Critical Reasoning and Philosophy

Critical Reasoning & Philosophy has been praised as an innovative and clearly written handbook that teaches new philosophy students how to read, evaluate, and write in a critical manner. Concise, accessible language and ample use of examples and study modules help students gain the basic knowledge necessary to succeed in undergraduate philosophy courses, and to apply that knowledge to achieve success in other disciplines as well. With a reorganized presentation, fresh modules, new examples and illustrations, the second edition is even more clear and accessible to students.

M. Andrew Holowchak is assistant professor of philosophy at Rider University. His research interests are principally in ancient philosophy, philosophy and history of science, Freudian psychoanalysis, critical reasoning, and philosophy of sport. He is the author of multiple books, including Ancient Science and Dreams, Happiness and Greek Ethical Thought, The Stoics, and Critical Reasoning and Science.

Preface Acknowledgements Part I: Introductory Concerns Module 1: What is Philosophy? Module 2: Philosophy & Critical Reasoning Part II: Reading Philosophy Module 3: General Form of a Philosophical Work Module 4: Four Helpful Steps Part III: Evaluating Philosophy Section A: Argument Recognition & Reconstruction Module 5: Elements of Argument Recognition Module 6: Standard Argument Form Section B: Argument Evaluation Module 7: Setting the Logical Boundaries Module 8: Conditions of Acceptance & Rejection Module 9: Three Common Deductive Arguments Module 10: Common Inductive Arguments Module 11: Common Fallacies Section C: Reconstruction through Diagramming Module 12: Fundamentals of Diagramming Module 13: 10 Diagrammatical Tips Part IV: Writing Philosophy Section A: Preliminaries for Philosophical Essays Module 14: 13 General Tips for Writing Module 15: Tips of Avoidance Module 16: Common Mistakes Section B: Writing Philosophical Essays Module 17: Preparing an Outline Module 18: Writing a Philosophical Thesis Module 19: Simple Critical Essay Module 20: Synthetic Critical Essay Section C: Revising & Rewriting Philosophical Essays Module 21: Motivating a Rewrite Module 22: Suggestions for Revising and Rewriting Essays Appendices Appendix A: Some Exercises for Diagramming Appendix B: Teacher/Student Comment Sheet Appendix C: Plan-for-Revision Sheet List of Sources Cited