Preface
PurposeThe purpose of this book is to teach students to think for them selves—not what tothink, but how to think—about the world around them, the issues of the day, and theirown role in a society that needs independent and critical thinkers more than ever. It
is organized around the principle that the classroom comprises a community whereknowledge and skills are shared, practiced, and mastered, then applied to the wide
variety of contexts in the real world.
For this purpose and context, this book focuses on the development of criticalthinking skills. Critical thinking is broadly defined as the ability to objectively evaluate
the merits and faults of things or ideas in order to make judgments about them. But
how is this actually achieved? Or more importantly, what specific skills are involved?
How are they taught and practiced? How are they applied to real world contexts? Ifcritical thinking were a simple matter, everyone, presumably, would be doing it. Our
real-world experience tells us that this is not the case. Many people accept uncriticallywhat they see or hear in the media, what their elders and teachers tell them, or
simply what they wish to be true. Clearly, critical thinking is learned, and like a foreign
language, one’s abilities improve with practice. This book has been designed withall of this in mind. It arms students with the principles, skills, and practice to develop
critical thinking ability, to take this ability out of the classroom and into the real world,
and to practice and improve this ability throughout their lives.

Critical Thinking
This book presents critical thinking as a set of three distinct and progressive
practices. The first and broadest practice is the critical stance, or the general attitudeof skepticism that critical thinkers bring to that which they seek to understand,including themselves. Assuming a critical stance means to take nothing at “facevalue,” to assume nothing, and to challenge conventional wisdom and what mightseem to others to be “common sense.” It means to continually interrogate the very
ideas by which we define ourselves and the world we inhabit. Throughout this book
students are challenged to consider and reconsider what they know, what they thinkthey know, and what they can know about themselves and the world.

The critical stance is the catalyst for the second, more specific set of practices:critical analysis. Students learn how to distinguish between facts, opinions, beliefs,
and prejudices. They learn to stake out a position on an issue, look for and evaluate
evidence to support their positions, and constructively critique the positions of others.
They learn to distinguish relevant facts from irrelevant ones, identify generalizations
and assertions, and draw inferences from limited information. Each of the first tenunits presents a specific analytic practice, which taken as a whole comprises a
toolbox of critical thinking skills that students will carry with them and draw uponwhenever they engage ideas and issues in the real world.
The third practice is the identification and negation of logical fallacies. Each of thelast five units presents one of the most common logical fallacies, including the either/or argument, the slippery slope, the ad hominem attack, the straw man, and thered herring. Students learn to recognize these fallacious arguments when they areencountered, to draw attention to them, and to counter them with sound argumentsof their own. In doing so, they learn to avoid the mistake of using logical fallacies as
the basis of their own ideas.

Unit Structure
Each unit in this book is structured to ease students into the unit topic with lowproduction activities. First, the topic is previewed, providing students with somecontent knowledge and preparing them for discussions to come. Next, students’ ownknowledge is activated with warm-up questions designed to elicit their initial thoughtson the topic. Students are then guided to produce an initial position on the topic,
which will be developed and refined throughout the unit.
Next, a critical thinking skill is introduced. The book starts with the most general skills
and proceeds to the more specific ones, encouraging the progressive development of
the three levels of practice. Students develop the critical stance early on, and apply it
to each successive topic. Each skill is explicitly defined, and examples are provided.
Exercises are then provided for students to practice and internalize the skill.
After the specific skill is learned, students read a text related to the unit topic.
Students are introduced to a different text type in each unit as a means of building
their genre knowledge and modes of expression. Each text is between 400 and 500
words, composed primarily of words at or below the JACET 3000 word level. Teachers
are encouraged to leverage each text to practice the critical skills learned throughout

the book as they see fit.
Immediately following each text is a set of multiple-choice comprehension questions.
Most questions require students to draw on their inferencing skills to answer correctly.
After the comprehension questions, students use their awareness of context tocomplete sentences with highlighted words from the text. Finally, students use thehighlighted vocabulary to express their own ideas on the topic in sentence form.
Each unit then presents a list of useful expressions that can be used in relation both tothe critical thinking skill and the main text of the unit. Pair work exercises are provided
for students to practice the expressions and use them to discuss the unit topic.
Next, students listen to a friendly conversation on the unit topic and fill in theblanks with the words or phrases they hear. The conversations are highly colloquial
and idiomatic, exposing students to English as it is used in everyday life. Threecomprehension questions require students to infer answers not stated directly in thetext.
The last classroom activity is open discussion of questions related to the unit topic.
Students use the new expressions, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills learnedin the unit to engage their classmates in critical discussion. Finally, two researchquestions are provided, giving students the opportunity to deepen their understandingof the topic and express their own ideas in written form or as a presentation to theclass.
It should be noted that the positions and opinions expressed in this textbook are notnecessarily those of the author or publisher. In fact, a very wide range of positions are
expressed, and not all of them are particularly thoughtful. This is intentional. They areincluded to give students experience analyzing and responding to weak arguments.

Table of Contents

Unit

Theme

Critical Thinking Skills

Main Reading
Text Type

Topic

Page

1

Study Abroad

ValuesAdvertisement

The Experience of a Lifetime:
Study Abroad!

2

2

Nuclear Power

Facts and Opinions

Letters to the Editor

Time to Ditch Nuclear Power/
The Future is Nuclear

83

Immigration

Belief or Prejudice?

Call for Public Comment

Immigration Reform Policy

14

4

The Social Safety Net

Reasons and Evidence in
Support of Positions

Editorial

Time to Repair the Social Safety Net

20

5

Global WarmingCriteria for Evaluation

White Paper

Global Warming

26

6

Women in the Workplace

Relevant and Irrelevant Facts
and Details

Office Memo

Treatment of Female Employees

32

7School on Saturdays

Critiquing an Argument

Informational Presentation

School on Saturdays?

38

8

Food Labeling

Identifying Generalizations andAssumptions

Consumer Report

Genetically Modified Food

44

9Etiquette in the Digital Age

Analogies

Advice Column

Etiquette in the Digital Age

50

10Merit-based Pay

Drawing Inferences

Blog Post

Life and Work56

11

American Military Basesin JapanIntroduction to Logical Fallacies

Interview

Removal of US Military Bases from Japan

62

12

Taxes

The Slippery Slope

Public Debate

On Taxes

68

13

Living Together Before
Marriage

The Ad Hominem

Textbook Section

Living Together Before Marriage

74

14

Animal Rights

The Straw Man

News Report

Animal Rights Protesters Rally in
Ginza

80

15

Hosting the Olympics

The Red Herring

Petition

Regarding the Effects of the Olympics on
Local Residents

86

UNIT

3 Immigration

Preview
Japan is a nation of about 127.1 million people. But that number is expected to drop to about
90 million by the year 2050. The social and economic effects of such a large and rapid change
has many people concerned about the future of the nation. In response, a number of policychanges have been proposed. One of the most controversial proposals is to greatly increase
the number of foreigners living and working in Japan.

Warm-up Discussion
A Rate your level of agreement with the following statements from 1 (strongly
disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Discuss your answers in your group.
1. Immigrants can help Japan with its declining population problem.
1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

2. Japanese people will accept foreigners living permanently in Japan.
3. Foreigners have difficulty adjusting to Japanese society.

B Do you think immigration to Japan should be encouraged? Why or why not?
Write one reason in support of your position. Share with your group.
I think immigration should/should not be encouraged because.

14

UNIT 3

Immigration

Critical Thinking
Thinking Skill
Skill 3:
3: Belief
Belief oror Prejudice?
Prejudice?
CriticalA belief is an assertion that something exists or is true without any evidence tosupport the claim. Beliefs are usually deeply held and personal. They can be basedon cultural or religious values, and they can play a very positive role in people’s
lives. However, beliefs cannot be supported with facts and therefore are not usefulfor critical discussion.
A prejudice is a negative belief, based on ignorance or hatred. Unlike beliefs,
which cannot be supported by facts, prejudices are often easily proven to be
untrue. For example, the assertion, “Women are bad drivers” is easily disprovenby reference to accident statistics and police records that show that women tend
to drive more carefully and have fewer accidents than men. A person who believes
that women are bad drivers has chosen to ignore the evidence because it does
not support what he or she already wants to believe. Prejudice often generalizes
an idea to an entire group or class of people. Prejudice is the opposite of criticalthinking.

Practice
A Read each of the following assertions and decide if it is a belief (B) or a prejudice (P).
Check your answers with a partner.
1. There is life outside of our solar system.

[]

2. Good people go to heaven when they die.

[

]

[

]

4. Women are not smart enough to be effective managers.

[]

5. People with long noses cannot be trusted.

[]

6. The death penalty is just legalized murder.

[]

7. Every good deed is someday rewarded.

[]

8. Ambition is necessary for a happy life.

[]

9. The devil is real.

[]

10. People from the city are better than people from the countryside. []3. People with dark skin are not as intelligent as people with lightskin.

B Now write two assertions, one of belief and one of prejudice. Ask a partner tolabel each assertion as a belief or prejudice.

15

Main Reading: Public Comment

DL 06

CD1-12 ~CD1-18Read the following proposal for dealing with Japan’s population problem and the
public comments that follow.

Call for Public Comment: Immigration Reform Policy
In 2014, the birth rate was 1.4 per woman. By 2055, 38% of the population
will be over 65, and the total population is expected to decline by 25% by 2050.
Clearly, Japan faces a demographic crisis that will cause serious social and5

economic problems. Research shows that we cannot reverse this trend domestically:
We do not have enough people. Therefore, we propose increasing immigration to
Japan.
We propose “The Big Option,” which calls for the immigration of 20 million
people over the next 50 years. Large-scale immigration will help Japan retain its

10

current economic status and standard of living.
We understand that this requires big changes to Japanese society and theway foreigners are integrated into local communities. We seek the public’s input
on this proposal.
Comments

15

submitted by Brave New World on 8/26 at 11:15am
I completely agree with The Big Option and hope it is adopted. In 1960, there
were 11 workers to support each retiree. Today there are only two. Without moreworkers, the pension system may soon collapse. Entire generations will suffer
economic effects. We should welcome as many immigrants as possible!

20

submitted by Love Japan on 8/27 at 3:22pm
No way! Japan is unique. No other country is so beautiful and refined. A rapid
increase of foreigners will destroy the country. Thousands of years of tradition will
be lost. We need to find a solution that saves Japan without changing it.
submitted by Skeptical Foreigner on 8/29 at 10:45pm

25

As a foreigner in Japan, I am encouraged by the government’s willingness toaccept more immigrants. I have been treated very well here, and I believe thatmost Japanese people are willing to accept more foreigners. My concern is with thepace and scale of The Big Option. There are about two million foreigners living andworking in Japan now. The Big Option will double that number every four years!

30

That’s not realistic.
submitted by Japan Forever on 8/30 at 6:04pm
Foreigners don’t have the brains to assimilate into Japanese culture. Maybe somecan enter as unskilled workers, but they should live separately from Japanesepeople because their living habits are filthy.

16

UNIT 3

Immigration

Reading Comprehension
Answer the following questions.

1. What is the purpose of The Big Option?
a. To integrate foreigners into local communities
b. To reverse the declining populationc. To improve international cooperation
2. Which commenter provides evidence for his position?
a. Brave New Wordb. Love Japanc. Japan Forever
3. Which commenter asserts a positive belief about Japan?
a. Brave New Worldb. Love Japanc. Japan Forever
4. Which commenter asserts a prejudice toward foreigners?
a. Love Japanb. Skeptical Foreigner
c. Japan Forever

Vocabulary Review
A Fill in the blanks in the sentences with the bold words from the main reading.
1. Some immigrants never become

into their new communities andcommunicate only with people from their home countries.
2.

change takes time. We cannot change society overnight.

3. I tried to
4. Every culture is

the new information, but at times I was greatly confused.
in some way; it is the differences that make themspecial.
5. Because of recentchanges in the United States, more than half ofthe population will soon be non-white.
B Now write sentences using three of the bold words to express your own opinion
on the subject of immigration in Japan.
1.
2.
3.
Compare your sentences with a partner and help each other correct grammar andspelling errors. Check for beliefs or prejudices.

17

Useful Words and Expressions
Some people, when making an argument, might assert an opinion as if it were afact, or a belief as if it were an opinion or a fact. Most people who make assertionsof prejudice do not see themselves as prejudiced. They see their assertions as
beliefs, opinions, or facts. A critical thinker knows how to distinguish between
these types of assertions when they are encountered. Critical thinkers also know
how to respond to such assertions in a polite way without attacking the person
making them. Remember: Be critical of ideas, not people. Following this rule will
help keep discussions civil and respectful.

Practice
A Put a ◯ next to statements that politely challenge assertions. Put an × next tostatements that violate the rule.
1. Can you point to evidence to support that? [2. You are an idiot. []]3. Are you sure that statement is factual? []4. Do you think that might be a generalization? [5. You are prejudiced against… []6. Only a child could believe such a thing. [7. Let’s look at the facts. [

]

]

]

B Use the expressions above to respond to the following assertions. Remember therule: Be critical of ideas, not people.
1. Immigrants can’t learn Japanese or understand Japanese values.
2. American culture and the English language are superior to others.
3. Women do not have the ability to lead a large corporation.
4. Foreigners don’t work as hard as Japanese.

18

UNIT 3

Listening

DL 07

Immigration

CD1-19

A Listen and fill in the blanks with the words
or phrases you hear.

Mike

Ako

Mike: Hey Ako, did you hear about the government’s proposal to1.
() in Japan? Isn’t that crazy?
Ako: What do you mean?
Mike: Well, everyone knows that foreigners can’t adjust to Japanese culture.
) your claim?
Ako: Mike, are you sure about that? 2.(
Mike: Oh, we all know it’s true. Just look around you.
Ako: But that’s not really evidence. Maybe you’ve met a few foreigners
3.
(). But don’t paint with too broad a brush.
Mike: What does that mean?
Ako: It means that you cannot generalize about foreigners in Japan based on a few)
examples. Many foreigners learn Japanese language and 4.(
Japanese culture and society without any real problem.
Mike: But what about all the crime committed by foreigners?
Ako: Let’s look at the facts: Government statistics show that foreigners commit crimes) as Japanese people do.
at about 5.(
B Now listen again and answer the following questions.
1. Why does Mike think the government’s proposal is crazy?
2. What two prejudices does Mike hold against foreigners?
a.

b.

3. What expression does Ako use to call attention to Mike’s prejudices?
a.

b.

Critical Discussion
1. Which of the comments in the reading passage is closest to your own view?
Provide evidence to support your position.
2. Discuss other reasons why some people are for or against increased immigration
to Japan. Make a list and look for evidence for each.

Critical Reflection
1. Research current government policies regarding immigration. Do you agree ordisagree with current policies? Support your position with evidence.
2. Imagine Japan in the Year 2050. What role will foreigners play in that future?
How will they help or hinder Japanese society at that time?

19