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This book is readable, concise and full of excellent examples of the application of critical thinking to real-world examples of pseudoscience. I think the book should be taught early in college, to perhaps innoculate people against fuzzy thinking. Since it is concerned with issues relevant to nonscientists, it may well be a better introduction to scientific method than a freshman chemistry or biology class, where methodology and application of said methodology gets drowned in a sea of facts most students will soon forget.

One reviewer complained that the examples are "straw men" set up to be decimated by application of the theory set forth in the book. I think that this misses the point. The examples are simple enough to demonstrate the power of the method and illustrate its use on real, current problems.

I think anyone interested in understanding "wierd things" should buy and read this book.

I first read the previous edition of this book when I was in high school. A friend of mine had gotten a job working for James "the Amazing" Randi, and somehow the professional complimentary copy got passed on from Randi to him to another friend to me. I read it over and over until it was practically falling apart, and I have recommended it to many people over the years, because it had such a major and positive influence on my own thinking.

I am currently about halfway done with my Ph.D. in chemistry. I credit this book for giving me an appreciation for the beauty of the scientific process, as well as helping to convince me that I wanted to be a part of it myself. It is true that the book necessarily simplifies the scientific process for the sake of not overburdening the reader with technical jargon and information overload. It should definitely be considered as an INTRODUCTION to critical thinking, as opposed to an all-inclusive and exhaustive text. However, I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants to understand the beauty and ideal of how science works at its glorious best.

An excellent book on how to think critically. It's full of detailed examples of erroneous thinking, and that's why I believe some people tend to think the authors are misrepresenting through the straw man fallacy. If you've ever read any other books on critical thinking, you would know that very few of them use detail examples of error tendencies, and instead use specificial examples and then move on to the next error. Schick and Vaughn go into great details of the error, and then go on to show us WHY it is an error. In order for them to do this, they have to give us background knowledge of the example.. and i believe it is this process that some, who for whatever reason (ie, to protect themselves from dissonance), come to see their methods as the strawman fallacy. There is no way they could include every argument into every example.. otherwise their book would be the size of the Britannica Encyclopedia. But they do an excellent job in presenting a fair argument.

I remember when I first started reading it... i didn't like it either.. mainly because I found it insulting and hurting to find some of my beliefs were so illogical. But now I am a better person for it.

This is a "textbook", strictly speaking, meant for introductory philosophy students. (But, if you aren't a "philosophy student," the book is still easy to read.) It is meant for the person who is an absolute tyco (novice) in philosophy, someone who has no previous knowledge or experience in the study. Schick deals with the major philosophical problems that have been puzzling people (as well as philosophers) over the millennia, like the mind-body, personal identity, God's existence, and other problems. What makes the book interesting, though, is the numerous examples and quotes that Schick provides throughout to text, not merely to re-emphasize a concept or two but to also convince people that philosophy is still being debated in these modern times. Theodore Schick writes quite well and will entertain as well as inform. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing whether you now are you in the future, or if the mind is a separate part of the body, or...