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Joel Best, Review of “Is That True?: Critical Thinking for Sociologists”, Social Forces, Volume 100, Issue 1, September 2021, Page e18, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soab042
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Reviewer: Gwen Sharp, Nevada State College, USA
For decades, academics, politicians, and others have called for the US educational system to teach critical thinking skills (Dam & Volman, 2004), which they argue will turn students into informed citizens who critically evaluate candidates for office and proposed public policies. More recently, references to “alternative facts,” attempts to “unskew” political polls that do not predict someone’s preferred outcome, and the spread of conspiracy theories have increased these calls.
Throughout Is That True? Joel Best makes the case for more critical thinking generally, and the application of those critical thinking skills within the field of sociology, specifically. He defines critical thinking as a mindset based on evidence and our ability to evaluate whether or not that evidence is persuasive. He also argues that sociologists are prone to the same cognitive biases as everyone else, and that more critical thinking and diversity of thought is needed within the discipline.
