Skip to main content
University of California Press

About the Book

Across disciplines, critical thinking is praised, taught, and put into practice. But what does it actually mean to think critically? In this brief volume, sociologist Joel Best examines how to evaluate arguments and the evidence used to support them as he hones in on how to think in the field of sociology and beyond.
 
With inimitable style that melds ethnographic verve with dry humor, Best examines the ways in which sociologists engage in fuzzy thinking through bias, faddish cultural waves, spurious reasoning, and implicit bias. The short chapters cover:
  • A general introduction to critical thinking and logic in the social sciences
  • Sociology as an enterprise
  • Key issues in thinking critically about sociological research
  • Challenging questions that confront sociologists and a call for the discipline to meet those challenges.
Students across disciplines will learn the building blocks of critical thinking in a sociological context and come away with key concepts to put into practice.

About the Author

Joel Best is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He is the author of the best-selling Damned Lies and Statistics, Stat-Spotting, and American Nightmares.
 

From Our Blog

World Press Freedom Day: UC Press Reading List

For World Press Freedom Day, UC Press celebrates the work of journalists around the world and recognizes the importance of free press principles. The books featured highlight the stories of journalists and the issues facing press freedom today. Learn more about the history of World Press Freedom Day
Read More

ASA 2021: Browse Titles for Your Sociology Courses

Explore our groundbreaking books that facilitate teaching across disciplines. To request an exam copy, click on “Request an Exam or Desk Copy” on the book page, and this will take you to our distributor's site where you can order your copy.Is That True? Critical Thinking for Sociologists
Read More

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1. What Is Critical Thinking?

2. The Basics: Arguments and Assumptions

3. Everyday Arguments
Anecdotes • Ad Hominem Arguments • Myths • Folk Wisdom and Metaphors • Facts • Everyday Reasoning

4. The Logic of Social Science
Patterns • Causality • Judging Social Scientific Claims • The Importance of Evidence

5. Authority and Social Science Arguments
Challenges for Social Science • The Case of Sociology • Thinking about Sociology and Critical Thinking

6. Sociology as a Social World
Camps • Envy • Sociology’s Subdivisions

7. Orientations
Optimism and Pessimism • Team Culture and Team Structure • Insiders and Outsiders • Tragedy and Comedy • The Importance of Orientations Contents

8. Words
Jargon • Word Fads • Definitions • Concept Creep

9. Questions and Measurements
Sociological Questions • Empirical Questions • Measurement • What Is Being Measured? • Questioning Measurements

10. Variables and Comparison
Variables • Issues with Comparison • Varieties of Comparative Findings • Replication • Comparison in Qualitative Research • Questioning Comparisons

11. Tendencies
Patterned Tendencies • The Ecological Fallacy • The Modesty of Sociological Explanations • Thinking about Tendencies

12. Evidence
Effective Evidence • Not-So-Effective Evidence • Questioning Evidence Choices • Questions about Research

13. Echo Chambers
Recognizing and Addressing One’s Own Biases • Expectations and Sociologists • The Complications of Ideological Homogeneity • The Importance of Self-Criticism

14. Tough Topics
Cultural Waves • Good Guys and Bad Guys • Taboos • Thinking about What’s Difficult

Afterword: Why Critical Thinking Is Important

Notes
References
Index

Reviews

"Throughout this engaging and insightful book, Joel Best reminds us that critical thinking is neither a goal nor an achievement but a skill that needs to be practiced and applied with intent and reflection. This is a book that offers something for everyone—from students in introductory sociology courses to seasoned scholars, practitioners, and policymakers."—Brian Monahan, Baldwin Wallace University 
 
"In Is That True? Critical Thinking for Sociologists Joel Best pulls off the trifecta. He creates a book that will help undergraduates learn the tools needed to build their critical thinking skills, help graduate students understand some of the most important debates in the profession they aspire to, and confront sociologists when they fail to think critically about their own research."—Kathleen A. Bogle, author of Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus     
 
Is That True? offers a path toward greater unity and effectiveness to a fragmented and increasingly politicized field. For in order to help build a better world, while maintaining the credibility of their discipline, sociologists must be seekers of truth who follow relevant evidence wherever it leads.”—Lawrence T. Nichols, West Virginia University

"Joel Best has once again given us an essential tool for social science teaching and learning. Written in an eminently readable style, with clear claims and keen understanding of the consequences of getting it wrong, this must-have primer will strengthen the ways students and faculty think about thinking."—Diane Pike, Augsburg University