This popular text helps today's students bridge the gap between everyday culture and critical thinking. Using a proven step-by-step approach, this text covers all the basics of critical thinking, in clear, reader-friendly language. Its comprehensiveness allows instructors to tailor the material to their individual teaching styles, resulting in an exceptionally versatile text.

Gregory Bassham is Director of the Center for Ethics and Public Life and Chair of the Philosophy Department at King’s College (Pa.). He is the co-editor of The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (Open Court, 2003), author of Original Intent and the Constitution: A Philosophical Study (Rowman & Littlefield, 1992), and co-editor of Powerweb: Critical Thinking (McGraw-Hill, 2003-2004).William Irwin is Associate Professor of Philosophy at King's College and Series Editor of Open Court's Popular Culture and Philosophy. Co-editor of The Simpsons and Philosophy (Open Court, 2001), his most recent book, The Matrix and Philosophy, was a New York Times Bestseller.Henry Nardone is Professor of Philosophy at King's College. His publications include scholarly articles on critical thinking and aesthetics.James M. Wallace is Professor of English at King's College. Author of Parallel Lives: A Novel Way to Learn Thinking and Writing (1999), Jim's essay, "A (Karl Not Groucho) Marxist in Springfield," appeared in The Simpsons and Philosophy (Open Court, 2001).