Loading... Please wait...
Your Account
Add to Wish List
- Home
- Books and Audio
- The Thinking Toolbox
The Thinking Toolbox
Product Description
This book is like a toolbox, full of different kinds of tools you can use for different thinking tasks. Just as you use the wrench in a regular tool box to fix the sink, so you can use the tools we give you in this book to solve thinking problems.
- When it is dumb to argue
- Using the scientific method
- Five rules of brainstorming
- Who has a reason to lie?
- How to analyze opposing viewpoints
- How to analyze evidence and sources
- How to list reasons why you believe something
- And much more
We wrote this book for children and adults who want to learn logic and critical thinking skills. The Thinking Toolbox follows the same style as The Fallacy Detective with lessons and exercises and an answer key in the back. Parents and teachers, as well as anybody who wants to learn logic, will find The Thinking Toolbox easy to use and practical.
Features:
- Fun to use – not dry like a math textbook
- Can be used after The Fallacy Detective
- Introductory – teaches skills you can use right away
- Self-teaching format
- For ages thirteen and older
- Over 60 cartoon illustrations by Richard LaPierre
Sample Chapter
About The Authors
Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn are brothers who decided to turn their logic hobby into a livelyhood by starting Christian Logic. Since then, they've written two books, The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox, and produced their first DVD, Logic in 100 Minutes. They grew up homeschooling in the middle of a corn field, five miles from the Mississippi River, near New Boston, Illinois.
Product Details
Paperback: 234 pages
Publisher: Christian Logic
Publication Date: January 30, 2005
ISBN-10: 0974531510
ISBN-13: 978-0974531519
You May Also Enjoy...
-
-
Cracking The CLEP $19.95
-
Handoff $12.99
-
-
The Fallacy Detective $22.00
Product Reviews
-
Teaches how to use your mind
Posted by Zack Reynolds on 4th Aug 2011
After seeing the Bluedorn's initial logic book, "The Fallacy Detective", I was excited to find out that they were writing a sequel--this time, however, they weren't discussing how NOT to think. In this book, they cover how to think and use your mind.
I had the good fortune to be involved in editing this book pre-pub, and as I was editing this book, I became increasingly amazed at how helpful and informative it was, and yet so easy and fun to read...mind you, this is no dull and boring textbook. This book has a light style, with great illustrations and interesting and sometimes fun examples.
In this book, as in "The Fallacy Detective", every chapter ends with exercises that are sometimes fun and sometimes tough, and help you remember and use what you learned in the chapter.
I found this book helpful for learning how to think and use my mind in different ways. Hopefully, you will, too.
-
I loved it! Perfect for teens, parents and homeschoolers
Posted by M. Drews on 4th Aug 2011
I wasn't quite sure how I would like a book that's all about sharpening your reasoning skills and that used the term LOGIC. Would it be boring? Would it make me feel dumb in the end?
Anyhow, I had heard great things about this book by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn (as well as their other book The Fallacy Detective)...so I dove right in...and was not disappointed!
Why couldn't they have had books like this in high school and college??? The Bluedorns did a fabulous job of walking you through various thinking tasks (such as When is it Dumb to Argue?, Using the Scientific Method, Who has a reason to Lie?, etc) in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand and quite entertaining way. The scenarios and conversations they include will help you apply your new-found skills into real life situations. After all, what good is a tool if you don't know when or how to use it?
I loved how each lesson was short and to-the-point. Quite necessary for those of us with demanding toddlers or anyone with a short attention span. Each lesson also had exercises at the end (don't worry, no crunches or push-ups required!); and each exercise builds on previous exercises which helps to further drive the point home. Ahem...and for those of you who still worry about tackling logic, there IS an answer key at the end!
Initially, I was quite skeptical of being able to recommend a book about logic, but The Thinking Toolbox is one of the BEST books I have ever read on the subject! It is self-teaching and offers a Christian view of logic. It is written for ages 13 through adult and is a very useful way to introduce critical and systematic thinking/reasoning to students. I think it would be a perfect read for your student before they tackle their next science project or experiment, make a speech, write a research paper, or just any time. It would also prove quite useful for any mom or dad to get their thinking-ducks in a row as well...so check it out!
-
Breath of Fresh Air
Posted by H. L. Nigro on 4th Aug 2011
It's not often that I get excited about reviewing a book, but I was excited about this one. We live in a world filled with knowledge, but knowledge is all but useless without critical thinking skills. As important as this is for adults, it's even more important for teens - because it is our teen years that we are solidifying how we see the world and who we are.
The ability to think critically impacts every aspect of our children's daily lives. Everything from how to handle disagreement between friends, to dealing with peer pressure, to reasoning out problems in school. As adults, we bring those skills into our marriages, our families, our jobs, and finances. But teaching those skills is a daunting task. How do you teaching someone how to think?
I was surprised to see how easily The Thinking Toolbox does just that. Each short explanation is paired with a series of fun, relevant exercises to help teens use the skills they learn. How to defend what you believe. How to tell the difference between fact, inference, and opinion. How to use corroborating evidence. How and why sometimes you should learn to defeat your own argument. How to analyze data and to brainstorm. Even situations - such as when someone is in emotional distress - when using logic is not appropriate.
But this book goes beyond teens. These are pithy and powerful tools. In reading the book, I couldn't help but think how many situations we, as adults, face every day when such skills could be put to use. From analyzing the trustworthiness of a news report to resolving personal differences at work. The section on the difference between a discussion, a disagreement, and a fight has powerful relevance in nearly every one of our lives today.
The design is teen-friendly, designed to be easy to read and eye-catching. One minor criticism. The exercises run together, in a list, and sometimes aren't well differentiated. When the type of exercise changes from one to the other, this can get confusing, especially in the front of the book until you get used to the format. But a little guidance on how to use the book takes care of that problem easily. I do hope, however, that in future versions, the layout of the exercises is tweaked to make them easier to follow.
I would have also liked to see the authors spend time up front talking about why reasoning skills are so important. We all have busy lives - especially teens - and there is so much we are expected to learn. Knowing how this learning will help us motivates us to study.
I remember a movie back from the 80s called "Summer School," with Mark Harmon. Assigned to teach summer school English, a physical education teacher had to figure out how to get a bunch of decidedly unmotivated students to pay attention to him teaching English. So when one student complained about broken sunglasses, Harmon took that opportunity to show the students how they could use good English skills to get free stuff. The class wrote a letter to the manufacturer, complaining about the glasses, and ended up with a box of brand-new glasses for everyone.
Likewise, a few examples up front in "The Thinking Toolbox, "showing how this information will help in teens' everyday lives, would be great.
- H. L. Nigro, founder, Strong Tower Publishing
-
Not Just For Teens
Posted by EverydayMommy on 4th Aug 2011
I loved The Thinking Toolbox, and I'm 43 years old! The Bluedorns have done it again, with this follow up to their book, The Fallacy Detective. The lessons featured in The Thinking Toolbox are directed towards homeschool students, but are actually applicable and valuable for 'students' of all ages. In this day and age of news reports that are questionable, at best, and flimsy-flip-flop values and moral relativism, the Thinking Toolbox should be on everyone's shelf.
I found the illustrations by Richard LaPierre to be especially charming, appealing and fun. This is no dry textbook. Mr. LaPierre's talent is refreshing. A great accompaniment to the Bluedorn's commentary.
Be sure to pick up a copy for your teenager, and for yourself.