Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation (Critical Reasoning and Argumentation) [Hardcover]

Douglas Walton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0521823196 | ISBN-13: 978-0521823197

Presenting the basic tools for the identification, analysis, and evaluation of common arguments for beginners, this book informs by using examples of arguments in dialogues, both in the text itself and in the exercises. (Examples of controversial legal, political, and ethical arguments are analyzed.) Illustrating the most common kinds of arguments, the book also explains how to evaluate each kind by critical questioning. Douglas Walton demonstrates the reasonable nature of arguments under the right dialogue conditions by using critical questions to evaluate them.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation presents the basic tools for the identification, analysis, and evaluation of common arguments for beginners. The book teaches by using examples of arguments in dialogues, both in the text itself and in the exercises. Examples of controversial legal, political, and ethical arguments are analyzed. Illustrating the most common kinds of arguments, the book also explains how to analyze and evaluate each kind by critical questioning. Douglas Walton shows how arguments can be reasonable under the right dialogue conditions by using critical questions to evaluate them.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521823196
• ISBN-13: 978-0521823197
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,585,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Book., February 2, 2007

By 

Lee Randolph - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation (Critical Reasoning and Argumentation) (Paperback)

After reading a few books with argument or debate in the title, I finally found one that I really like. In fact I liked it so much that I am buying his other books about the subjects he covers in these chapters. He seems to take the state of the Art in informal Logic and argument studies and makes it easy to read for the lay person. In my opinion he does a better job of explaining the concepts that van Eemeren and Grootendorst write about than they do. If you are looking for a serious book about argument, and don't want to wade through the details of competitive debate preparation or the seminar style 'how to win an argument' self-help books then look no further. Douglas Walton is involved in developing algorithms behind aspects of Artificial Intelligence and many of his books are listed in the bibliography on the nonsequitur(dot)com blog (a logical analysis of political media). Check out his downloadable articles on his website. You can find it through Google.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very clear and concise book. Perfect for fundamentals., March 15, 2011

By 

Leomar (Doral, Florida, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation (Critical Reasoning and Argumentation) (Paperback)

The reason I don't give this book 5 stars is because it didn't provided proposed solutions for the exercises at the end of every chapter.

But apart from that, the book is excelent, it really fullfills it goals of teaching the fundamentals of critical argumentation using a lot examples easy to understand, and very well, Walton is really an expert in his field.

I recomend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Critical Reasoning in Argumentation, February 23, 2012

By 

Nathanael Greene "targeted father" (metropolitan Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation (Critical Reasoning and Argumentation) (Hardcover)

"Critical reasoning" and "argumentation" are two labels, which are now utilized in academia to generally refer to subject matter I originally studied as informal logic, particularly fallacies.

The eight chapters in the table of contents in Douglas Walton's book address eight essential elements of critical reasoning in argumentation, in the context of dialogue. Reviewing Douglas Walton's table of contents provides an excellent outline and overview on which to orient one's conceptualization of an issue - Douglas Walton's outline is much better than the table of contents of either of the two books noted below.

AMAZON.com's listing for Douglas Walton's FUNDAMENTALS OF CRITICAL ARGUMENTATION has AMAZON's "Look Inside" feature - take a look at the table of contents of this book.

There are two other books in the field of critical reasoning and argumentation which are comparable to Douglas Walton's book, but which have their own individual strengths: a hardbound book titled CRITICAL THINKING: A CONCISE GUIDE, by Tracy Bowell and Gary Kemp; and a paperback book titled GOOD REASONS FOR BETTER ARGUMENTS: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SKILLS AND VALUES OF CRITICAL THINKING, by Jerome E. Bickenbach and Jacqueline M. Davis. I have both of these books, as well as Douglas Walton's book, and I consult them all, for the different perspectives they offer.

The commonality of these three books is that critical reasoning always boils down to evaluating the reasoning involved in the context of an individual argument - and in spotting fallacies.

The Birkenbach and Davis book, because it is a paperback, costs half the price of either of the two hardbound books.

As I learn, I find myself gravitating to an increasing preference for Douglas Walton's FUNDAMENTALS OF CRITICAL ARGUMENTATION (2006), in contrast to the other two books noted above. Douglas Walton's overall formulation and conceptualization of the elements of critical argumentation is more cogent, revealing, and insightful.