Author Description

Reason in the Balance is a new and unique approach to critical thinking that focuses on the practice of inquiry - critical inquiry, rather than only the critique and evaluation of arguments. Learning how to use argumentation as a way to arrive at judgments, students are better equipped to think critically. Coming to a reasoned position on complex issues is at the heart of the kind of critical thinking which people do, yet students tend to have very little understanding of how to go about these types of inquiries. Emphasizing the spirit of inquiry and the creative dimension to critical thinking, including the construction of arguments and counter examples, instead of on the mechanics of critique, sets this book apart from its competitors.Through its focus on the practice of inquiry, Reason in the Balance equips students with the skills to make reasoned judgments.