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FALL 2013, VOL. 28, NO.

3 51

THiNK: Critical Thinking for Everyday Life


By Judith A. Boss
McGraw-Hill, 2014, 3rd Edition, 464 pages

Reviewed by Maralee Harrell


Department of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University

I. Introduction textbook publishing, Boss’ book serves as a


The third edition of Judith A. Boss’s cautionary tale for publishers who seemingly
THiNK: Critical Thinking and Logic Skills for allow their marketing departments to drive the
Everyday Life was just recently published. It look, feel, and content of their textbooks.
is part of a series of McGraw-Hill’s textbooks
that are designed to be used with the compa- II. Organization, Special Features, and
ny’s various online resources, including Learn- Exercises
Smart, Smartbook, Connect Critical Think- The first chapter of THiNK is titled
ing, and Create. The first edition of THiNK “Critical Thinking: Why It’s Important.” The
was published in 2009, and was marketed rest of the book seems to have three main
as a new and innovative textbook. THiNK is parts: informal analysis of reasoning, formal
a soft-cover book that looks and feels like a analysis of reasoning, and applications. The
magazine—it has colorful pictures, text, and first part addresses the myriad ways in which
boxes on every page; the examples are taken our reasoning capacity can be compromised;
directly from current events; and there are the second focuses on the analysis and evalua-
photos of (what appear to be) college students tion of arguments, and the third invites readers
talking, reading and studying throughout. In to apply the lessons from the first two to cur-
these ways, THiNK is remarkably similar to rent issues in moral decision making, advertis-
Peter Facione’s THINK Critically. That book ing, mass media, science and politics.
was first published by Pearson in 2010, and the THiNK has six kinds of special features
second edition, THINK Critically, by Peter Fa- sprinkled throughout the book. The first, titled
cione and a new co-author, Carol Gittens, was “Think Tank,” is a series of self-evaluation
published by Pearson (2012) and was reviewed questionnaires the reader is encouraged to
favorably in this journal in Spring 2013. See complete, some of which have answer-com-
Hamby (2013b). ments at the back of the book. Second, “Ana-
Boss’ book should not, however, be lyzing Images” is a series of visual images
confused with Facione’s book. THiNK, by with accompanying discussion questions.
Boss is a perfect example of what is wrong Third, “Highlights” is a series of boxes that
with both the teaching of critical thinking and contain the main concepts in each section,
the textbook publishing industry in general. highlighted in yellow. Fourth, “Critical Think-
With respect to the former, many articles have ing in Action” is a series of boxes that contain
been written in the past couple of decades summaries of current issues, like the pros and
about the problems with critical thinking cons of video-gaming, paired with discussion
education (Blair 2006; Hamby 2013a, 2013b; questions. Fifth, “Thinking Outside the Box” is
Govier 1989; Weinstein 1995), and I will not a series of biographical sketches of famous his-
rehash these general arguments here. I will, torical figures, like Rachel Carson and Albert
however, draw from the insights of these cri- Einstein, who have exhibited critical think-
tiques to indicate the ways in I believe using ing in one way or another. And last, “Critical
Boss’ textbook is inappropriate when teaching Thinking Issues” is a series of paired articles
a course on critical thinking. With respect to offering arguments on either side of a current
52 INQUIRY: CRITICAL THINKING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES

issue, like marijuana legalization, along with III. Contents of the Chapters
review questions for each article and discus- The book falters from the first section
sion questions for the debate as a whole. of Chapter 1, which lays out Boss’ definition
While the biographies in the “Thinking of critical thinking and logic:
Outside the Box” features are often interest- Critical thinking is a collection of skills
ing, they seem to have only a tenuous connec- we use every day that are necessary for
tion to critical thinking. For example, on page our full intellectual and personal de-
17, Boss discusses Elizabeth Cady Stanton, velopment. The word critical is derived
and it is implied that she is a critical thinker. from the Greek word kritikos, which
Unfortunately, what Boss offers is only a story means “discernment,” “the ability to
about Stanton, with no actual description of judge,” or “decision making.” Critical
her thinking critically during this episode of thinking requires learning how to think
her life. rather than simply what to think.
The exercises, with the title “Stop and Critical thinking, like logic,
Assess Yourself,” come at the send of each requires good analytical skills. Logic is
section in each chapter. They are generally a part of critical thinking and is defined
list of short essay questions which could be as “the study of the methods and prin-
assigned as homework or used as discussion ciples used in distinguishing correct
questions in class, or both. A subset of the (good) arguments from incorrect (bad)
questions have answers, or at least plausible arguments.” Critical thinking involves
model answers, which are in the “Solutions the application of the rules of logic as
Manual” at the end of the book. My main well as gathering evidence, evaluating
concern with the exercises and discussion it, and coming up with a plan of action.
questions is that the tools for completing many We’ll be studying logical arguments in
of the exercises in the early part of the book depth, in Chapters 5 through 8. (Boss
depend on tools and information not developed 2014, 6)
until later. For example, it is not until Chapter Inasmuch as this is a “definition,” this is the
6 that the reader gets to recognizing, analyzing only definition offered; immediately after this
and creating arguments; however, questions is an explanation that critical thinking is not
which involve these skills are asked in earlier the same as asserting an opinion, followed by
chapters. Consider the following question from a description of Perry’s stages of cognitive
the “Critical Thinking Issue” in Chapter 1: development. The problem with this as a defi-
3. Compare and contrast the argu- nition is two-fold. First, the implication of the
ments used by Nancy Cantor and U. very first sentence, that “[c]ritical thinking is a
S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day collection of skills we use everyday…” is that
O’Connor regarding the use of affir- we are all already critical thinkers. Of course,
mative action in college admissions. if this were true, there would be no need to
Which person makes the best argu- take a critical thinking course or read a criti-
ment? Support your answer. (Boss cal thinking textbook. Additionally, “critical
2014, 35) thinking” itself cannot be a set of skills—that
Or consider this question from Chapter 3: doesn’t make any sense. Critical thinking may
1. Evaluate Lukianof’s and Scott’s use particular skills, but to say that it is a set of
arguments for and against free-speech skills ignores the aspects that include strate-
zones on college campuses. Evaluate gies, meta-cognitive monitoring of, and dis-
which person made the stronger argu- positions to use these skills. And this leads to
ment. (Boss 2014, 99) the second problem: there is no mention of any
of the most common views of critical thinking
FALL 2013, VOL. 28, NO. 3 53

offered by researchers in the field, such as this on this front either. First, while some like
one given by Richard Paul and Linda Elder: Govier argue that teaching critical thinking is
Critical thinking is, in short, self-di- not the same as teaching informal logic, most
rected, self-disciplined, self-monitored, researchers agree that the ability to identify,
and self-corrective thinking. It presup- reconstruct and evaluate arguments is a least a
poses assent to rigorous standards of part of being a critical thinker. In Boss’ book,
excellence and mindful command of these skills are explicitly introduced in Chapter
their use. It entails effective commu- 6, “Recognizing, Analyzing, & Constructing
nication and problem solving abilities Arguments.” In particular, she writes the fol-
and a commitment to overcome our lowing about what the reader should expect to
native egocentrism and socio-centrism. learn in Chapter 6:
(Paul & Elder 2008, 2) Skill in argumentation can help us
In fact, Boss seems to make the mistake make better decisions in our personal
Trudy Govier (1989) and others have warned choices as well as in our public lives.
against—conflating critical thinking with for- In Chapter 6 we will learn how to
mal or informal logic. recognize, analyze, and construct argu-
There are many other areas in which ments. Specifically, we will:
THiNK falls short as well. For example, in the • Learn how to identify an issue
very next section of Chapter 1, Boss lists the • Learn how to recognize the parts of
characteristics of a good critical thinker. This an argument, including the premise,
is a list of eight skills, and, at least for the first the conclusion, and premise and
four, an indication of where in the book these conclusion indicators
skills will be described: • Distinguish among an argument,
1. Analytical Skills (Chapters 2, 5-9) an explanation, and a conditional
2. Effective Communication (Chapter 3) statement
3. Research and Inquiry Skills (Chapter 4) • Break down an argument into its
4. Flexibility and Tolerance for Ambigu- premises and conclusion
ity (Chapter 1) • Diagram arguments
5. Open-Minded Skepticism • Construct our own arguments
6. Creative Problem Solving • Explore the basics of evaluating
7. Attention, Mindfulness, and Curiosity arguments (Boss 2014, 170-1)
8. Collaborative Learning Consider the first item on the list:
It seems odd that Boss does not give an indica- “Learn how to identify an issue.” The text
tion whether or where the last four skills will under the “Identifying an Issue” section three
be covered in the book. In fact, these last four paragraphs long. It contains the suggestion that
are never mentioned again, except in passing, this “requires clear thinking and good com-
in the book at all. munication skills” (Boss 2014, 171), with no
A critical thinking textbook could, further explanation, and an example in which
of course, lack a clear definition of “critical Boss provides the first paragraph of a text and
thinking,” but still fulfill the goals of exploring a suggestion of what the issue in the text might
many of the important aspects of critical think- be. Two pages later, the second exercise in the
ing. After all, there is no universally accepted “Stop and Assess Yourself” section, the second
concise definition of critical thinking, even question asks the reader to “[i]dentify the is-
though there is broad agreement by research- sues in the following passages. Word all issues
ers in the field about the kinds of skills, atti- in the form of short questions” (Boss 2014,
tudes and dispositions that are a part of critical 173), and lists a number of quotations from
thinking. THiNK, however, does not deliver various media outlets. The skill of identifying
54 INQUIRY: CRITICAL THINKING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES

an issue is never revisited after this. he is by describing his purposes and


This example is typical of the lack causes, what he intends to do in his
of instruction throughout THiNK. There are life. If this plan is a rational one, then I
dozens of places throughout the book in which shall say that a person’s conception of
Boss briefly describes a particular skill, but his good is likewise rational….In order
offers no strategies for developing the skill, of- to expedite matters I shall start off with
fers no comparisons between good and bad ap- a pair of definitions and then explain
plications of the skill, and then asks the reader and comment on them over the next
to use the skill in an exercise. several sections.
One of the most problematic aspects of These definitions read as fol-
THiNK, though, is the myriad ways in which lows: first, a person’s plan of life is
the author displays a clear lack of critical rational if, and only if, (1) it is one of
thinking skills. There are several places in the plans that is consistent with the
which Boss makes an argument which is an in- principles of rational choice when
appropriate appeal to authority. For example, these are applied to all relevant fea-
in Chapter 1, Boss makes the claim that critical tures of his situation, and (2) it is that
thinking is “also about self-improvement and plan among those meeting this condi-
your whole development as a person” (Boss tion which would be chosen by him
2014, 14), and she urges the reader develop with full deliberative rationality, that
a rational life plan. The only reason even is, with full awareness of the relevant
obliquely offered for doing so is that John facts and after a careful consideration
Rawls says everyone needs to. Boss says: of the consequences….
American philosopher John Rawls … Someone is happy when his
(1921– 2002) wrote that in order to get plans are going well, his more impor-
the most out of life, everyone needs to tant aspirations are being fulfilled, and
develop a “rational life plan”— that he feels sure that his good fortune will
is, a plan that would be chosen “with endure. (Rawls 1971, 408-9)
full deliberative rationality, that is, Here, Rawls is concerned with a “rational life
with full awareness of the relevant facts plan” only insofar as he needs a theory of the
and after a careful consideration of “good” to characterize a person who is in the
the consequences…Someone is happy, “original position,” and make his argument
when his plans are going well and his that such a person would choose the kind of
more important aspirations are being system Rawls is advocating. Rawls is not here
fulfilled.” (Boss 2014, 14) claiming that any actual person should develop
Rawls is obviously an expert in the field of a life plan in the way that Boss is suggesting.
philosophy, but that, of course, does not make Consider another example, in the sec-
him an expert in the field of personal develop- tion in which Boss is actually discussing the
ment or the psychology of happiness. Fur- fallacy of appeal to inappropriate authority:
thermore, this is a misinterpretation of what For example, it has long been assumed
Rawls actually says. In the section of A Theory that milk and dairy products help main-
of Justice titled “The Definition of Good for tain strong bones in adults. However,
Plans of Life,” Rawls says: this claim has not been supported by
The rational plan for a person deter- scientific research. Instead this claim
mines his good. Here I adapt Royce’s has been mainly promoted by groups
thought that a person may be regarded that financially depend on the sale of
as a human life lived according to a dairy products. While the National
plan. For Royce an individual says who Dairy Council extols the benefits of
FALL 2013, VOL. 28, NO. 3 55

milk for people of all ages, many medi- mass, direct investigation of the effects
cal experts, including researchers at of diet on bone fractures is warranted
the Harvard School of Public Health11 because characteristics of bone other
and the Physicians Committee for than mass, such as microscopic fatigue
Responsible Medicine, argue, based damage and the loss of connectivity in
on research, that milk may actually supporting trabeculae, contribute to
accelerate the process of bone loss in fracture risk. Furthermore, foods high
adults. In light of these findings, the in calcium may contain other factors
Federal Trade Commission, a govern- that influence fracture risk. (Feskanich,
ment agency charged with protecting et al. 1997, 992)
consumers and eliminating unfair But this doesn’t answer our question because
and deceptive marketplace practices, the authors have not said anything here about
ordered the National Dairy Council to milk per se; they have only made a very quali-
withdraw its ads that claimed drinking fied claim about “calcium supplementation.”
milk can prevent bone loss in adults. In addition, Boss claims that research-
(Boss 2014, 107) ers at the Physicians Committee for Responsi-
The footnote #11 above on Public Health ble Medicine (PCRM) also argue that milk ac-
refers us to a 1997 study titled “Milk, Dietary celerates bone loss. However, she neither gives
Calcium, and Bone Fractures in Women: A references for this, nor explains that the PCRM
12-Year Prospective Study,” by D. Feskanich, is a group that advocates a vegan lifestyle and
W.C. Willett, M.J. Stampfer, and G.A. Colditz. has been censured by the American Medical
In the abstract of this study, the authors say: Association (AMA) for being a “pseudo-phy-
Objectives. This study examined sicians group” and giving advice that could be
whether higher intakes of milk and dangerous to Americans (AMA 1991).
other calcium-rich foods during adult
years can reduce the risk of osteopo- IV. Textbook “Innovation”
rotic fractures…. Conclusions: These There are several ways in which Mc-
data do not support the hypothesis Graw-Hill has been marketing Judith Boss’
that higher consumption of milk or THiNK, as well as a number of their other
other food sources of calcium by adult books in their “M series.” The first is the in-
women protects against hip or forearm novative design of the books themselves, the
fractures. (Feskanich, et al. 1997, 992) second is the connections with McGraw-Hill’s
So, to what is Boss referring when she says suite of online learning tools, and the last is the
that researchers argue that milk may acceler- reported learning outcomes of students who
ate bone loss? The authors of this study do not have used the books in courses at universities
come to that conclusion, but they do make the and colleges across the country. Specifically, in
following claims their introduction: 2009 McGraw-Hill marketed the first edition
Numerous clinical investigations have of Boss’ THiNK as follows:
demonstrated that calcium supplemen- “Real Thinking for Real Life”
tation can retard bone loss among adult For your classes in Critical
women. However, inconsistent results Thinking, McGraw-Hill introduces
from prospective studies and interven- THiNK, the latest in its acclaimed M
tions trials have not provided strong Series. Critical Thinking begins by
support for a positive association be- listening and we began THiNK by
tween adult calcium intake and osteo- listening to and observing students and
porotic fractures. Though bone fragility instructors. McGraw-Hill conducted
may be largely explained by low bone extensive research to gain insight into
56 INQUIRY: CRITICAL THINKING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES

students’ studying and buying behavior, your classroom. With extensive op-
as well as instructor challenges. Stu- portunity for application and practice,
dents told us they wanted more porta- and groundbreaking digital content,
ble texts with innovative visual appeal THiNK directs students to make con-
and content that is designed according nections between skill development
to the way they learn. Instructors told and apply it to their college studies,
us they wanted a way to engage their careers, and personal lives. (McGraw-
students without compromising on high Hill Publishing 2014)
quality content. Connect Critical Thinking is McGraw-Hill’s
THiNK is critical think- course management system (á la Blackboard,
ing come to life. This innovative text etc.) specifically designed to work with their
provides instructors with scholarly yet critical thinking texts. It includes the textbook,
succinct content on critical thinking online assignments, and a bank of quiz and
and logical argumentation in a format exam questions. McGraw-Hill bills Smart-
that captivates students. With current book as an “adaptive reading experience” and
examples, exercises, and applications, LearnSmart as an “adaptive learning system.”
and powerful pedagogy that links In layman’s terms, Smartbook is an e-reader
concepts within and between chapters, that incorporates exercises into the reading
THiNK directs students to make con- process and LearnSmart is a platform for stu-
nections between skill development and dents to quiz themselves on course content.
application to their college studies, On its higher education website, Mc-
careers, and personal lives. Graw-Hill offers a summary of its “McGraw-
More current, more portable, Hill Education Connect Effectiveness Study
more captivating, plus a rigorous 2013.” The first summary aggregates the find-
and innovative research foundation ings from studies done at 34 different colleges
adds up to: more learning. When you and universities across the country (http://
meet students where they are, you can connect.customer.mcgraw-hill.com/studies/ar-
take them where you want them to be. chive/subject/). Each of these studies was done
(McGraw-Hill Publishing 2009) by individual instructors, independently from
one another (although it is not clear whether
And the third edition of THiNK was described they are independent of McGraw-Hill). In
like this: these studies, average student grades, pass
THiNK offers instructors core content rates, attendance rates and retention rates for a
and pedagogy in a succinct magazine particular course of students who used Connect
format that teaches them the impor- (sometime with LearnSmart and/or Smartbook,
tance of overcoming feelings and sometimes without) are compared with those
opinions to commit to positions based did not use Connect. Average student grades,
on reason and logic. Boss’s 3rd edition pass rates, attendance rates and retention rates
is powered by Connect Critical Think- all seemed to improve, although the results of
ing, a state of the art digital learning significance tests are not given.
environment that helps you connect There are two things that are mislead-
your students to their coursework. ing about these results, however. First, there
Whether accessing online homework is no indication on the web site that the details
and quizzes, or assigning SmartBook of these studies have not been published in
and LearnSmart, the first and only peer-reviewed journals, on open websites or
adaptive learning experience, Connect anywhere else that I have been able to find.
provides a complete digital solution for Thus, all we have are the summaries posted
FALL 2013, VOL. 28, NO. 3 57

at the McGraw-Hill website. Because of this, was considered salient by McGraw-Hill when
the specification of the control groups for all designing the textbooks.
of these studies is vague at best. It is not clear It is exactly this “magazine-like” aspect
the control groups were using the McGraw- of the book, however, that is so off-putting. In
Hill textbook, but without Connect, or if the a critical thinking course, some of the most im-
control groups were using a different textbook, portant things the students are supposed to be
or no textbook at all. It is also not clear if the learning is to see beyond the superficial aspects
control groups had access to alternative kinds of an issue or controversy; they are supposed
of supplementary materials, like practice quiz- to be learning how marketers and advertis-
zes, even if they were not accessed thorough ers try to shape our buying habits, sway our
Connect. opinions and cater to our most uncritical biases
Second, none of these studies is done and prejudices; they are supposed to be learn-
specifically on the Connect Critical Thinking ing that real information is difficult to obtain,
platform, nor has any been done using Boss’ and that real issues are messy. They should
THiNK. The publisher’s blurb does not imply not be learning that they need to pay attention
that such studies have been done, but it takes only to what is pleasing to the eye; that all the
quite a bit of work on the McGraw-Hill web- important information about something can
site to figure out that none of the research that fit in a brightly colored box; or that thinking
has been done on Connect and the other tools critically about an issue is the same as voicing
involves any of McGraw-Hill’s critical think- their opinions. It certainly might be the case
ing textbooks and accompanying critical think- that a textbook that students like to read could
ing online platforms and materials. Thus, while help them learn, even if the “style” of the text-
it seems that a case could be made (although book seems antithetical to the objective in this
one would need much more information than case. After all, a student won’t learn anything
McGraw-Hill provides to make it) that the from a textbook she never opens, but as there
Connect platform, along with the LearnSmart is no evidence that students using Boss’ book
and Smartbook tools increase student learning are actually learning more than other students,
in some areas, there is no evidence that stu- I am not inclined to endorse a book that even
dents who use Boss’ THiNK and/or the accom- students can tell is a marketing ploy.
panying critical thinking platforms and tools
have better learning outcomes than students V. Conclusion
who use a different book and/or a different set I cannot recommend that anyone teaching a
of online tools. critical thinking course adopt THiNK: Critical
As for the design of the book itself, the Thinking for Everyday Life by Judith Boss.
implication by the publisher’s blurb is that the While it is clear is that McGraw-Hill be-
research McGraw-Hill conducted on students’ lieves that creating a textbook that looks like
study habits drove the decision to create Boss’ a magazine will sell more textbooks, it is our
THiNK to look like a magazine. According a hope as educators that students taking critical
McGraw-Hill representative, the ethnographic thinking will learn not to be swayed by such
research referenced above was done by Confier tactics. More important than the hypocritical
Research, an anthropological research com- magazine-style of the book, though, is that the
pany. They studied a diverse group of first- content of THiNK does not teach or promote
year students at various 2- and 4-year colleges the critical thinking skills that we all want our
across the country for a semester. I was not students to develop.
able to learn how many students or colleges of
each type were included in the study; nor was
I able to learn what information from the study
58 INQUIRY: CRITICAL THINKING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES

References accessed 2/23/14.


American Medical Association. (1991). AMA Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2008). The Miniature
refutes validity of ‘Physician’s Group’ Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts
Report, AMA press release, April 11, and Tools, Foundation for Critical
1991. Thinking Press.
Blair, J. A. (2006). Informal logic’s influence Weinstein, M. (1995). Critical Thinking: Ex-
on philosophy instruction. Informal panding the Paradigm. Inquiry: Critical
Logic, 26(3), 259-286. Thinking Across the Disciplines, 15(1),
Boss, J. (2009). THiNK: Critical Thinking for 23-39.
Everyday Life. New York: McGraw-
Hill. Author Information
Boss, J. (2014). THiNK: Critical Thinking Maralee Harrell, Ph.D. is an Associate Teach-
for Everyday Life, 3rd Ed. New York: ing Professor of Philosophy at Carnegie
McGraw-Hill. Mellon University. She teaches courses in
Feskanich, D., Willett, W.C., Stampfer, M.J., introductory philosophy, critical thinking, phi-
& Colditz, G.A. (1997). Milk, Di- losophy of physics, epistemology, history and
etary Calcium, and Bone Fractures in philosophy of science, empiricism and ratio-
Women: A 12-Year Prospective Study. nalism, and philosophy pedagogy. Correspon-
American Journal of Public Health, dence should be addressed to Maralee Harrell,
87(6), 992-997. Carnegie Mellon University, Department of
Hamby, B. (2013a). Libri ad nauseam: the Philosophy, 135 Baker Hall, Pittsburgh, PA,
critical thinking textbook glut. Paideu- 15213, or mharrell@cmu.edu.
sis, 21(1), 39-48.
Hamby, B. (2013b). Review of THINK Criti-
cally by Peter Facione and Carol Ann
Gittens. INQUIRY: Critical Thinking
Across the Disciplines, 28(1), 46-53.
Govier, T. (1989). Critical thinking as argu-
ment analysis? Argumentation, 3(2),
115-126.
McGraw-Hill Publishing (2009) Description
from Amazon.com page for THiNK:
Critical Thinking for Everyday
Life, by Judith A. Boss, http://www.
amazon.com/THiNK-Boss-Judith/
dp/0077345428/ref=sr_1_2?s=books
&ie=UTF8&qid=1392920492&sr=1-
2&keywords=think+judith+boss, ac-
cessed 2/23/14.
McGraw-Hill Publishing (2014) Description
from Amazon.com page for THiNK:
Critical Thinking for Everyday Life,
3rd Ed., by Judith A. Boss, http://www.
amazon.com/THiNK-Judith-Boss/
dp/007803843X/ref=sr_1_5?s=boo
ks&ie=UTF8&qid=1392920492&
sr=1-5&keywords=think+judith+boss,

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