25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life by Linda Elder

Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #569429 in Books
Published on: 2006-04-01
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
128 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review

Elder and Paul, both specialists in the area of critical thinking, present a 25-step plan for overcoming bad thinking habits and, in turn, improving one’s quality of life. Starting with the premise that faulty reasoning is at the heart of most problems, the authors provide daily exercises that focus on a particular habit. For instance, on day three (integrity), readers are asked to notice contradictions in their behavior and reduce hypocrisy. Strategies for achieving results are given every step of the way; readers are encouraged to keep a journal of daily progress. In its brevity and usefulness to all sectors of the population, this book is recommended for all public libraries.


(Library Journal, 5/1/2006)

From the Back Cover

You are what you think! Take control of your thinking...and start living life to the fullest! In just 25 days, you can discover how to cut through lies, gain insight, and make smarter choices in every area of your life—from work and money to your intimate relationships. Discover how to overcome bad thinking habits caused by self-delusion or out-of-control emotions...clarify what you really want...recognize what you don’t know. Ask the right questions...resist brainwashing, manipulation, and hypocrisy...Avoid worrying, conformism, and blame!
25 powerful ways to improve your thinking—and make smarter, better decisions.
Stop deceiving yourself: Overcome built-in self-delusion, wishful thinking, and worrying.
Use better thinking to make better decisions at work, at home, and throughout your life.
Critically evaluate what you’re told by advertisers, politicians, your boss...even your family!
Quick, practical, easy to use! Includes daily/weekly action plans, progress notes, and more.

About the Author

Dr. Linda Elder is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking, a leading international institute that promotes critical thinking in every domain of human life. An educational psychologist, she has developed an original stage theory of critical thinking development and coauthors a column on critical thinking for The Journal of Developmental Education. She is highly published and has done original research into the relation of thought and emotion and into the stages of critical thinking development. She is a regular keynoter at the International Conference on Critical Thinking, is highly sought after as a presenter, and is a recognized leader in critical thinking.

Dr. Richard Paul is Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking and Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking. He is an internationally recognized authority on critical thinking, with nine books and more than 200 articles on the subject. His views on critical thinking have been canvassed in the New York Times, Education Week, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American Teacher, Reader’s Digest, Educational Leadership, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report.

The works of Linda Elder and Richard Paul have been translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese. Translations are underway in Russian, Malay, and Korean. The growing demand for translations into increasing numbers of languages testifies to the emerging international recognition of the importance of critical thinking in human life and work and of the authoritative nature of the contribution of Paul and Elder in the field.

The Foundation for Critical Thinking seeks to promote essential change in society through the cultivation of fair-minded critical thinking, thinking predisposed toward intellectual empathy, humility, perseverance, integrity, and responsibility. In a world of accelerating change, intensifying complexity, and increasing interdependence, critical thinking is now a requirement for economic and social survival. Contact the Foundation for Critical Thinking at www.criticalthinking.org.
Customer Reviews

Great guide. Highly recommended.
The book is organized into 25 daily readings, and postulates that by focusing our attention on certain ways of thinking, we can become a more critical thinker, which in turn helps us "observe, monitor, analyze, assess, and reconstruct" our thinking, which can help us live better lives.

After reading this book for the prescribed 25 days, I have to agree that my thinking did improve and my life was made richer by focusing my attention on the daily thinking goals. For example, Day 9 has you thinking through implications; on Day 14 you are to stop thinking like a conformist; and on Day 21 you are to strive to be a citizen of the world.

Once you read through the book, the authors suggest turning this 25 day plan into a 25 week plan whereby you'd focus on each single day's thinking suggestion for an entire week. I will definitely read this book again and again.

Political Correctness Disguised as Critical Thinking
This book does provoke thought which is what it was meant to do, but it doesn't examine itself critically. From the book, "Needless to say, food manufacturers and the sugar industry have a vested interest in avoiding the obesity issue, since they are the primary contributors to it." While the first half of this statement is true, saying that these industries "... are the primary contributors to it [obesity]." is uncritical to say the least. Maybe the prime contributors are the people themselves and their poor eating habits. The book exhorts people not to be victims, but paints them here as victims of the cunning sugar industry.

The section "Be a Citizen of the World" only makes things worse. "Take one world problem - for instance, global warming, malnutrition, disease, overpopulation - and find out as much as you can from multiple international sources. Then compare what your nation is doing about the problem. Are you surprised by what you find?" Maybe they should have the reader consider the problems themselves? Are there others who disagree that the problem exists (global warming), what are some of the contributing factor of these problems (Banning DDT to control mosquitoes that carry malaria), and are there agendas behind these "problems" ("The Population Bomb" was released in 1968 why is overpopulation being rehashed).

Mental Health
I was looking for an excercise book for mental health to keep from becoming distorted and this fit the bill perfectly. It is rewarding to practice the lessons both to yourself and others around you.