Reasoning for Business

Critical thinking skills are important in decision making, but they’re not enough.

This book offers a kit of conceptual tools that empower you—an already savvy thinker—to advance your ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, and learn quickly. Weaving together insights from both philosophy and psychology and more than a decade of work with professionals and leaders at all levels of businesses, government agencies, and NGOs, Haywood Spangler has written the inquirer’s guide to the universe of sources offering guidance regarding civic, personal, and professional choices, from self-help books, to TEDTalks, to periodicals, financial planners, psychologists, and successful entrepreneurs. Rather than providing oversimplified constructs or generic answers, his book expands your perspective and thought processes, applying concepts from philosophy based on people’s actual questions, needs and challenges. It functions as a handbook, enabling the reader to consult specific chapters as needed, and as a comprehensive guide to developing personal judgment.

This book is for business leaders looking for strategies to vet the results of AI queries, HR managers wanting to be discerning in their use of data, analysts and forecasters needing a realistic understanding of statistically-based predictions—and any professional who selects tools critically to assess trends impacting their life.