the last 10 nights: Raise a voice for truth.

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ISSN: 2226-6348

The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Logic: Its Importance for Islamic Learners

Shaikha hamad mohammed alkubaisi.

• Pages 1298-1310
• Received: 16 Oct, 2023
• Revised: 20 Nov, 2023
• Published Online: 26 Dec, 2023

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i4/20190

Open access

This study delves into the intrinsic relationship between critical thinking and logic, elucidating their reciprocal influence and underscoring their pivotal roles in the academic journey of Islamic learners grappling with issues of creed, jurisprudence, and various subjects. Widespread confusion and the failure to distinguish between these terms impede student progress, especially in Islamic sciences, where critical thinking is indispensable for formulating questions at both general and granular levels. The introduction of logic without a concurrent emphasis on critical thinking restricts the scope of exploration, potentially overlooking nuanced details that are foundational to the studied issues. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the researcher advocates for a meticulous analysis of matters in intricate detail, stressing the discipline-specific nuances inherent in each field of study. The study's results affirm an intrinsic interdependence between critical and logical thinking. Critical thinking enriches the ability to discern between valid logic and logical fallacies, fostering a more nuanced understanding of complex issues. Conversely, logic is a scaffold for critical thinking, particularly in logical reasoning and interpretation processes. This research paper serves as an initial exploration, providing valuable insights for education, planning, legislation, and law professionals. It lays the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of the symbiotic relationship between critical thinking and logic, encouraging further, more detailed studies in this vital intersection. Integrating critical thinking and logic emerges as a fundamental aspect of academic pursuits, promoting a holistic and nuanced approach to problem-solving and decision-making.

The Holy Quran. Abu Jadou, S., Nofel, M. B. (2007). Teaching Theoretical and Applied Thinking. Dar Al-Masira for Publishing and Distribution. Al-Ibrashi, M. A. (1994). Modern Trends in Education. Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi. Ibn Sina. (2006). Logic by Ibn Sina. Al-Mostafa Library. Aram, M. S. A. (2012). The Impact of Using the (L.W.K) Strategy on Acquiring Concepts and Critical Thinking Skills in Science Among Seventh-Grade Female Students. Master's Thesis. Al-Sharqawi, A. (2017). When I Met Omar. Dar Kalimat for Publishing and Distribution. Al-Shamri, A. A. S., Al-Rashid, H. M. M. (2021). A Research Paper Titled: Critical Thinking. 3(29), 1-20. Ahmed, H. A., NorZafir, M. S., & Rohaizat, B. (2021a). The neural correlates of emotion in decision-making. International journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 11(7), 64-77. Al-Shurwani, A. H., Ibn Qasim Al-Ubaidi. (2015). Annotations on the Book 'Tuhfat al-Muhtaj fi Sharh al-Minhaj.' Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah. Ahmed, H. A., NorZafir, M. S., & Rohaizat, B. (2021). To better understand the role of emotional processes in decision-making. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 10(2), 49-67. Al-Atoum, A. Y., Al-Jarrah, A. N. D., Bashara, M. (2007). Developing Thinking Skills: Theoretical Models and Practical Applications. Dar Al-Masira for Publishing and Distribution. Al-Otaibi, K. B. N. (2007). The Impact of Using Parts of the Court Program in Developing Critical Thinking Skills and Improving Academic Achievement Among a Sample of Secondary School Students in Riyadh. Experimental Study. Ahmed, H. A., NorZafir, M. S., Shaymah, A. A.-Z., & Ahmad, K. (2022d). Consumer Behaviour to Be Considered in Advertising: A Systematic Analysis and Future Agenda. Behavioral Sciences, 12(12), 472. Al-Arifi, S. B. A. (2016). Editing the Book 'Adab al-Bahth wa al-Munadhara' by Muhammad Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti, 1325 AH. Dar Alam Al-Fawaid. Ahmed, H. A., NorZafir, M. S., & Lina, P. (2023b). A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of fNIRS and fMRI Technology in Neuromarketing. Scientific Annals of Economics and Business, 70(3), 1-14. Al-Qarawi, R. (2016). Summary of Logic by Sheikh Dr. Abdul Hadi Al-Fadli. Al-Mahna, A. K. Y. (2015). Critical Thinking and Linguistic Ability: A New Perspective in Teaching Methods. Dar Al-Ridwan for Publishing and Distribution. Alsharif, A. H., Salleh, N. Z. M., Ahmad, W. A. b. W., & Khraiwish, A. (2022). Biomedical Technology in Studying Consumers’ Subconscious Behavior. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering, 18(8), 98-114. Abdul Salam, M. (2020). Critical Thinking: A Theoretical Study and Global and Arab Applications. Noor Library. Alsharif, A. H., Salleh, N. Z. M., Baharun, R., & Effandi, Y. M. (2021c). Consumer behaviour through neuromarketing approach. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government, 27(3), 344-354. Abdul Aziz, S. (2013). 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Editing the Book 'Al-Mustasfa min Ilm al-Usul' by Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali. Halsharif, A., Md Salleh, N., & Baharun, R. (2021a). Neuromarketing: Marketing research in the new millennium. Neuroscience Research Notes, 4(3), 27-35. Faleh, Y. (2011). The Effectiveness of a Guidance Program for Developing the Ability to Solve Problems Using Logical Thinking Among Psychology Students in Algeria. Master's Thesis. Halsharif, A., Md Salleh, N., & Baharun, R. (2021b). Neuromarketing: The popularity of the brain-imaging and physiological tools. Neuroscience Research Notes, 3(5), 13-22. Fashar, A. (2009). Critical Thinking. Translation by Dr. Yasser Al-Otaibi, Dar Al-Sayyid for Publishing. Lina, P., Ahmed, H. A., & Alharbi, I. B. (2022). Scientometric analysis of scientific literature on neuromarketing tools in advertising. Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, 8(5), 1-12. Mehran, M. (1994). An Introduction to Visual Logic. Dar Al-Thaqafa for Publishing and Distribution. Mahmoud, D. M. (2022). Al-Ghazali's Logic in Contemporary Iraqi Studies. Philosophy Department. Nahar, N. B. (2016). Introduction to the Science of Logic. Awaei Foundation for Studies and Research, 2nd Edition. Waller, B. N. (Translated by M. F. Al-Yahya). (1988). Critical Thinking: Study Judgment. Al-Hibr Electronic Library.

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Logic and Critical Thinking: An Introduction for Muslim Students

Edward ryan moad.

274 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2017

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Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking

(10 reviews)

Matthew Van Cleave, Lansing Community College

Copyright Year: 2016

Publisher: Matthew J. Van Cleave

Language: English

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Reviewed by "yusef" Alexander Hayes, Professor, North Shore Community College on 6/9/21

Formal and informal reasoning, argument structure, and fallacies are covered comprehensively, meeting the author's goal of both depth and succinctness. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Formal and informal reasoning, argument structure, and fallacies are covered comprehensively, meeting the author's goal of both depth and succinctness.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book is accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

While many modern examples are used, and they are helpful, they are not necessarily needed. The usefulness of logical principles and skills have proved themselves, and this text presents them clearly with many examples.

Clarity rating: 5

It is obvious that the author cares about their subject, audience, and students. The text is comprehensible and interesting.

Consistency rating: 5

The format is easy to understand and is consistent in framing.

Modularity rating: 5

This text would be easy to adapt.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization is excellent, my one suggestion would be a concluding chapter.

Interface rating: 5

I accessed the PDF version and it would be easy to work with.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The writing is excellent.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is not an offensive text.

Reviewed by Susan Rottmann, Part-time Lecturer, University of Southern Maine on 3/2/21

I reviewed this book for a course titled "Creative and Critical Inquiry into Modern Life." It won't meet all my needs for that course, but I haven't yet found a book that would. I wanted to review this one because it states in the preface that it... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

I reviewed this book for a course titled "Creative and Critical Inquiry into Modern Life." It won't meet all my needs for that course, but I haven't yet found a book that would. I wanted to review this one because it states in the preface that it fits better for a general critical thinking course than for a true logic course. I'm not sure that I'd agree. I have been using Browne and Keeley's "Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking," and I think that book is a better introduction to critical thinking for non-philosophy majors. However, the latter is not open source so I will figure out how to get by without it in the future. Overall, the book seems comprehensive if the subject is logic. The index is on the short-side, but fine. However, one issue for me is that there are no page numbers on the table of contents, which is pretty annoying if you want to locate particular sections.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I didn't find any errors. In general the book uses great examples. However, they are very much based in the American context, not for an international student audience. Some effort to broaden the chosen examples would make the book more widely applicable.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I think the book will remain relevant because of the nature of the material that it addresses, however there will be a need to modify the examples in future editions and as the social and political context changes.

Clarity rating: 3

The text is lucid, but I think it would be difficult for introductory-level students who are not philosophy majors. For example, in Browne and Keeley's "Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking," the sub-headings are very accessible, such as "Experts cannot rescue us, despite what they say" or "wishful thinking: perhaps the biggest single speed bump on the road to critical thinking." By contrast, Van Cleave's "Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking" has more subheadings like this: "Using your own paraphrases of premises and conclusions to reconstruct arguments in standard form" or "Propositional logic and the four basic truth functional connectives." If students are prepared very well for the subject, it would work fine, but for students who are newly being introduced to critical thinking, it is rather technical.

It seems to be very consistent in terms of its terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 4

The book is divided into 4 chapters, each having many sub-chapters. In that sense, it is readily divisible and modular. However, as noted above, there are no page numbers on the table of contents, which would make assigning certain parts rather frustrating. Also, I'm not sure why the book is only four chapter and has so many subheadings (for instance 17 in Chapter 2) and a length of 242 pages. Wouldn't it make more sense to break up the book into shorter chapters? I think this would make it easier to read and to assign in specific blocks to students.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The organization of the book is fine overall, although I think adding page numbers to the table of contents and breaking it up into more separate chapters would help it to be more easily navigable.

Interface rating: 4

The book is very simply presented. In my opinion it is actually too simple. There are few boxes or diagrams that highlight and explain important points.

The text seems fine grammatically. I didn't notice any errors.

The book is written with an American audience in mind, but I did not notice culturally insensitive or offensive parts.

Overall, this book is not for my course, but I think it could work well in a philosophy course.

Reviewed by Daniel Lee, Assistant Professor of Economics and Leadership, Sweet Briar College on 11/11/19

This textbook is not particularly comprehensive (4 chapters long), but I view that as a benefit. In fact, I recommend it for use outside of traditional logic classes, but rather interdisciplinary classes that evaluate argument read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This textbook is not particularly comprehensive (4 chapters long), but I view that as a benefit. In fact, I recommend it for use outside of traditional logic classes, but rather interdisciplinary classes that evaluate argument

To the best of my ability, I regard this content as accurate, error-free, and unbiased

The book is broadly relevant and up-to-date, with a few stray temporal references (sydney olympics, particular presidencies). I don't view these time-dated examples as problematic as the logical underpinnings are still there and easily assessed

Clarity rating: 4

My only pushback on clarity is I didn't find the distinction between argument and explanation particularly helpful/useful/easy to follow. However, this experience may have been unique to my class.

To the best of my ability, I regard this content as internally consistent

I found this text quite modular, and was easily able to integrate other texts into my lessons and disregard certain chapters or sub-sections

The book had a logical and consistent structure, but to the extent that there are only 4 chapters, there isn't much scope for alternative approaches here

No problems with the book's interface

The text is grammatically sound

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Perhaps the text could have been more universal in its approach. While I didn't find the book insensitive per-se, logic can be tricky here because the point is to evaluate meaningful (non-trivial) arguments, but any argument with that sense of gravity can also be traumatic to students (abortion, death penalty, etc)

No additional comments

Reviewed by Lisa N. Thomas-Smith, Graduate Part-time Instructor, CU Boulder on 7/1/19

The text covers all the relevant technical aspects of introductory logic and critical thinking, and covers them well. A separate glossary would be quite helpful to students. However, the terms are clearly and thoroughly explained within the text,... read more

The text covers all the relevant technical aspects of introductory logic and critical thinking, and covers them well. A separate glossary would be quite helpful to students. However, the terms are clearly and thoroughly explained within the text, and the index is very thorough.

The content is excellent. The text is thorough and accurate with no errors that I could discern. The terminology and exercises cover the material nicely and without bias.

The text should easily stand the test of time. The exercises are excellent and would be very helpful for students to internalize correct critical thinking practices. Because of the logical arrangement of the text and the many sub-sections, additional material should be very easy to add.

The text is extremely clearly and simply written. I anticipate that a diligent student could learn all of the material in the text with little additional instruction. The examples are relevant and easy to follow.

The text did not confuse terms or use inconsistent terminology, which is very important in a logic text. The discipline often uses multiple terms for the same concept, but this text avoids that trap nicely.

The text is fairly easily divisible. Since there are only four chapters, those chapters include large blocks of information. However, the chapters themselves are very well delineated and could be easily broken up so that parts could be left out or covered in a different order from the text.

The flow of the text is excellent. All of the information is handled solidly in an order that allows the student to build on the information previously covered.

The PDF Table of Contents does not include links or page numbers which would be very helpful for navigation. Other than that, the text was very easy to navigate. All the images, charts, and graphs were very clear

I found no grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text including examples and exercises did not seem to be offensive or insensitive in any specific way. However, the examples included references to black and white people, but few others. Also, the text is very American specific with many examples from and for an American audience. More diversity, especially in the examples, would be appropriate and appreciated.

Reviewed by Leslie Aarons, Associate Professor of Philosophy, CUNY LaGuardia Community College on 5/16/19

This is an excellent introductory (first-year) Logic and Critical Thinking textbook. The book covers the important elementary information, clearly discussing such things as the purpose and basic structure of an argument; the difference between an... read more

This is an excellent introductory (first-year) Logic and Critical Thinking textbook. The book covers the important elementary information, clearly discussing such things as the purpose and basic structure of an argument; the difference between an argument and an explanation; validity; soundness; and the distinctions between an inductive and a deductive argument in accessible terms in the first chapter. It also does a good job introducing and discussing informal fallacies (Chapter 4). The incorporation of opportunities to evaluate real-world arguments is also very effective. Chapter 2 also covers a number of formal methods of evaluating arguments, such as Venn Diagrams and Propositional logic and the four basic truth functional connectives, but to my mind, it is much more thorough in its treatment of Informal Logic and Critical Thinking skills, than it is of formal logic. I also appreciated that Van Cleave’s book includes exercises with answers and an index, but there is no glossary; which I personally do not find detracts from the book's comprehensiveness.

Overall, Van Cleave's book is error-free and unbiased. The language used is accessible and engaging. There were no glaring inaccuracies that I was able to detect.

Van Cleave's Textbook uses relevant, contemporary content that will stand the test of time, at least for the next few years. Although some examples use certain subjects like former President Obama, it does so in a useful manner that inspires the use of critical thinking skills. There are an abundance of examples that inspire students to look at issues from many different political viewpoints, challenging students to practice evaluating arguments, and identifying fallacies. Many of these exercises encourage students to critique issues, and recognize their own inherent reader-biases and challenge their own beliefs--hallmarks of critical thinking.

As mentioned previously, the author has an accessible style that makes the content relatively easy to read and engaging. He also does a suitable job explaining jargon/technical language that is introduced in the textbook.

Van Cleave uses terminology consistently and the chapters flow well. The textbook orients the reader by offering effective introductions to new material, step-by-step explanations of the material, as well as offering clear summaries of each lesson.

This textbook's modularity is really quite good. Its language and structure are not overly convoluted or too-lengthy, making it convenient for individual instructors to adapt the materials to suit their methodological preferences.

The topics in the textbook are presented in a logical and clear fashion. The structure of the chapters are such that it is not necessary to have to follow the chapters in their sequential order, and coverage of material can be adapted to individual instructor's preferences.

The textbook is free of any problematic interface issues. Topics, sections and specific content are accessible and easy to navigate. Overall it is user-friendly.

I did not find any significant grammatical issues with the textbook.

The textbook is not culturally insensitive, making use of a diversity of inclusive examples. Materials are especially effective for first-year critical thinking/logic students.

I intend to adopt Van Cleave's textbook for a Critical Thinking class I am teaching at the Community College level. I believe that it will help me facilitate student-learning, and will be a good resource to build additional classroom activities from the materials it provides.

Reviewed by Jennie Harrop, Chair, Department of Professional Studies, George Fox University on 3/27/18

While the book is admirably comprehensive, its extensive details within a few short chapters may feel overwhelming to students. The author tackles an impressive breadth of concepts in Chapter 1, 2, 3, and 4, which leads to 50-plus-page chapters... read more

While the book is admirably comprehensive, its extensive details within a few short chapters may feel overwhelming to students. The author tackles an impressive breadth of concepts in Chapter 1, 2, 3, and 4, which leads to 50-plus-page chapters that are dense with statistical analyses and critical vocabulary. These topics are likely better broached in manageable snippets rather than hefty single chapters.

The ideas addressed in Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking are accurate but at times notably political. While politics are effectively used to exemplify key concepts, some students may be distracted by distinct political leanings.

The terms and definitions included are relevant, but the examples are specific to the current political, cultural, and social climates, which could make the materials seem dated in a few years without intentional and consistent updates.

While the reasoning is accurate, the author tends to complicate rather than simplify -- perhaps in an effort to cover a spectrum of related concepts. Beginning readers are likely to be overwhelmed and under-encouraged by his approach.

Consistency rating: 3

The four chapters are somewhat consistent in their play of definition, explanation, and example, but the structure of each chapter varies according to the concepts covered. In the third chapter, for example, key ideas are divided into sub-topics numbering from 3.1 to 3.10. In the fourth chapter, the sub-divisions are further divided into sub-sections numbered 4.1.1-4.1.5, 4.2.1-4.2.2, and 4.3.1 to 4.3.6. Readers who are working quickly to master new concepts may find themselves mired in similarly numbered subheadings, longing for a grounded concepts on which to hinge other key principles.

Modularity rating: 3

The book's four chapters make it mostly self-referential. The author would do well to beak this text down into additional subsections, easing readers' accessibility.

The content of the book flows logically and well, but the information needs to be better sub-divided within each larger chapter, easing the student experience.

The book's interface is effective, allowing readers to move from one section to the next with a single click. Additional sub-sections would ease this interplay even further.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Some minor errors throughout.

For the most part, the book is culturally neutral, avoiding direct cultural references in an effort to remain relevant.

Reviewed by Yoichi Ishida, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Ohio University on 2/1/18

This textbook covers enough topics for a first-year course on logic and critical thinking. Chapter 1 covers the basics as in any standard textbook in this area. Chapter 2 covers propositional logic and categorical logic. In propositional logic,... read more

This textbook covers enough topics for a first-year course on logic and critical thinking. Chapter 1 covers the basics as in any standard textbook in this area. Chapter 2 covers propositional logic and categorical logic. In propositional logic, this textbook does not cover suppositional arguments, such as conditional proof and reductio ad absurdum. But other standard argument forms are covered. Chapter 3 covers inductive logic, and here this textbook introduces probability and its relationship with cognitive biases, which are rarely discussed in other textbooks. Chapter 4 introduces common informal fallacies. The answers to all the exercises are given at the end. However, the last set of exercises is in Chapter 3, Section 5. There are no exercises in the rest of the chapter. Chapter 4 has no exercises either. There is index, but no glossary.

The textbook is accurate.

The content of this textbook will not become obsolete soon.

The textbook is written clearly.

The textbook is internally consistent.

The textbook is fairly modular. For example, Chapter 3, together with a few sections from Chapter 1, can be used as a short introduction to inductive logic.

The textbook is well-organized.

There are no interface issues.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

This textbook is relevant to a first semester logic or critical thinking course.

Reviewed by Payal Doctor, Associate Professro, LaGuardia Community College on 2/1/18

This text is a beginner textbook for arguments and propositional logic. It covers the basics of identifying arguments, building arguments, and using basic logic to construct propositions and arguments. It is quite comprehensive for a beginner... read more

This text is a beginner textbook for arguments and propositional logic. It covers the basics of identifying arguments, building arguments, and using basic logic to construct propositions and arguments. It is quite comprehensive for a beginner book, but seems to be a good text for a course that needs a foundation for arguments. There are exercises on creating truth tables and proofs, so it could work as a logic primer in short sessions or with the addition of other course content.

The books is accurate in the information it presents. It does not contain errors and is unbiased. It covers the essential vocabulary clearly and givens ample examples and exercises to ensure the student understands the concepts

The content of the book is up to date and can be easily updated. Some examples are very current for analyzing the argument structure in a speech, but for this sort of text understandable examples are important and the author uses good examples.

The book is clear and easy to read. In particular, this is a good text for community college students who often have difficulty with reading comprehension. The language is straightforward and concepts are well explained.

The book is consistent in terminology, formatting, and examples. It flows well from one topic to the next, but it is also possible to jump around the text without loosing the voice of the text.

The books is broken down into sub units that make it easy to assign short blocks of content at a time. Later in the text, it does refer to a few concepts that appear early in that text, but these are all basic concepts that must be used to create a clear and understandable text. No sections are too long and each section stays on topic and relates the topic to those that have come before when necessary.

The flow of the text is logical and clear. It begins with the basic building blocks of arguments, and practice identifying more and more complex arguments is offered. Each chapter builds up from the previous chapter in introducing propositional logic, truth tables, and logical arguments. A select number of fallacies are presented at the end of the text, but these are related to topics that were presented before, so it makes sense to have these last.

The text is free if interface issues. I used the PDF and it worked fine on various devices without loosing formatting.

1. The book contains no grammatical errors.

The text is culturally sensitive, but examples used are a bit odd and may be objectionable to some students. For instance, President Obama's speech on Syria is used to evaluate an extended argument. This is an excellent example and it is explained well, but some who disagree with Obama's policies may have trouble moving beyond their own politics. However, other examples look at issues from all political viewpoints and ask students to evaluate the argument, fallacy, etc. and work towards looking past their own beliefs. Overall this book does use a variety of examples that most students can understand and evaluate.

My favorite part of this book is that it seems to be written for community college students. My students have trouble understanding readings in the New York Times, so it is nice to see a logic and critical thinking text use real language that students can understand and follow without the constant need of a dictionary.

Reviewed by Rebecca Owen, Adjunct Professor, Writing, Chemeketa Community College on 6/20/17

This textbook is quite thorough--there are conversational explanations of argument structure and logic. I think students will be happy with the conversational style this author employs. Also, there are many examples and exercises using current... read more

This textbook is quite thorough--there are conversational explanations of argument structure and logic. I think students will be happy with the conversational style this author employs. Also, there are many examples and exercises using current events, funny scenarios, or other interesting ways to evaluate argument structure and validity. The third section, which deals with logical fallacies, is very clear and comprehensive. My only critique of the material included in the book is that the middle section may be a bit dense and math-oriented for learners who appreciate the more informal, informative style of the first and third section. Also, the book ends rather abruptly--it moves from a description of a logical fallacy to the answers for the exercises earlier in the text.

The content is very reader-friendly, and the author writes with authority and clarity throughout the text. There are a few surface-level typos (Starbuck's instead of Starbucks, etc.). None of these small errors detract from the quality of the content, though.

One thing I really liked about this text was the author's wide variety of examples. To demonstrate different facets of logic, he used examples from current media, movies, literature, and many other concepts that students would recognize from their daily lives. The exercises in this text also included these types of pop-culture references, and I think students will enjoy the familiarity--as well as being able to see the logical structures behind these types of references. I don't think the text will need to be updated to reflect new instances and occurrences; the author did a fine job at picking examples that are relatively timeless. As far as the subject matter itself, I don't think it will become obsolete any time soon.

The author writes in a very conversational, easy-to-read manner. The examples used are quite helpful. The third section on logical fallacies is quite easy to read, follow, and understand. A student in an argument writing class could benefit from this section of the book. The middle section is less clear, though. A student learning about the basics of logic might have a hard time digesting all of the information contained in chapter two. This material might be better in two separate chapters. I think the author loses the balance of a conversational, helpful tone and focuses too heavily on equations.

Consistency rating: 4

Terminology in this book is quite consistent--the key words are highlighted in bold. Chapters 1 and 3 follow a similar organizational pattern, but chapter 2 is where the material becomes more dense and equation-heavy. I also would have liked a closing passage--something to indicate to the reader that we've reached the end of the chapter as well as the book.

I liked the overall structure of this book. If I'm teaching an argumentative writing class, I could easily point the students to the chapters where they can identify and practice identifying fallacies, for instance. The opening chapter is clear in defining the necessary terms, and it gives the students an understanding of the toolbox available to them in assessing and evaluating arguments. Even though I found the middle section to be dense, smaller portions could be assigned.

The author does a fine job connecting each defined term to the next. He provides examples of how each defined term works in a sentence or in an argument, and then he provides practice activities for students to try. The answers for each question are listed in the final pages of the book. The middle section feels like the heaviest part of the whole book--it would take the longest time for a student to digest if assigned the whole chapter. Even though this middle section is a bit heavy, it does fit the overall structure and flow of the book. New material builds on previous chapters and sub-chapters. It ends abruptly--I didn't realize that it had ended, and all of a sudden I found myself in the answer section for those earlier exercises.

The simple layout is quite helpful! There is nothing distracting, image-wise, in this text. The table of contents is clearly arranged, and each topic is easy to find.

Tiny edits could be made (Starbuck's/Starbucks, for one). Otherwise, it is free of distracting grammatical errors.

This text is quite culturally relevant. For instance, there is one example that mentions the rumors of Barack Obama's birthplace as somewhere other than the United States. This example is used to explain how to analyze an argument for validity. The more "sensational" examples (like the Obama one above) are helpful in showing argument structure, and they can also help students see how rumors like this might gain traction--as well as help to show students how to debunk them with their newfound understanding of argument and logic.

The writing style is excellent for the subject matter, especially in the third section explaining logical fallacies. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this text!

Reviewed by Laurel Panser, Instructor, Riverland Community College on 6/20/17

This is a review of Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, an open source book version 1.4 by Matthew Van Cleave. The comparison book used was Patrick J. Hurley’s A Concise Introduction to Logic 12th Edition published by Cengage as well as... read more

This is a review of Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, an open source book version 1.4 by Matthew Van Cleave. The comparison book used was Patrick J. Hurley’s A Concise Introduction to Logic 12th Edition published by Cengage as well as the 13th edition with the same title. Lori Watson is the second author on the 13th edition.

Competing with Hurley is difficult with respect to comprehensiveness. For example, Van Cleave’s book is comprehensive to the extent that it probably covers at least two-thirds or more of what is dealt with in most introductory, one-semester logic courses. Van Cleave’s chapter 1 provides an overview of argumentation including discerning non-arguments from arguments, premises versus conclusions, deductive from inductive arguments, validity, soundness and more. Much of Van Cleave’s chapter 1 parallel’s Hurley’s chapter 1. Hurley’s chapter 3 regarding informal fallacies is comprehensive while Van Cleave’s chapter 4 on this topic is less extensive. Categorical propositions are a topic in Van Cleave’s chapter 2; Hurley’s chapters 4 and 5 provide more instruction on this, however. Propositional logic is another topic in Van Cleave’s chapter 2; Hurley’s chapters 6 and 7 provide more information on this, though. Van Cleave did discuss messy issues of language meaning briefly in his chapter 1; that is the topic of Hurley’s chapter 2.

Van Cleave’s book includes exercises with answers and an index. A glossary was not included.

Reviews of open source textbooks typically include criteria besides comprehensiveness. These include comments on accuracy of the information, whether the book will become obsolete soon, jargon-free clarity to the extent that is possible, organization, navigation ease, freedom from grammar errors and cultural relevance; Van Cleave’s book is fine in all of these areas. Further criteria for open source books includes modularity and consistency of terminology. Modularity is defined as including blocks of learning material that are easy to assign to students. Hurley’s book has a greater degree of modularity than Van Cleave’s textbook. The prose Van Cleave used is consistent.

Van Cleave’s book will not become obsolete soon.

Van Cleave’s book has accessible prose.

Van Cleave used terminology consistently.

Van Cleave’s book has a reasonable degree of modularity.

Van Cleave’s book is organized. The structure and flow of his book is fine.

Problems with navigation are not present.

Grammar problems were not present.

Van Cleave’s book is culturally relevant.

Van Cleave’s book is appropriate for some first semester logic courses.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Reconstructing and analyzing arguments

• 1.1 What is an argument?
• 1.2 Identifying arguments
• 1.3 Arguments vs. explanations
• 1.4 More complex argument structures
• 1.5 Using your own paraphrases of premises and conclusions to reconstruct arguments in standard form
• 1.6 Validity
• 1.7 Soundness
• 1.8 Deductive vs. inductive arguments
• 1.9 Arguments with missing premises
• 1.10 Assuring, guarding, and discounting
• 1.11 Evaluative language
• 1.12 Evaluating a real-life argument

Chapter 2: Formal methods of evaluating arguments

• 2.1 What is a formal method of evaluation and why do we need them?
• 2.2 Propositional logic and the four basic truth functional connectives
• 2.3 Negation and disjunction
• 2.4 Using parentheses to translate complex sentences
• 2.5 “Not both” and “neither nor”
• 2.6 The truth table test of validity
• 2.7 Conditionals
• 2.8 “Unless”
• 2.9 Material equivalence
• 2.10 Tautologies, contradictions, and contingent statements
• 2.11 Proofs and the 8 valid forms of inference
• 2.12 How to construct proofs
• 2.13 Short review of propositional logic
• 2.14 Categorical logic
• 2.15 The Venn test of validity for immediate categorical inferences
• 2.16 Universal statements and existential commitment
• 2.17 Venn validity for categorical syllogisms

Chapter 3: Evaluating inductive arguments and probabilistic and statistical fallacies

• 3.1 Inductive arguments and statistical generalizations
• 3.2 Inference to the best explanation and the seven explanatory virtues
• 3.3 Analogical arguments
• 3.4 Causal arguments
• 3.5 Probability
• 3.6 The conjunction fallacy
• 3.7 The base rate fallacy
• 3.8 The small numbers fallacy
• 3.9 Regression to the mean fallacy
• 3.10 Gambler's fallacy

Chapter 4: Informal fallacies

• 4.1 Formal vs. informal fallacies
• 4.1.1 Composition fallacy
• 4.1.2 Division fallacy
• 4.1.3 Begging the question fallacy
• 4.1.4 False dichotomy
• 4.1.5 Equivocation
• 4.2 Slippery slope fallacies
• 4.2.1 Conceptual slippery slope
• 4.2.2 Causal slippery slope
• 4.3 Fallacies of relevance
• 4.3.1 Ad hominem
• 4.3.2 Straw man
• 4.3.3 Tu quoque
• 4.3.4 Genetic
• 4.3.5 Appeal to consequences
• 4.3.6 Appeal to authority

Answers to exercises Glossary/Index

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This is an introductory textbook in logic and critical thinking. The goal of the textbook is to provide the reader with a set of tools and skills that will enable them to identify and evaluate arguments. The book is intended for an introductory course that covers both formal and informal logic. As such, it is not a formal logic textbook, but is closer to what one would find marketed as a “critical thinking textbook.”

About the Contributors

Matthew Van Cleave ,   PhD, Philosophy, University of Cincinnati, 2007.  VAP at Concordia College (Moorhead), 2008-2012.  Assistant Professor at Lansing Community College, 2012-2016. Professor at Lansing Community College, 2016-

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