5 Books to Help You Improve Your Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
If you’re looking for a way to improve your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, look no further than these five books! Each of these books will help you to approach problems in a more logical manner and get you thinking outside the box. Whether you’re looking to become a better puzzle solver or just want to be able to logically analyze situations, these books are perfect for you. So, pick up a copy today and start improving your skills!
Thinking, Fast and Slow
– by Daniel Kahneman
Description:
In his mega bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think.
System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions.
Review:
Kahneman provides a thorough overview of the two different ways that humans think, as well as concrete examples of when each mode is most effective. This is a well-researched book and a great foundation on how the mind makes decisions.
The Art of Thinking Clearly
– by Rolf Dobelli
Description:
A world-class thinker counts the 100 ways in which humans behave irrationally, showing us what we can do to recognize and minimize these “thinking errors” to make better decisions and have a better life.
Despite the best of intentions, humans are notoriously bad—that is, irrational—when it comes to making decisions and assessing risks and tradeoffs. Psychologists and neuroscientists refer to these distinctly human foibles, biases, and thinking traps as “cognitive errors.” Cognitive errors are systematic deviances from rationality, from optimized, logical, rational thinking and behavior. We make these errors all the time, in all sorts of situations, for problems big and small: whether to choose the apple or the cupcake; whether to keep retirement funds in the stock market when the Dow tanks, or whether to take the advice of a friend over a stranger.
Review:
Dobelli provides a wealth of information on cognitive biases and how to avoid them, as well as strategies for approaching problems in a more logical manner.
Critical Thinking: Your Guide to Effective Argument, Successful Analysis and Independent Study
– by Tom Chatfield (Author)
Description:
This helpful book is your personal toolkit for demystifying critical engagement. Author Tom Chatfield will show you how to sharpen your critical thinking by developing and practicing this specific set of skills, so you can: spot an argument and understand why reasoning matters, discover errors, and evaluate evidence, understand and account for bias, develop clear confident critical writing.
Review:
Chatfield provides a wealth of information on argumentation and how to construct effective arguments, as well as strategies for analyzing evidence and forming conclusions.
CRITICAL THINKING: A Beginner’s Guide to Critical Thinking, Better Decision Making, and Problem Solving!
– by Jennifer Wilson (Author)
Description:
“Critical Thinking: A Beginner’s Guide To Critical Thinking, Better Decision Making and Problem Solving!” is a great introduction to the fundamental principles of critical thinking. It is a book that offers insightful tips, as well as steps that are easy to follow, in effectively solving problems. Amazingly, the tips provided are not geared towards solving only one type of problems. Instead, you can follow them to get solutions to a wide range of challenges.
Review:
Jennifer Wilson offers a simple and practical approach to problem solving with insight into how real-life experiences impacts the decision-making process. The details in this book are very concise and easy to read.
The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills
by Nathaniel Bluedorn (Author), Hans Bluedorn (Author)
Description:
The Thinking Toolbox has been the best-selling text for teaching critical thinking skills and introduction to logic for over 15 years.
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 toolbox to fix the sink, so you can use the tools we give you in this book to solve thinking problems.
Review:
“The Thinking Toolbox” is a great book and easy read for both adults and kids. Each chapter includes several exercises that are entertaining and educational.
Conclusion:
These five books are a great way to improve your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Each one offers a different perspective on the topic, so you can choose the book that best suits your needs. So, pick up a copy today and start improving your skills!
