As entertaining and informative as Roger Kimball’s piece is, it entirely misses the point of “critical thinking” in Scalia’s piece and in general. Critical thinking is not criticismism; it is simply the basic discipline for distinguishing valid, effective arguments from those less so.

And wouldn’t it be a good thing if American citizens were able to recognize emotional appeals, ad hominem attacks, poisoning the well, invalid syllogisms, straw man attacks and the like when they encounter them in political speeches, magazines, and web sites?