With Good Reason by S. Morris Engel - Sixth Edition, 1999 from Macmillan Student Store

With Good Reason

An Introduction to Informal FallaciesSixth Edition ©1999 S. Morris Engel

A concise, easy-to-read introduction to informal logic, With Good Reason offers both comprehensive coverage of informal fallacies and an abundance of engaging examples of both well-conceived and faulty arguments. A long-time favorite of both students and instructors, the text continues in its...
Read more
Students - Buy or Rent

ISBN:9781457695957

With Good Reason by S. Morris Engel - Sixth Edition, 1999 from Macmillan Student Store

A concise, easy-to-read introduction to informal logic, With Good Reason offers both comprehensive coverage of informal fallacies and an abundance of engaging examples of both well-conceived and faulty arguments. A long-time favorite of both students and instructors, the text continues in its sixth edition to provide an abundance of exercises that help students identify, correct, and avoid common errors in argumentation.

Features

Complete coverage of informal fallacies. Students learn how to classify and avoid the most common errors in argumentative writing.

Examples from a variety of diverse sources. With examples from classic and contemporary literature, philosophy, politics, advertising, and the mass media, students learn how to strengthen their own argumentative abilities and spot errors in current public debate.

Humorous and engaging presentation. Engel's entertaining prose style along with humorous cartoons taken from many sources keep students engaged and learning.

Introductory chapters on the nature and use of logic and the medium of language. These chapters enable the book to be used as a stand-alone text for both a critical thinking course and a lower-level logic course.

Numerous exercises and study aids. More than 300 exercises provide students with practice in recognizing the various forms of informal fallacies. Answers to selected exercises and chapter summaries are provided at the end of every chapter. An appendix, Writing with Clarity and Reason, helps students select topics for papers and write more effectively.

New to This Edition

Stronger coverage of logic and language. Part One has been revised to include more information on eliminating verbiage and finding the missing component syllogistically. The section on deductive argument now includes a cogent explanation of the use of Venn diagrams.

More support for troublesome fallacies. There are now better explanations and more examples for the fallacies with which students have the greatest difficulty -- amphiboly, division and composition, begging the question, false cause, and special pleading.

Three new sample tests with answers. The Instructor's Edition includes three new sample tests with answers. Instructors can give these tests to students for self-checking purposes or can use them as class exams.

A glossary of terms. This edition features a glossary, giving students an easy reference for new terms and meanings.

Annotated student essays. The Appendix, Writing with Clarity and Reason, features two annotated student essays that offer students good models for their own writing.

New cartoons. Two thirds of the cartoons in this edition are new, providing current and humorous examples of the fallacies.

Digital Options

Table of Contents

Preface

PART I. ON LOGIC AND LANGUAGE

1. The Nature and Scope of Logic
Logic as Science and Art
Logic as the Study of Argument
Exercises
Arguments and Nonarguments
Exercises
Eliminating Verbiage
A Further Note on Eliminating Verbiage
Exercises
Missing Components
Exercises
Finding the Missing Component Syllogistically
Exercises
Highlighting Suspect Elements
Exercises
Evaluating Arguments: Truth, Validity, and Soundness
Exercises
Deductive and Inductive Arguments
A Final Word on Deduction
Exercises
Logic and Education
Exercises
Summary
Answers to Starred Exercises

2. The Medium of Language
Language and Thought
Signs and Symbols
Exercises
Words and Things
Exercises
The Uses of Language
Exercises
Ambiguity and Vagueness
Exercises
Verbal Disputes
Exercises
Definition
Exercises
The Art of Plain Talk
Exercises
Summary
Answers to Starred Exercises
Suggested Readings for Part One

Part II. Informal Fallacies

3. The Fallacy of Ambiguity
THE FALLACY OF EQUIVOCATION
The Fallacy of Amphiboly
The Fallacy of Accent
The Fallacy of Hypostatization
The Fallacies of Division and Composition
Summary
Exercises
Answers to Starred Exercises

4. Fallacies of Presumption
Overlooking the Facts
The Fallacy of Sweeping
Generalization
The Fallacy of Hasty Generalization
The Fallacy of Bifurcation
Exercises
Evading the Facts
The Fallacy of Begging the Question
The Fallacy of Question-Begging
Epithets
The Fallacy of Complex Question
The Fallacy of Special Pleading
Exercises
Distorting the Facts`
The Fallacy of False Analogy
The Fallacy of False Cause
The Fallacy of Slippery Slope
The Fallacy of Irrelevant Thesis
Exercises
Summary
Answers to Starred Exercises

5. Fallacies of Relevance
The Fallacy of Personal Attack
Genetic Fallacy
Abusive ad Hominem
Circumstantial ad Hominem
Tu Quoque
Poisoning the Well
The Fallacy of Mob Appeal
The Fallacy of Appeal to Pity
The Fallacy of Appeal to Authority
The Authority of the One
The Authority of the Many
The Authority of the Select Few
The Authority of Tradition
The Fallacy of Appeal to Ignorance
The Fallacy of Appeal to Fear
Summary
Exercises
Answers to Starred Exercises
Suggested Readings for Part Two

Appendix: Writing with Clarity and Reason

Glossary

Index

Morris S. Engel