METHOD MATTERS

Writer, musician, business owner, and software engineer Quinn presents a beginner’s guide to using critical thinking as a way to better formulate plans and achieve goals.

The author begins his handbook by defining critical thinking as “the process of making observations, reasoning about those observations along with the available facts, and drawing conclusions based on the results of your reasoning process.” He goes on to differentiate between the four types of reasoning: deductive, inductive, abductive, and goal-based. Each section contains a case study of a specific scenario to demonstrate the appropriate use of each type of reasoning. For example, Quinn notes that scientists discovered—using what they already knew of physics—that Uranus’ orbit was very different from what it should have been, based on their calculations; they then used goal-based reasoning, which uses the “desired goal or outcome” as the starting point, to work out that an undiscovered planet was influencing Uranus’ orbit. Quinn also delves into factors that can influence critical thinking, such as preconceived biases that make one more inclined to accept logical fallacies, which may then be used “to avoid an undesirable conclusion.” Later, he offers a detailed discussion of creating “sub-goals” to achieve an end goal. The last two chapters are dedicated solely to case studies. The first tackles the critical thinking methods used by John Snow, the English scientist who discovered how cholera spread so rapidly in the mid-1800s; the second is a personal look at the author’s own experience inventing a quarter-tone technique for the saxophone and then writing and marketing a book about it.

All of Quinn’s examples prove to be easy to follow and are largely based in real-world scenarios. When he walks readers through mistakes and missteps that led to him being unable to graduate college in five years, or the various clues that should have tipped him off that he’d arrived at the wrong house for a party, he provides an accessible look into what critical thinking is and what its application means in daily life. The narrative tone is similarly approachable, with very little use of jargon. The few terms that may prove unfamiliar to beginners are in bold and are helpfully recapped in the final chapter, glossary-style. There are no illustrations or diagrams, however, which may disappoint visual learners. Quinn’s everyman approach to the different styles of reasoning is refreshing, as is his willingness to admit his own faults when employing them. For instance, while explaining his journey toward publishing his saxophone book, he concludes, “In essence, I did execute the critical thinking process successfully to create the book itself, but not on the business or other concerns of the project.” The abundance of personal anecdotes and historical examples keep things engaging for readers who value the practical over the theoretical. Overall, the book is a helpful overview of a range of skills that may prove helpful in readers’ everyday and professional lives.

A simple introduction to critical thinking and its practical benefits that readers will find easy to grasp.