Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking [Paperback]

Perry Weddle (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (January 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007068961X
• ISBN-13: 978-0070689619
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,817,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern approach to critical thinking, September 4, 2000

By 

Harry M. Carpenter (Belhaven, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking (Paperback)

Critical thinking is among other things about fallacies . The copyright date of 1978 leads many to the fallacy of "hasty generalization" and the assumption that this little jewel is out of date. However, the author has a cleverly written summary in three chapters of what most texts take hundreds of pages to cover. The rest of the book is devoted to how most of us think and, used as a text, it spares the student the arduous task of understanding old style logic and deductive reasoning. In fact, right up front, the author downplays the significance of the alleged differences between deductive and inductive reasoning. Used as a text for beginning students of critical thinking, I found this to be understandable, enjoyable, funny at times, and memoriable.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book (especially for historians), September 14, 2000

By 

Michael C. Caulder "drcaulder" (Santa Monica, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking (Paperback)

I found the first two chapters intriguing and useful from a critical thinking point of view. Unfortunately, in discussing critical thinking, Mr. Weddle is guilty of the many fallacies he points out. I found this to undercut his discussion.

What I found most interesting, besides the chapter on "Fallacy", was that this book is dated, not in the thinking, but in the examples. I think this would be a useful source for someone looking for examples of thought and opinion in the late seventies. Most of the examples he uses are centered on Watergate, draft dodgers, The Viet Nam War, and, this was only one instance, Patty Hearst's state of mind.

It's a decent introduction to critical thinking, though prejudiced in it's presentation.