Set in post-Civil War St. Paul, Minnesota, the narrative explores the informal regulation of brothel prostitution by the police. For eighteen years, madams faced monthly charges for operating brothels, effectively paying fines as licensing fees for their illegal activities. This unique arrangement was widely known, with local newspapers extensively covering the vice and its regulation, highlighting the complex interplay between law enforcement and illicit businesses in the city.
Across disciplines, critical thinking is praised, taught, and put into practice. But what does it actually mean to think critically? In this brief volume, sociologist Joel Best examines how to evaluate arguments and the evidence used to support them as he hones in on how to think in the field of sociology and beyond. With inimitable style that melds ethnographic verve with dry humor, Best examines the ways in which sociologists engage in fuzzy thinking through bias, faddish cultural waves, spurious reasoning, and implicit bias. The short chapters Students across disciplines will learn the building blocks of critical thinking in a sociological context and come away with key concepts to put into practice.