fxm
6th July 2008, 09:17 PM
I guess I have an affinity for books with covers that depict people painting themselves into corners. After reviewing Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) some months ago, I'm back with a review of When Good Thinking Goes Bad, by Todd C. Riniolo, professor of psychology at Medaille College.
This book is divided into three parts. The four chapters in Part I introduce critical thinking and some of the techniques used to apply it to the evaluation of claims. The author also stresses the importance of applying critical thinking not only to evaluating claims (such as paranormal and pseudoscientific ones), but also in everyday life. For someone who is new to skepticism and critical thinking, it's a good introduction to the basics: taking an evidence-based approach to answering questions, recognizing that experts are not always right, double-blind experiments, the placebo effect, Occam's razor, and how probabilities can be counter-intuitive. An experienced skeptic should be able to skim through this part of the book, as the material should already be familiar.
The five chapters in Part II delve into some of the reasons why critical thinking requires conscious effort and discipline, and how everyone, skeptics included, don't always apply it consistently. Chapters 5 through 7 discuss the influence of human evolutionary heritage on how we think, covering our pattern-seeking nature and our tendency to stick to beliefs, whether true or false, in spite of disconfirming evidence. Chapter 8 covers the role of emotions in maintaining beliefs. Again, for most skeptics, this should be be familiar territory. Chapter 9 includes two case examples of inconsistent critical thinking, one involving the author himself, and another about a renowned scientist.
I found Part III of the book to be the most interesting, as it provides several examples of how anyone, even those of us calling ourselves skeptics, can fail to apply critical thinking consistently. Chapter 10 compares global warming to psychic claims, and how critical thinking on the latter stands in stark contrast to that on the former, where it seems that many people, including self-described skeptics, toss their critical thinking skills out the window once they've decide to support one side of the argument or the other. Chapter 11 provides an example from politics, another area in which critical thinking is too easily suspended: did the tax cuts of the 1980s really cause the US federal deficit to increase? Chapter 12 discusses discrimination and multicultural claims and alternative explanations for what may appear to be discriminatory practices; too often, however, accusation of discrimination shifts the burden of proof to the accused to clear themselves, especially when they are disliked (such as a corporation). Chapter 13 discusses economics and similarities between economists and skeptics -- both groups often being treated as "bad guys". There are several examples of experts in other fields who have made economic predictions or pronouncements without having even the most basic understanding of economic principles.
In the final chapter, the author argues that perpetuating the myth of Santa Claus with young children does not undermine the development of their critical thinking skills, contrary to claims by others in the skeptical community (such as Tom Flynn in his book, The Trouble with Christmas). There has been no evidence to support such claims, and the author argues that letting children discover the truth behind the Santa myth (which most do between age 6 and age 8) could be a useful first exercise in critical thinking.
This is a fine primer for those new to skepticism. It is very accessible, with numerous examples and plenty of references for anyone interested in learning more. Even if you're an old hand at skepticism and can apply critical thinking to the typical paranormal/pseudoscience claims, I would still recommend this book -- skim through the first eight chapters for background, then read chapters 9 and later thoroughly. If nothing else, it should help you to ask questions about yourself and how much you really are thinking critically about information pertaining to emotionally-charged issues. (I would then recommend reading Mistakes Were Made, if you haven't already, for a deeper look into cognitive dissonance.)
My only complaint about the book is the relatively poor editing and proofreading. There are numerous grammatical errors, misspellings, word-for-word repetitions, and parenthetical expressions, which distract from the readability of the otherwise excellent content. It's not enough to stop me from recommending this book, to both the beginner and the experienced skeptic.
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thejamesrandi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1591025869&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=AF0C23&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&nou=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>
This book is divided into three parts. The four chapters in Part I introduce critical thinking and some of the techniques used to apply it to the evaluation of claims. The author also stresses the importance of applying critical thinking not only to evaluating claims (such as paranormal and pseudoscientific ones), but also in everyday life. For someone who is new to skepticism and critical thinking, it's a good introduction to the basics: taking an evidence-based approach to answering questions, recognizing that experts are not always right, double-blind experiments, the placebo effect, Occam's razor, and how probabilities can be counter-intuitive. An experienced skeptic should be able to skim through this part of the book, as the material should already be familiar.
The five chapters in Part II delve into some of the reasons why critical thinking requires conscious effort and discipline, and how everyone, skeptics included, don't always apply it consistently. Chapters 5 through 7 discuss the influence of human evolutionary heritage on how we think, covering our pattern-seeking nature and our tendency to stick to beliefs, whether true or false, in spite of disconfirming evidence. Chapter 8 covers the role of emotions in maintaining beliefs. Again, for most skeptics, this should be be familiar territory. Chapter 9 includes two case examples of inconsistent critical thinking, one involving the author himself, and another about a renowned scientist.
I found Part III of the book to be the most interesting, as it provides several examples of how anyone, even those of us calling ourselves skeptics, can fail to apply critical thinking consistently. Chapter 10 compares global warming to psychic claims, and how critical thinking on the latter stands in stark contrast to that on the former, where it seems that many people, including self-described skeptics, toss their critical thinking skills out the window once they've decide to support one side of the argument or the other. Chapter 11 provides an example from politics, another area in which critical thinking is too easily suspended: did the tax cuts of the 1980s really cause the US federal deficit to increase? Chapter 12 discusses discrimination and multicultural claims and alternative explanations for what may appear to be discriminatory practices; too often, however, accusation of discrimination shifts the burden of proof to the accused to clear themselves, especially when they are disliked (such as a corporation). Chapter 13 discusses economics and similarities between economists and skeptics -- both groups often being treated as "bad guys". There are several examples of experts in other fields who have made economic predictions or pronouncements without having even the most basic understanding of economic principles.
In the final chapter, the author argues that perpetuating the myth of Santa Claus with young children does not undermine the development of their critical thinking skills, contrary to claims by others in the skeptical community (such as Tom Flynn in his book, The Trouble with Christmas). There has been no evidence to support such claims, and the author argues that letting children discover the truth behind the Santa myth (which most do between age 6 and age 8) could be a useful first exercise in critical thinking.
This is a fine primer for those new to skepticism. It is very accessible, with numerous examples and plenty of references for anyone interested in learning more. Even if you're an old hand at skepticism and can apply critical thinking to the typical paranormal/pseudoscience claims, I would still recommend this book -- skim through the first eight chapters for background, then read chapters 9 and later thoroughly. If nothing else, it should help you to ask questions about yourself and how much you really are thinking critically about information pertaining to emotionally-charged issues. (I would then recommend reading Mistakes Were Made, if you haven't already, for a deeper look into cognitive dissonance.)
My only complaint about the book is the relatively poor editing and proofreading. There are numerous grammatical errors, misspellings, word-for-word repetitions, and parenthetical expressions, which distract from the readability of the otherwise excellent content. It's not enough to stop me from recommending this book, to both the beginner and the experienced skeptic.
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thejamesrandi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1591025869&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=AF0C23&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&nou=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>