This book offers an introduction to critical thinking for sociologists. Critical thinking involves the evaluation of arguments. Because sociologists tend to use particular forms of argumentation, it is helpful to consider how such arguments might be evaluated. Taking these matters into consideration can improve sociological arguments.

Statistical claims are often central to the contemporary construction of social problems. The failure to subject these figures to critical analysis is a form of innumeracy, the inability to deal effectively with mathematical concepts. Two cases from the United States -estimates of the number of missing children, and projections for the workforce in the year 2000 -illustrate how the uncritical acceptance of inaccurate statistics can shape policy debates. Claimsmakers, the mass media, and the media audience all contribute to the innumerate (...) interpretation of social statistics. (shrink)