Creativity has become a popular slogan in contemporary education and society. We are urged continually to be creative in all our endeavors. Ascribing creativity has become one of the principle means of praising, approving and commending. Yet in the process of becoming a universal term of positive evaluation, the concept of creativity has lost its connection with its origins. We have forgotten what creativity has to do with creating, that it is connected with great achievements and quality productions. And as a consequence, most attempts to foster creativity in educational practice have been misleading and dangerous. We have come to settle for the encouragement of certain personality traits at the expense of the encouragement of significant achievement. This book is meant to clear up thoughts and concepts of creativity.

Unlike most texts in critical thinking, Reason in the Balance focuses broadly on the practice of critical inquiry, the process of carefully examining an issue in order to come to a reasoned judgment. Although analysis and critique of individual arguments have an important role to play, this text goes beyond that dimension to emphasize the various aspects that go into the practice of inquiry, including identifying issues and relevant contexts, understanding competing cases, and making a comparative judgment. Distinctive Features of the Text: Emphasis on applying critical thinking to complex issues with competing arguments Inclusion of chapters on inquiry in specific contexts Attention to the dialogical aspects of inquiry, including sample dialogues Emphasis on the spirit of inquiry The Second Edition Features: Updated examples and items of current interest New dialogues on vaccination, prostitution, and climate change New material on biases in reasoning, including emotional, psychological, social, and cognitive The Reason in the Balance Website includes: An Appendix on Logic Exercises Quizzes