How to Think

Your Essential Guide to Clear, Critical Thought

Tom Chatfield author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Sage Publications Ltd

Published:21st Jun '21

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This hardback is available in another edition too:

How to Think cover

This is a book about thinking. Engaging and down-to-earth, it captures the habits and practices that are fundamental to clear thinking and effective study.

In his warm and friendly style, Tom Chatfield shows you how to: 

  • Identify and examine your biases
  • Engage in lively, curious skepticism
  • See the value in emotion and use rhetoric persuasively
  • Know when to say ′I don′t know′
  • Construct reasoned arguments and explanations
  • Think critically about how you engage with technology. 

Short and punchy, the book views critical thinking as a skill to be continually practiced and developed. It equips you with a toolkit for clearer thinking, describing ten key concepts that help you to apply what you have learned. Including regular reflective exercises, key concepts, further readings, each chapter also offers recommendations for how to put the ideas it discusses into practice.

This book is for undergraduate students and anyone looking to understand the core ideas behind critical thinking. Celebrating both self-reflection and collaboration, this book empowers you to pause, think twice and, above all, think well.

Inspiring, practical and engaging, this book raises, explores and addresses some of the fundamental questions and issues we face when making sense of and responding to the world around us. Using accessible language and relatable examples, it offers us practical tools to develop critical thinking skills, not just for academic study but also for life. -- Jiani Liu
This book could be transformative for senior leaders, teachers and their pupils. 


How To Think is not just a book that explains effective cognitive processes; it actually models these processes and trains you in them.  It would make an excellent tool to inform planning, how to formulate proper arguments and explain ideas.


-- Amir Arezoo * Schools Week *

Chatfield′s writing style is an easy going one, using everyday examples a reader can identify with, and thus, understand what an argument is and how an argument is build - the reflective exercises in the book help. Critical thinking and argument building is particularly important for many international students, this down to earth approach makes it more accessible for them.

-- Dr Susanne Kean
This is the first book of Tom Chatfield that I’ve read, and it was fantastic. It breaks down a ton of common thinking errors, and he touches on relevant topics to use as examples. Each chapter has reflections as well to go back over what was discussed, and it’s great to take some time during the reflections to see how you can apply the tools to daily life. For anyone who wants to improve their thinking and decision-making, I highly recommend this book, and I’ll most likely be reading it again at some point.  -- The Rewired Soul
I have read other texts related to critical thinking and I feel this one gives a clearer insight into this process because it does not just say ‘this is critical thinking’ but instead takes me slowly through the mechanics of becoming a critical being. The toolkit is also a brilliant summary of the key points from the book. -- PhD Student
It’s universal and timeless – I feel like anyone of any age at any time could read it. -- Emma Gannon * Ctrl Alt Delete - episode #349 *
A masterclass in clear critical thinking. -- Tim Harford

ISBN: 9781529727425

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 390g

160 pages