本书的主要内容为介绍分析性思维的概念、作用及如何进行分析性思维，帮助读者能够科学地、有效地进行思辨性思考。

Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist who has taught both psychology and critical thinking at the college level. She is the President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and the Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. Dr. Elder has a special interest in the relation of thought and emotion, as well as the cognitive and affective.She has developed an original theory of the stages of critical thinking development. Dr. Elder has co-authored four books on critical thinking as well as twenty-four Thinkers' Guides.She has presented workshops to more than 20,000 educators. Dr. Richard Paul was a leading proponent of critical thinking until his death in August of 2015, and in his work and legacy, Paul remains an international authority on critical thinking. He founded the Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State University in 1980, followed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. In his lifetime, he developed concepts, principles, and theory essential to a robust and fairminded conception of critical thinking; he worked tenaciously to advance ethical, or strong-sense,critical thinking throughout education and society. In his lifetime, Paul authored more than 200 articles and seven books on critical thinking. He presented workshops to hundreds of thousands of educators over his 35-year history as a primary leader in the critical thinking movement.

Part 1: Understanding the Basic Theory of Analysis
Why a Guide on AnalyticThinking?
Why the Analysis of Thinking Is Important
To Analyze Thinking We Must Learn to Identify and Question Its
Elemental Structures
To Evaluate Thinking We Must Understand and Apply Intellectual Standards
35 Dimensions of Critical Thought
A Checklist for Reasoning
Part 2: Getting StartedmSome First Steps
Think About Purpose
State the Question
Gather Information
Watch Your Inferences
CheckYour Assumptions
ClarifyYour Concepts
Understand Your Point of View
ThinkThrough the Implications
Part 3: Using Analysis to Figure Out the Logic of Anything
The Figuring Mind
Figuring Out the Logic of Things
Analyzing Problems
Analyzing the Logic of an Article, Essay or Chapter
Analyzing the Logic of a Textbook
Evaluating an Author's Reasoning
Analyzing the Logic of a Subject
Part 4: Taking Your Understanding to a Deeper level
Analyzing and Assessing
Distinguishing Between Inferences and Assumptions
Conclusion