Empower students to become sophisticated thinkers with THINKING CRITICALLY, 12th Edition, which teaches the fundamental cognitive process that allows students to develop higher-order thinking abilities needed for academic and career success. Students learn to think critically about subjects drawn from academic disciplines, current issues, and life experiences. Author John Chaffee begins with basic skills related to personal experience and then progresses to the more sophisticated reasoning skills required for abstract contexts. Each chapter provides an overview of an aspect of critical thinking, such as problem-solving, perception, and the nature of beliefs. Activities and writing assignments invite active participation and prompt students to critically examine others' thinking, as well as their own. Readings engage students in thinking about complex issues from various perspectives.

1. Thinking.
2. Thinking Critically.
3. Solving Problems.
4. Perceiving and Believing.
5. Constructing Knowledge.
6. Language and Thought.
7. Forming and Applying Concepts.
8. Relating and Organizing.
9. Thinking Critically about Moral Issues.
10. Constructing Arguments.
11. Reasoning Critically.
12. Thinking Critically, Living Creatively.

Empower students to become sophisticated thinkers with THINKING CRITICALLY, 12th Edition, which teaches the fundamental cognitive process that allows students to develop higher-order thinking abilities needed for academic and career success. Students learn to think critically about subjects drawn from academic disciplines, current issues, and life experiences. Author John Chaffee begins with basic skills related to personal experience and then progresses to the more sophisticated reasoning skills required for abstract contexts. Each chapter provides an overview of an aspect of critical thinking, such as problem-solving, perception, and the nature of beliefs. Activities and writing assignments invite active participation and prompt students to critically examine others' thinking, as well as their own. Readings engage students in thinking about complex issues from various perspectives. New and revised "Thinking Critically About…" features support updated subjects and visuals. For example, "Thinking Critically About Visuals: Where Do You Get Your Inspiration From?" asks students to consider how Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired to create the smash hip-hop musical "Hamilton" after reading a biography. This edition expands its emphasis on new media and the need to think critically about the credibility of information found on the Internet. For example, the new feature "Thinking Critically About New Media: Evaluating Online Information" gives students practical tips on identifying fake news. Many of the longer examples and explanations are condensed to better promote student understanding. Chapter 12, "Thinking Critically, Living Creatively," is pared and revamped to focus more on online job hunting and future career goals. THINKING CRITICALLY has many distinctive characteristics that instructors can use to support or build their curriculum. It teaches the fundamental thinking, reasoning, and language abilities that students need for academic success. The text begins with basic abilities and carefully progresses to more sophisticated thinking and reasoning skills. Cognitive maps open each chapter to help students understand the thinking process, as well as the interrelationship of ideas within that chapter. Thinking activities, thematic boxes, readings, and writing assignments encourage active participation, stimulating students to examine their own and others' critical thinking and to sharpen and improve their abilities. The many diverse readings provide in-depth perspectives on significant social issues. The development of thinking abilities is integrated with the four language skills crucial to success in college and careers: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The abundant writing assignments (short answer, paragraph, and essay), challenging readings, and discussion exercises improve students' language skills. "Images, Decision-Making, and Thinking About Visual Information," a section in Chapter 1, discusses and models the ways in which the media shapes the message, and introduces concepts for critical evaluation of visual information. Each chapter also includes a feature, "Thinking Critically About Visuals," that engages students in comparing and evaluating images drawn from current events and popular culture.