The Book

The Book

Just in time for the 2020 election, this new edition of Critical Voter by best-selling author Jonathan Haber, will help you turn this year’s news into learning experiences that can help you (or your kids) hone the vital thinking skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.

Why waste the next election feeling suckered, ignored or manipulated when you can follow the simple lessons in this book to become a member of the most fearsome of all demographics: the free and truly independent critical thinker.

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The Author

The Author

Jonathan Haber is the author of Critical Thinking, the best-selling title in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series.  His work in critical-thinking education also includes LogicCheck, a site dedicated to checking the reasoning – not just the facts – behind the news.  He has also developed a set of high-leverage teaching practices for integrating critical-thinking education into instruction on any topic in K-12 or higher education. His writing on education-related topics has appeared in Inside Higher Education, Slate, EdSurge and other publications.

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Curriculum

Curriculum

Critical thinking is a cornerstone skill every student needs to succeed in the 21st century, as well as a vital component of being an active citizen ready to engage in productive conversations and make good decisions.

If you are an educator interested in integrating the material taught in Critical Voter into lessons on civics, research, writing or any topic requiring critical-thinking skills, contact the author about the availability of a unit plan, lesson plans, quizzes and other resources that can help your students master vital thinking skills. 

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Jonathan Haber’s Critical Voter is a book about the fundamental elements of critical thinking, organized around a particular question: what does it mean to think critically about the arguments, speeches and media presentations that one encounters during a political campaign?... It could not be more timely.

Kevin deLaplante, Critical Thinker Academy

Latest Thoughts

Blog and News

How to Win an Argument

How to Win an Argument

Posted by CriticalVoter on Apr 6, 2021

Towards the end of last year, I was approached by a company called Listenable that produces audio courses built around ten or so podcast-like lectures, each of which are around 5-10 minutes in length.  While most of the teaching I’ve done on this...

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Discourse – Part 1

Discourse – Part 1

Posted by CriticalVoter on Jan 6, 2021

From LogicCheck… Last year, the online publication Inside Higher Education decided to eliminate comment sections, joining a long list of publications that have dropped features that allowed readers to discuss and debate articles and editorials published on their...

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Deliberation

Deliberation

Posted by CriticalVoter on Oct 24, 2020

Why was the second (and final) presidential debate so much more satisfying than the train wreck that took place the first time the candidates jousted? Kudos have been handed to the debate’s moderator, although changes to the structure of the event (specifically the...

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Equivocation

Equivocation

Posted by CriticalVoter on Oct 22, 2020

In this New York Times run-down of last night’s dueling presidential town-hall meetings, the reporter accuses the President of equivocating on the subject of support for mask-wearing. Equivocation is another in the long list of fallacies we see committed by political...

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Logic-Checking Ranked Choice

Logic-Checking Ranked Choice

Posted by CriticalVoter on Oct 8, 2020

Time to take a break from national and viral politics to logic-check a local issue on the ballot in my home state of Massachusetts. Massachusetts publishes a detailed voter guide that it mails to every household in the Commonwealth.  In addition to running down...

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Just Released: the 2020 Edition of Critical Voter

Just Released: the 2020 Edition of Critical Voter

Posted by CriticalVoter on Oct 1, 2020

Just in time to navigate the home stretch of the weirdest election in American history, I’ve just released a new edition of Critical Voter, a how-to guide for using election politics to teach and learn practical critical thinking skills. Swiping from the Amazon blurb...

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