Rating: 
Summary: Money well spent...
Review: Everyday we spend money on a myriad of items, products and services. Purchasing ARQ will be one of the most valuable expenditures you will ever make in your life. I am almost ineffable to describe exactly how the book has changed my life. I am a more successful college student, a more prudent consumer, a better citizen and in essence, a "better" person. Even now, as a college graduate I reference the book often and use the techniques it gives you on a daily basis. There is no doubt about it, if you take it seriously, it will change your life. But, beware, as one scholar put it, "once you leave home, you can never go back." Specifically, once you learn and begin using the tools ARQ will equip you with, life becomes more complicated as you become more aware of the uncertainty and ambiguity inherent in everything. Nonetheless, I would never wish to go back, even if I could. "Perplexed Socrates" is a life more worth leading I believe, than "Happy Hog". Don't you?
Rating:
Summary: Essential for any serious thinker
Review: How do you teach someone to think, much less write an understandable book about it? Well, Browne and Keeley have done it. This book provides a step-by-step approach to thinking on the highest cognitive order. You will learn how to evaluate any argument, especially your own, and greatly improve your own reasoning and writing ability.Along with T. Edward Damer's Attacking Faulty Reasoning, this book forms the "Dynamic Duo" of thinking critically.
Rating:
Summary: This book would be a great gift for college-bound students.
Review: I am a college professor who has assigned ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS to a wide range of students in a wide range of courses. First year college students have used the book to analyze and evaluate arguments about contemporary business issues. College juniors and seniors have used the book to analyze and evaluate arguments related to gender issues. Business executives have used the book to analyze and evaluate complex arguments related to corporate social responsibility. I have assigned this book in my college courses for the past fourteen years. The book would be a great gift for students who are going to college or are returning to college for an advanced degree. Many of my students tell me the book has changed the way they read and argue. The book is practical and engages students. If you are an active learner and want to encourage others to engage in active learning, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for scientific researchers
Review: I believe that this book will have great impact on my research for Doctorial degree.One reason is this. In Chapter 9 "How Good is the Evidence: Personal Observation, Research Studies, Case Examples, and Analogies?", many problems with research findings are clearly explained. This makes me be wary of fallacies which might cause my research findings to become unreliable evidence, and result in poor research work.
Rating:
Summary: If I could get this book long before...
Review: I bought a lot of books in amazon. In the beginning, I just was a sponge, the worse way this book pointed out. After reading this, I was happy and sad. The happy one is this book exactly addresses what I need in my career including self study and work. The sad is I need to re-read all the books I've read, which may take me about 1 to 2 years. It's the most important book I've bought until now. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Balanced guide to critical thinking
Review: I found Asking the Right Questions (ARQ) to be a very balanced and thorough approach to critical thinking. I am an electrical engineer by profession... I am well-regarded by my peers as an careful thinker; however, I have found myself frustrated at times when discussing controversial issues with friends... some lines of thought don't ring true, but are nonetheless hard to refute. After reading ARQ, I found that these dilemmas are frequently the result of not agreeing on the definitions of ambiguous terms (e.g. oppression, sexism, racism) or on some logical fallicies that was used. This has made a quite difference in my ability to discern the issues at hand. ARQ uses a systematic list of questions to review the proposed thesis. These questions are designed to help you understand their conclusion, and evaluate their supporting evidence. Throughout the book, you are encouraged to set your own biases aside in favor of rationally evaluating the evidence. Furthermore, you receive some brief instruction on typical logical fallicies. Ad hominem attacks are addressed; however, I disagree with a prior reviewer's assertion that this is nothing new. Indeed some of us grew up in homes that did not value name-calling, but that is just the start of an ad-hominem attack. Many times discussions get sidetracked by implicit accusations about a person's character. As an example, this statement (greatly simplified here) was recently used on me, "you couldn't possibly be able to think critically, because your spiritual convictions make you biased." Until I read ARQ, I had a hard time realizing that this is actually a diversionary tactic used to sidetrack the discussion. If I accept this "evidence", the issue now becomes my credibility, instead of discussing my actual position on the issue. Another good point the authors make is that that the mere existence of a logical fallicy should be not used as a means to halt discussion: ----
When you spot a [logical] fallacy, you have found a legitimate basis for rejecting the argument. But in the spirit of constructive critical thinking, you want to continue the discussion of the issue.... [if the] fallacy occured in an oral argument your best bet for an enduring conversation is to ask the person who committed the fallacy if there is not a better reason for the conclusion. (ARQ, 6th ed, p 105)
---- Finally, this book doesn't try to give you the "right answers" to controversial issues. They teach you how to find those answers on your own. In many cases, there are no right or wrong answers... simply a difference in the core values of the individuals. I have been very pleased with the thoughtful approach that ARQ uses. I believe that every high-school and college student should be required to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Critical knowledge for teachers and students alike!
Review: I use the foundations of "Asking the Right Questions" as mandatory learning for my freshman students. As an instructor at a community college, this book provides a simple, yet necessary format for processing information. Browne and Keeley explain there are no "right or wrong" answers for many issues, just explanations on what constitutes one's values. I could teach a course on the contents of this book alone, if given the opportunity. Everyone in the academic community will benefit from this engaging read!!
Rating: 
Summary: It is an excellent book to work with students in groups.
Review: I use this book to work with my graduate students in a course where we learn about discussing and scientific writing. They find it very useful because it is systematic and has helped them organize their thoughts and arguments, and it is plenty of examples. Ah! Eventhough the book is written in English, I hold my course in Spanish.
Rating: 
Summary: Reader's Digest, not a textbook.
Review: I was amazed that so many filler words could add up to only 100 pages. Poorly structured. The examples are fine if you have a photographic memory, otherwise it requires rereading entire paragraphs just to identify the points the authors are trying to make. The book could have been summarized with bulletpoints in less than 10 pages.
Rating:
Summary: A book packed with powerful analytic technique.
Review: I was looking for a book that would help young lawyers with their analytic skills, that would not be overly "text-like" and could be continually used as a quick reference. Browne & Keeley's "Asking the Right Questions" fullfiled all my expectations in that regard. I found it pleasantly short, very comprehensive, and packed with all the relevant issues. While college students will find it very helpful, attorneys and law students should include it as one of their professional bibles, along with Blacks Law Dictionary.
| 
