The Thinker's Way : 8 Steps to a Richer Life

We spend time, money, and effort trying to improve our health and our appearance, but we neglect the most important ingredient: "our ability to think and reflect, to understand our past and create our futures," says philosophy professor and critical-thinking expert John Chaffee. No number of self-help programs will improve our lives if we don't learn to think clearly. The aim of The Thinker's Way is to both stimulate our thinking and guide us to think on a more sophisticated and powerful level. It succeeds.

The book is divided into eight chapters that build on each other and ultimately work together to improve our thinking: "Think Critically," "Live Creatively," "Choose Freely," "Solve Problems Effectively," "Communicate Effectively," "Analyze Complex Issues," "Develop Enlightened Values," and "Think Through Relationships." In the "Think Critically" chapter, for example, we learn to recognize and overcome biases, explore different perspectives, and develop strong and accurate beliefs based on sound reasons. Each step has its own goals, strategies, provocative examples, and "thinking activities" designed to involve the reader. What a shame that critical thinking isn't a required course in high school and college. Fortunately, this is the perfect guidebook if you want to take a private seminar. --Joan Price