{"product_id":"is-that-true-9780520381407","title":"Is That True","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcross disciplines, critical thinking is praised, taught, and put into practice. But what does it actually mean to think critically? In this brief volume, sociologist Joel Best examines how to evaluate arguments and the evidence used to support them as he hones in on how to think in the field of sociology and beyond.     With inimitable style that melds ethnographic verve with dry humor, Best examines the ways in which sociologists engage in fuzzy thinking through bias, faddish cultural waves, spurious reasoning, and implicit bias. The short chapters cover: A general introduction to critical thinking and logic in the social sciencesSociology as an enterpriseKey issues in thinking critically about sociological researchChallenging questions that confront sociologists and a call for the discipline to meet those challenges.    Students across disciplines will learn the building blocks of critical thinking in a sociological context and come away with key concepts to put into practice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1. What Is Critical Thinking?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2. The Basics: Arguments and Assumptions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 3. Everyday Arguments\u003cbr\u003e Anecdotes • Ad Hominem Arguments • Myths • Folk Wisdom and Metaphors • Facts • Everyday Reasoning\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 4. The Logic of Social Science\u003cbr\u003e Patterns • Causality • Judging Social Scientific Claims • The Importance of Evidence\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 5. Authority and Social Science Arguments\u003cbr\u003e Challenges for Social Science • The Case of Sociology • Thinking about Sociology and Critical Thinking\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 6. Sociology as a Social World\u003cbr\u003e Camps • Envy • Sociology’s Subdivisions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 7. Orientations\u003cbr\u003e Optimism and Pessimism • Team Culture and Team Structure • Insiders and Outsiders • Tragedy and Comedy • The Importance of Orientations Contents\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 8. Words\u003cbr\u003e Jargon • Word Fads • Definitions • Concept Creep\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 9. Questions and Measurements\u003cbr\u003e Sociological Questions • Empirical Questions • Measurement • What Is Being Measured? • Questioning Measurements\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 10. Variables and Comparison\u003cbr\u003e Variables • Issues with Comparison • Varieties of Comparative Findings • Replication • Comparison in Qualitative Research • Questioning Comparisons\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 11. Tendencies\u003cbr\u003e Patterned Tendencies • The Ecological Fallacy • The Modesty of Sociological Explanations • Thinking about Tendencies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 12. Evidence\u003cbr\u003e Effective Evidence • Not-So-Effective Evidence • Questioning Evidence Choices • Questions about Research\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 13. Echo Chambers\u003cbr\u003e Recognizing and Addressing One’s Own Biases • Expectations and Sociologists • The Complications of Ideological Homogeneity • The Importance of Self-Criticism\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 14. Tough Topics\u003cbr\u003e Cultural Waves • Good Guys and Bad Guys • Taboos • Thinking about What’s Difficult\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Afterword: Why Critical Thinking Is Important\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e References\u003cbr\u003e Index","brand":"University of California Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49402950844759,"sku":"9780520381407","price":18.9,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780520381407.jpg?v=1730481945","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/is-that-true-9780520381407","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}