When Good Thinking Goes Bad: How Your Brain Can Have a Mind of Its Own (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781591025863)

In this insightful analysis of the mental pitfalls that trip up even elite critical thinkers, psychologist Todd C. Riniolo makes a compelling case that under certain circumstances everyone is vulnerable to accepting erroneous beliefs.
Riniolo begins by reviewing the hallmarks of critical thinking related to the evaluation of claims, such as the use of the double-blind procedure and the law of parsimony. He then provides an evolutionary framework and empirical supporting evidence from cognitive psychology to explain why being inconsistent in the use of critical thinking is part of our evolutionary heritage. Each of us possesses cognitive biases that make us prone to maintaining our current beliefs (both true and false). He concludes by focusing on a wide range of claims--environmental, political, economic, multicultural--to illustrate how in certain contexts we all are tempted to abandon critical thinking.
Thoroughly researched yet written in a lively, witty style, this unique approach to critical thinking will interest students, teachers, and anyone who wishes to become a better thinker.

Author: Todd C. Riniolo
ISBN-10: 1591025869
ISBN-13: 9781591025863
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Language: English
Published: 12/01/2007
Pages: 236
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.02w x 0.49d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2009 pg. 10