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Albert Rutherford
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Elements of Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Guide to Effective Decision Making, Deep Analysis, Intelligent Reasoning, and Independent Thinking (The Critical Thinker Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Albert Rutherford (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 301 ratings
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Stay alert and avoid being tricked. Apply logic and analysis to your everyday life. Detect hidden assumptions, spot inconsistencies, and recognize dishonesty.
The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our thinking. And the quality of our thinking is often determined by the quality questions we ask from ourselves. Critical thinking is the art of asking relevant, necessary, and meaningful questions to discover the objective truth behind words, events, and opinions in general. Today we have more access to information than ever before. Information influences our world view and decisions often without us noticing it. Following wrong idols can lead us to bad decisions which lead to unhappiness and a dissatisfying life. When what’s “right, beautiful, successful, and cool” gets dictated around us we often forget to think for ourselves and make our own choices. Thus we make bad decisions based on the opinion of others – not even our own. Who should make your life choices for you? You’ve put your own thoughts, wishes, and opinions off for too long. It’s time for that to change. Elements of Critical Thinking provides you with unique insights into the nature of thinking and reasoning - why are we often so wrong, why we are so inclined to avoid the responsibility of thinking for ourselves, and how can we develop solid, objective patterns of thought. This book is a guide for the notoriously “trusting,” “overwhelmed,” and “gullible”. It is a deep psychological dive into what makes us stop thinking for ourselves, and how to systematically combat those compulsions. It’s a book that stands apart from others because of the plethora of real-life examples, studies, and solutions. If you wish to add to your critical thinking toolkit, you’ll find the step-by-step answer in here.
Elements of Critical Thinking lays out:
- The function of critical thinking and its main obstacles. - The varied elements of critical reasoning. - Important abilities and traits of critical thinkers. - The vocabulary of critical analysis, - The models essential to critical thinking. The most secure way of making good decisions is to have well-practiced and predictable strategies that you can use when you are faced with a problem that requires deeper analysis. This book will provide you with helpful exercises and tips to help you can find better solutions to your problems. - Learn the essential critical thinking skills when reading, writing, and speaking; - Be on your guard for hidden cognitive traps when shopping and interacting with advertisers. – Discover the tools and strategies can help you become a more disciplined thinker, developing your analytical, reasoning, and reflective thinking skills.
Be ready to learn. Be ready to argue intellectually.
- Learn to read between the lines and assess the validity of statements. - Identify and separate logical and illogical reasoning. - Learn how to construct a fair, well-reasoned argument with the help of formal and informal logic. As a physicist and computer scientist, I was always looking for logical, well-founded answers to questions. Yet, I needed to stay open to question my knowledge fairly often, revise my beliefs held, and unlearn some.
In this book I share the best of the best critical thinkers – intertwined with my own – to help you develop this essential skill that the contemporary job market so keenly demands. I will help you create thinking patterns that lead to a critical, and more objective understanding of the world.
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From the Publisher

Enhance your logic, reason, and judgment.Increase your ability to create concise and sharp arguments

Define your problems more accurately.

Identify false information.

Think with clarity, depth, and speed. Become an effective problem solver and decision maker. Master analytical, critical, and systems thinking.

We often have blind spots for the reasons that cause problems in our lives. We try to fix our issues based on assumptions, false analysis, and mistaken deductions. These create misunderstanding, anxiety, and frustration in our personal and work relationships.

Resist jumping to conclusions prematurely. Evaluate information correctly and consistently to make better decisions. Systems and critical thinking skills help you become proficient in collecting and assessing data, as well as creating impactful solutions in any context.

Albert Rutherford dedicated his entire life to find the best, evidence-based practices for optimal decision-making. His personal mantra is, "ask better questions to find more accurate answers and draw more profound insights."

Transform your thinking

Master strategic thinking.

Learn to question people without being offensive.

ARB Publications

About the author

Albert Rutherford is an internationally bestselling author. His books draw on various sources, from corporate system building, organizational behavior analysis, scientific research, and his life experience. He has been building and improving systems his whole adult life and brings his proven strategies to you.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07JWBKNVG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ARB Publications (October 16, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 16, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2838 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 281 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1728892244
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 301 ratings

About the author

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Albert Rutherford

Albert Rutherford

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Albert Rutherford likes to keep himself busy with one of his long-cherished dreams - becoming an author. In his free time, he loves spending time with his family, reading the newest science reports, fishing, and pretending he knows a thing or two about wine.

He firmly believes in Benjamin Franklin's words, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
301 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

E. Loynaz
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Business Practical, not scholarly work
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2019
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As a leader in a commercial business I read for entertainment and to help me understand how to be more efficient in our organization. This book has taken principles of other books, some which I found slow and too theoretical, and provided anecdotes that allow the reader to understand situations and also convey the same in an easily digested way. Is it a scholarly work? No. Is it practical? Yes. In the end, your level of satisfaction will be driven by either of those 2 expectations. Easy read and practical.
Now, it isn’t much of a stretch to connect today’s political leadership with the propaganda of the Nazi days... is it the writer’s bias or is it the way it is outlined? Others have made that connection, and the work he laid out does make the case that the current style of leadership does favor personal attacks over substance, which could lead people to make decisions based on emotions, rather than logical facts. I am open to being wrong, and also understand my political bias might be in play, but I favor the latter, and that sounds too close to reality, and scary. Consider the Muller evidence, and the fact that for most of Trump’s supporter, a recent survey claimed 0% of the people felt the facts will not weight in their decision to re-elect. Winston Churchill said something to the effect that “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. “In business, all of the facts get trumped by brand affiliations and personal preferences, hence so much money goes into marketing. When the needs arises, the student appears, and so I found this book timely and enjoyable.
24 people found this helpful
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Tal Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars How ironic would it be if the author voted for Trump?
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2019
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This book is an excellent adumbration of critical thinking techniques in general. However, in chapter 8 the author uses an argument against gun control as an example of formal (Aristotelian) logic. How ironic would it be if the author of this book on critical thinking voted for Donald Trump?! I mean, anything is possible at this point.

I should also mention that the author, ironically, does not seem to understand formal logic. For example, he doesn't seem to understand what Affirming The Consequent and Denying The Antecedent are. Affirming The Consequent takes the form: if A, then B; B, therefore A. This assumes that only cause A leads to effect B. That is, it assumes that the converse is also true. But what if cause C also leads to effect B? Therefore, if B, then either A or C. This formal fallacy occurs because a person fails to consider that more than one "if" can result in a "then".

Denying The Antecedent is basically the negative version of Affirming The Consequent. It would take the form: If A, then B; not A, therefore, not B. The problem with this form, again, is that is assumes that there is only one cause for B. What if there were more than one cause for B? Then even if not A, then there could still be B. For example, if C, then B. In this case, we would say if either A or C, then B. Not A, then, would not be enough information. We would need to know the status of C, as well. This is the formal fallacy of Denying The Antecedent.

To recap
A proper form would be the following:
If A, then B; B, therefore A.
Or
If A, then B; not B, therefore, not A.
This must be true, because an A always results in a B, so if there's no B, there's no A.
For instance: If the sun is out, it is day. It is not day, therefore, the sun is not out. This is a proper syllogism.

Affirming The Consequent and Denying The Antecedent result from attempting to take any form other than the two proper forms.
Improper forms:
If A, then B; not A, therefore not B. (Denying The Antecedent)
If A, then B; B, therefore A. (Affirming The Consequent)
Both of the latter are fallacious. They assume that A is the only cause of B.
31 people found this helpful
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vcraig
5.0 out of 5 stars Some excellent advice on critical thinking
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2023
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I bought this book to have a book study with my coworker in order to increase critical thinking in our classrooms and we have had some great discussions as we read each chapter. The author has a lot of great ideas, and some stuff that is common knowledge. My only critique that is negative is I cannot find ANYTHING at all about the author's education, background and his qualifications for writing this book. There is nothing out there about him, which I find strange. I do highly recommend the book though.
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Aaron Bacon Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars Most of the time we assume everything, and barely consider what's going on behind the curtains!
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018
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It is really all about logic, and finding the true value of each part of a process, to determine cost, labor, service, and ROI, it can all be broken down. People assume an average $600 PC is a good deal, but it's actually about $70 in parts, and $30 in service. I assumed a LOT of things working in the support industry, before picking up some basic, and then deeper financial and operations acumen, that really changed how I think about my own departments!

The HIDDEN assumptions, we don't even consider until we start thinking differently, with a process! I have even been in lots of process meetings where we use a lot of the same logic exercises used here too, in strange business situations we'd hope to never come across in real life, but find ways to solve, and try NOT to assume anything that's not written down. It's all just fun bits of the cognitive process in the beginning.

I just wish I had read it earlier. Now I'm older and wiser, but still assume things too often when starting a new project. This's another great help.
25 people found this helpful
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Kevin
5.0 out of 5 stars If you like critical thinking, this is your book
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2018
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I am actively looking for novels that are trying to give knowledge and help me become a better person. So far, I've been hooked on to novels that give critical thinking as it broadens my way of thinking. There are so many realistic scenarios that the author uses to help tie in concepts. Really easy to read.
7 people found this helpful
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JM
3.0 out of 5 stars Consolidation from many sources
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018
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The book is straightforward and gives a lot of practical examples. It is a compilation from other sources like thinking fast and slow and other references.
15 people found this helpful
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Aaron Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Read some.
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
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Need a helper in thinker to be more understanding. But have plains.
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Top reviews from other countries

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George
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Reviewed in Canada on October 14, 2021
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This has been an excellent read. Straightforward information and guidance, good examples, even examples to apply concepts. Very well written, follows a nice logical path. I would consider that it presents fundamental knowledge towards the critical thinking journey.
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Outfits4You
2.0 out of 5 stars Oberflächliche Zusammenfassung
Reviewed in Germany on November 5, 2020
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Der Autor verzichtet selbst kritisch zu denken und liefert in dem Buch lediglich eine oberflächliche Zusammenfassung des Themas. Vereinzelte Anekdoten und Beispiele sollen seine Punkte untermauern. Echte Studien, Statistiken oder Hintergrundinformationen werden nicht geliefert.

Wegen den extrem großen Zeilenabstände und Seitenränder erstreckt sich der Inhalt über knapp 200 Seiten. In knapp über 1 Stunde ist das Buch durchgelesen.
5 people found this helpful
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Antonio Martins
4.0 out of 5 stars Recomendo.
Reviewed in Brazil on January 19, 2019
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Um bom livro para despertar o pensamento crítico...
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Anil Sehrawat
4.0 out of 5 stars A good introductory book on critical thinking
Reviewed in India on June 15, 2019
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Gives some good insights about thinkers and bloom’s taxonomy and a very good description of traits of a critical thinker.
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Stephen Merrett
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
Reviewed in Australia on February 22, 2019
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This book invites you to think deeply about the world for how we perceive it. It encourages you to take a step back and have a logical thought process when it comes to making decisions and accepting reality
3 people found this helpful
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