- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (Jun 14 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0415222818
- ISBN-13: 978-0415222815
- Product Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 200 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#882,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #58 in Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Reasoning
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
Warburton is always a very clear writer and has the knack of finding the right register to talk to the non-professional without over-simplifying or patronising. - Philosophers Magazine
Book Description
What is ‘Humpty-Dumptying’? Do ‘arguments from analogy’ ever stand up? How do I know when someone is using ‘Weasel words?’ What is a ‘Politician’s answer?’ What’s the difference between a ‘Red Herring’ and a ‘Straw Man?’
This superb book, now in its third edition, will help anyone who wants to argue well and think critically. Using witty and topical examples, this fully-updated new edition has many new entries including:
- Charity, principle of
- Lawyer’s Answer
- Least Worst Option
- Stonewalling
- Sunk-Cost Fallacy
- Tautology
- Truism
- Weasel Words
- ‘You Would Say That Wouldn’t You’
Thinking From A to Z may not help you win every argument, but it will definitely give you the power to tell a good one from a bad one.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wish I had read this book 25 years ago...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Thinking From A to Z (Paperback)
If I had read this book 25 years ago, I would have saved myself the confusions and frustrations of spending a great deal of time and effort trying to make sense of certain "New Age" authors whose pretentions were only matched by their (now obvious) lack of clear reasoning ability. This book is short and easy to read and understand, and its concepts are essential for avoiding the kinds of distortions and lies which are unfortunately so highly prevalent in any open society. Free speech is great, but we must all arm ourselves against the people who want to take advantage of our willingness to give other points of view the benefit of our doubts.
2.0 out of 5 stars
May Not Be What You're Looking For . . .,
By A Customer
This review is from: Thinking From A to Z (Paperback)
The title is too broad for what the book is essentially about: providing brief explanations of logical reasoning and fallacies. The "A to Z" is basically the format of the book, starting with such "A" terms like the ad hominem fallacy and moving to "Z". This format may be cute and useful when you need to know a specific definition, but generally unhelpful at giving you a brief introduction to logic.This book is very slim, resembling a pocket dictionary -- but in this case, it's a pocket guide to informal logic terms and fallacies. Each little definition of a term is very brief, with usually only one small example illustrating how the term is used correctly or incorrectly. Quite honestly, I found Anthony Weston's "A Rulebook for Arguments" more effective as a concise book on logical arguments. This book seems more like a nifty little gift you'd give to a philosophy major, rather than a handy reference material you'd depend on. At the cover price, I would think that most people would rather invest in Weston's book as a reference guide. I hope this clears up any confusion about the contents of this book. If you're still not sure, I'd advise you to check the book out at the library or bookstore before buying.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ABC's of Analysis and Argumentation,
By George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Thinking From A To Z (Paperback)
I believe it was P.T. Barnum who said "You'll never go broke underestimating the public." Barnum was speaking hyperbolically (I hope), but it is true that many otherwise intelligent people will fall prey to the most outlandish fraud and manipulation. In addition to protecting the reader against conmen, this little book will serve as an antidote to fuzzy thinking in general."Thinking" is set up like a dictionary, with alphabetical entries and boldfaced cross references. This arrangement makes the work somewhat user-unfriendly. You can't analyze an argument by looking it up in the book. You won't know what entry to look under. Reading the book straight through from A to Z makes the presentation somewhat disjointed because related ideas are scattered throughout the book depending on what letter of the alphabet they begin with. A good way to attack the book is to start at A and read the entries in alphabetical order, stopping to look up and read each cross reference as you come to it. Thus you'd read "Absurd consequences move" first, and then skip to "reductio ad absurdum," "refutation," and the other terms cross referenced in the entry. Then you'd read the next alphabetical entry and all its cross references, and so on until you come to the end of the book. If you follow this procedure with each alphabetical entry, re-reading every term each time it is cross referenced, by the time you get to "Zig-zagging," you will have a good handle on all types of logical and illogical arguments. You'll also be able to analytically dissect advertisements, newscasts, op-ed pieces, and political speeches. "Thinking," gives an excellent grounding in rhetorical analysis that will serve you well the next time someone tries to pull the wool over your eyes.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Reasoning
- Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauri
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Words & Language > Rhetoric
- Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > History & Surveys
- Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Reference
- Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Behavioural Sciences > Cognitive Psychology
- Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Behavioural Sciences > Cognitive Science
- Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses
- Books > Reference > Spanish-Language Reference
- Books > Reference > Words & Language > Rhetoric
- Books > Science > Behavioural Sciences > Cognitive Psychology
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
