"In the autumn of 1936 at the annual conference of the British Institute of Adult Education I gave a lecture entitled 'Thinking'. This lecture was published and I am indebted to the Institute for permission to use some passages from it. This book originated, however, in a proposal made to me by the B.B.C. that I should expand the topic of that lecture and draw up a synopsis for twelve Talks. For good reasons I did not give the Talks, but I submitted the synopsis. Although the manuscript was not returned to me, this book is based upon my original scheme and nine of the chapters have the same titles as the proposed Talks. Pressure of work as well as other difficulties prevented me from completing this book until the summer of this year.
I am convinced of the urgent need for a democratic people to think clearly without the distortions due to unconscious bias and unrecognized ignorance. Our failures in thinking are in part due to faults which we could to some extent overcome were we to see clearly how these faults arise. It is the aim of this book to make a small effort in this direction.
I am much indebted to Mr A. F. Dawn both for helping me to find examples of dishonest thinking and for his generous aid in the correction of the proofs.
L. Susan Stebbing
London,
November 1938"
