Informal Logical Fallacies: A Brief Guide

by Jacob E. Van Vleet

Overview

Critical thinking is now needed more than ever. This accessible and engaging book provides the necessary tools to question and challenge the discourse that surrounds us—whether in the media, the classroom, or everyday conversation. Additionally, it offers readers a deeper understanding of the foundations of analytical thought. Informal Logical Fallacies: A Brief Guide is a systematic and concise introduction to more than fifty fallacies, from anthropomorphism and argumentum ad baculum, to reductionism and the slippery slope argument. This revised edition includes updated examples, exercises, and a new chapter on non-Western logical fallacies. With helpful definitions and relevant explanations, the author guides the reader through the realms of fallacious reasoning and deceptive rhetoric. This is an essential guide to philosophical reflection and clear thinking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761872535
Publisher:	Hamilton Books
Publication date:	01/28/2021
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	134
Product dimensions:	6.07(w) x 8.58(h) x 0.42(d)

About the Author

Jacob E. Van Vleet is professor of philosophy at Diablo Valley College.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One: Linguistic Fallacies

Chapter Two: Fallacies of Omission

Chapter Three: Fallacies of Intrusion

Chapter Four: Fallacies with Built-In Assumptions

Chapter Five: Causal Fallacies

Chapter Six: Some Non-Western Fallacies

Chapter Seven: Valid and Invalid Argument Forms

Appendix I: Exercises

Appendix II: Aristotle on the Law of Non-Contradiction

Appendix III: Bertrand Russell on Truth and Falsehood

Glossary

Recommended Reading

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Jacob E. Van Vleet’s book on informal fallacies is an important reminder of what is typically left out in the study of logic that all too often is confined to formal logic, to the study of rules of inference and the abstractions that proceed from the granting of those rules. Informal fallacies are psychologically persuasive and arise within the marketplace, the common world; studying them may enable us to think for ourselves amid our current blather of clichés and tweets.

David Lovekin

Jacob E. Van Vleet's book on informal fallacies is an important reminder of what is typically left out in the study of logic that all too often is confined to formal logic, to the study of rules of inference and the abstractions that proceed from the granting of those rules. Informal fallacies are psychologically persuasive and arise within the marketplace, the common world; studying them may enable us to think for ourselves amid our current blather of clichés and tweets.

From the Publisher

Informal Logical Fallacies: A Brief Guide is full of helpful information. It will be incredibly useful to anyone interested in effective communication and argumentation.

Arthur Mielke