Further reading - books and web sites

Here are some useful resources related to critical thinking. Individual modules in this web site also include links to external online resources.

[*] Highly recommended

Textbooks and websites on critical thinking

• Free for non-commercial use : Joe Lau (2003) A Mini Guide to Critical Thinking (PDF file) - a brief booklet on some of the principles of critical thinking for undergraduate students.
• [*] Richard Feldman Reason and Argument Prentice Hall. [HKU library]
• [*] Alec Fisher Critical Thinking: An Introduction Cambridge University Press.
• [*] Anthony Weston A Rulebook for Arguments [HKU library]
• Patrick Hurley A Concise Introduction to Logic Wadsworth. [HKU library]
• Nigel Warburton Thinking From A to Z Routledge [HKU library]
• Patrick Shaw Logic and Its Limits Oxford University Press [Check HKU library]
• Brian Skyrms Choice and Chance Wadsworth [HKU library]
• Joel Rudinow & Vincent E. Barry Invitation to critical thinking Harcourt [HKU lbrary]

Directories

• [*] Critical thinking on the web - A very comprehensive list of web resources on critical thinking

General writing skills

• Strunk and White The Elements of Style.

Scientific reasoning and writing

• Ronald Giere Understanding Scientific Reasoning Harcourt Brace [Check HKU library]
• [*] Schick, Jr. and Vaughn How to Think About Weird Things McGrawHill.
• [*] Howson and Urbach Scientific Reasoning : The Bayesian Approach.
• Sokal and Bricmonth (1998) Fashionable Nonsense Picador.
• Writing exercises - http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/exercises/index.html

Formal logic

• A list of recommended books from Joe Lau.
• Fun logic puzzles - Raymond M Smullyan (1978) What is the name of this book?: The riddle of Dracula and other logical puzzles Prentice-Hall. Many of his other books are fun as well.
• Entries on logic in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - These are articles that discuss some of the main issues in the philosophy of logic. They are difficult!

Fallacies and cognitive biases

• Gary Curtis's "Fallacy Files" - A directory of fallacies with examples and explanations. Very well written. However, note that the author takes the line that all fallacies are arguments.
• List of sites from Austhink
• Gilovich How We Know What Isn't So
• Russo and Shoemaker Decision Traps

Law

• [*] Elias E. Savellos with Richard F. Galvin Reasoning and the law : the elements Wadsworth [Check HKU library]
• Vandevelde, Kenneth J. Thinking like a lawyer : an introduction to legal reasoning Westview [Check HKU library]
• Aldisert Logic for lawyers
• Legal writing - Wydick Plain English for Lawyers
• Legal writing - Legal Writing in Plain English

Critical thinking assessment tests

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