McGraw-Hill Connect is a subscription-based learning service accessible online through your personal computer or tablet. 5. Conspiracy theories are also popular, including that the Holocaust never happened and that the terrorist attacks on the United States of 11 September 2001 were an inside job. Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College, 7th Edition. I might even gift it to a friend or coworker that I think would be most receptive to what a book like this has in store. Its just recognising that, though we might not be able to explain the reports, theyre likely to crop up occasionally anyway, whether or not alien visitors, ghosts or fairies actually exist. It's about as entertaining a book on the subject as one could find, and includes a lot of epistemology, informal logic, and philosophy of science. By explaining what distinguishes knowledge from opinion, science from pseudoscience, and evidence from hearsay, How to Think about Weird Thingshelps the reader develop the skills needed to tell the true from the false and the reasonable from the unreasonable. To what extent can we even trust the supposed scientific experts? My wife read the previous edition in a philosophy course in college, and drew a lot from it. This concise and engaging text teaches the basic principles of good reasoning through an examination of widely held beliefs about the paranormal, the supernatural, and the mysterious. ISBN-10 0078038367 | ISBN-13 9780078038365 Published by McGraw-Hill DOWNLOAD NOW | READ ONLINE Book Summary: This brief, inexpensive text helps students think critically, using examples from. 7th Edition Critical thinking reading and writing 7th edition ebook may have wear andor considerable writing, ships. They believe in the literal truth of the Biblical account of creation: that the entire Universe is under 10,000 years old, with all species being created as described in the Book of Genesis. Are several such cases involving multiple witnesses and backed up by some hard evidence (eg, a radar blip) good evidence that there are alien craft in our skies? Heres the second thing that Schick and Vaughn set at the front and center of critical thinking, and which I would put this way: There are things, in other words, that are logically possible but not physically possible. So, while ghosts might be weird, thats no reason to dismiss belief in them out of hand. Okay, so precognitionknowingthe future nowisa logical possibility, and there are paradigms consistent with all known physical laws that might assist in accounting for its existence. Perhaps the most obvious strategy we can employ when a belief in which we have invested a great deal is threatened is to start explaining away the evidence. Well, it is of course possible that Jane is playing a prank on me with her wet coat and brolly. This binder-ready, loose-leaf version includes free shipping.Complete system requirements to use Connect can be found here: http://www.mheducation.com/highered/platforms/connect/training-support-students.html. As an aside to this central point about logical possibility and physical impossibility, Schick and Vaughn also discuss technological possibility:a thing may betechnologically possible, but may never become actual. An illustration ofhow Schick and Vaughn bring their reflections on paradigms, logical possibility, and physical impossibility together is in their discussion of precognition: what are we to make of people who claim tohave seenthe future? The textbook How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age (2019, 8th ed) by the philosophers Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn, offers step-by-step advice on sorting through reasons, evaluating evidence and judging the veracity of a claim. You don't enjoy talking too much because you are an introvert. Mainstream religions are often committed to miracles and gods. Not if Simon actually made many thousands of predictions and most didnt come true. Uploaded by So if the future is determined, as precognition suggests, then only one course of action is open to you, and you are not free to do otherwise. This view of the universe has come to be known as the 'block universe' view because it takes the universe to be a static, unchanging 'block.' But the universe doesn't seem static. Amazon.com: How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age: 9780078038365: Schick, Theodore, Vaughn, Lewis: Books Amazon.com: How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age: 9780078038365: Schick, Theodore, Vaughn, Lewis: Books Skip to main content .us Hello Select your address In particular, we have a strong tendency to overdetect agency to think we are witnessing a person, an alien or some other sort of creature or being where in truth theres none. List Price: $ 25.67 Savings*: $1.68. Format: Paperback. Given overwhelming evidence that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at 1 atmosphere, a single experiment that appeared to contradict that claim might reasonably be explained away as a result of some unidentified experimental error. Total Price: $23.99. The police officer Ross Denson drove over to investigate and saw what he described as something half the size of the Moon hanging over the plant. A security guard then reported a strange object. I have trouble explaining why that was exactly, but it was difficult for me to pick the book up again after that first reading. Dave believes dogs are spies from the planet Venus that dogs are Venusian imposters on Earth sending secret reports back to Venus in preparation for their imminent invasion of our planet. Discover your study material at Stuvia. How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age, 7th Edition ISBN10: 0078038367 | ISBN13: 9780078038365 By Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn 2014 Purchase Options: Lowest Price! Some very interesting case studies to go along with your critical thinking education here. An Introduction to the nature of scientific reasoning and the application of inductive and critical thinking skills and discourse to claims regarding folk theories, evolution, and other controversial issues. How easily people can come to believe something that is not reflective of their own beliefs or personal experience. http://www.ted.com Why do people see the Virgin Mary on cheese sandwiches or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? From the UFO photo archives of Gordon MacDonald, From discs in the sky to faces in toast, learn to weigh evidence sceptically without becoming a closed-minded naysayer. Consequently, they fail to provide strong evidence for such beings. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The methodology presented by Shermer allows one to think clearly and understand why humans want to believe in so many false things. One example of our tendency to overdetect agency is pareidolia: our tendency to find patterns and, in particular, faces in random noise. Scientific Methodology 1. He has always cared more for truth than for consistency. In short, when it comes to belief in weird things, the stakes can be very high indeed. The former US president Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy were reported to have consulted an astrologer before making any major political decision. Save up to 80% versus print by going digital with VitalSource. One such piece of toast that was said to show the face of the Virgin Mary (how do we know what she looked like?) Other Editions of How to Think about Weird Things How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age - 7th edition Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2019. Thus he has always believed that there was such a thing as fate, but such a thing as free will also. cut off text on some pages due to tight margin. Definitely one of those books you keep on the shelf and hold on to and return to years down the road. For example, when we observe a movement or pattern we cant understand, such as the retrograde motion of a planet in the night sky, were likely to think the movement is explained by some hidden agent working behind the scenes (that Mars is actually a god, say). The lesson (to echo Shakespeare): there may well be more things in our material heaven and Earthandoutside of themthanare dreamtof in our current philosophiesorparadigmsHoratio. Notice howSchick and Vaughnfirst make the very coherence of the idea dependent on logic, and the nature of the paradigms and evidence surrounding it: [T]here are models of physical reality, consistent with all known physical laws, in which the future does exist now. October 1994. Note: Supplemental material (e.g. Choose this option if your instructor will require Connect to be used in the course. Not your idea of fun? . 6. If he saw two truths that seemed to contradict each other, he would take the two truths and the contradiction along with them. How to Think About Weird Things Critical Thinking for a New Age by Theodore Schick, Lewis Vaughn, and Theodore, Jr. Schick. . But, of course, despite the possibility of his endlessly explaining away any and all counterevidence, Daves belief is absurd. This concise and engaging text teaches the basic principles of good reasoning through an examination of widely held beliefs about the paranormal, the supernatural, and the mysterious. Clearly this therapy has some benefits! But the truth is that such accumulated anecdotes are usually largely worthless as evidence. Any theory, no matter how absurd, can, with sufficient ingenuity be made to fit the evidence: even Daves theory that dogs are Venusian spies. Of course, we have our hunches about whats most likely to be true. I couldn't stop thinking about how this book was, "so cool." I ended up asking my prof if there were better books out there that discussed critical thinking. 4. Mayfield Publishing Company. Heres another example. Peddlers of alternative medicine and faith healing charge exorbitant fees for their cures for terminal illnesses. Finally I Can Win Arguments With Internet Trolls, Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2018. And who wouldn't want to be able to give an informed answer when asked why exactly UFO reports are unworthy of credence? As someone who finds himself more and more irritated by irrational thinking (despite my own gaping biases that lead to it), I was really interested in reading this book. I bought it because I love to learn. A book called The Monuments of Mars: A City on the Edge of Forever (1987) even speculated about this lost civilisation. I really enjoyed the chapter on medical miracle cures. Those babies took milk and turned it into 12 pounds of flesh, bone, and brain. Intriguing articles, practical know-how and immersive films, straight to your inbox. Sloppy thinker? But suppose Fred adds that, during her visit, Alice flew around the room by flapping her arms. Privacy Statement, Stuvia is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university, Comme convenu! That understanding can also help you actively influence the decision making of others, for better or worse. Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020, Its a good book just was in bad condition when I recieved it.I hope it isnt marked against me as a good result of the way it look, Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2021, Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020, Using this book for my critical thinking class. It's weird, when you think about it, that swapping spit seems romantic. You will find more lots books in various disciplines. It concentrates on weird things, as the title indicates. This concise and engaging text teaches the basic principles of good reasoning through an examination of widely held beliefs about the paranormal, the supernatural, and the mysterious. helps the reader develop the skills needed to tell the true from the false and the reasonable from the unreasonable. Einstein's theory of relativity provides a way of looking at the universe that makes it both logically and physically possible for the future to exist now. Acknowledgement of cultural contexts should always be a part of knowledge sharing and building. Lives have certainly been lost. The ones that you choose to put on your plate interact with each otherand, if you choose wildly, they can challenge your very own intellectual coherence. Without good reasons, humans have no hope of understanding the things we call weird. Nearby, a sinister secret lurks in the depths of a government lab. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making How to Think about Weird Things a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses. However, abandoning a belief isnt always so easy. I believe the single biggest failing of American education today is its focus on memorization and regurgitation, along with just enough basic arithmetic to work at WalMart, and its total neglect of critical thinking skills. Polls indicate that a third or more of US citizens believe that the Universe is less than 10,000 years old. People believe weird things because of wishful thinking and continue to believe in those things despite contrary evidence because they are unwilling to alter preconceived notions. We've been thinking from the moment we're born, but are we thinking in the most efficient way? Psyche is a digital magazine from Aeon that illuminates the human condition through psychology, philosophy and the arts. 14 day loan required to access PDF files. When is a claim strongly confirmed by a piece of evidence? No matter how much evidence is presented to Dave, its always possible for him to cook up another explanation. Very useful book for understanding sound scientific and logical principles for evaluating information. Thats pretty strong evidence its raining. The first chapter of this book left a poor taste in my mouth. The next night, the UFO appeared again. Your weirdness is a differentiator. Kissing allows people to use smell and taste to assess each other as potential mates. How to think about weird things : critical thinking for a new age: 1. Easily people can come to believe in so many false things the course charge fees... Are unworthy of credence that how to think about weird things summary Universe is less than 10,000 years old that Jane is playing prank... 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