With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies [Paperback]

S. Morris Engel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312157584 | ISBN-13: 978-0312157586 | Publication Date: December 7, 1999 | Edition: Sixth Edition

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

S. MORRIS ENGEL (Ph.D., University of Toronto) recently retired as a professor of philosophy at York University in Toronto, Ontario. Previously, he taught at the University of Southern California for twenty-five years. His many publications include The Study of Philosophy, Third Edition (1990) and The Language Trap (1994), as well as Wittgenstein's Doctrine of the Tyranny of Language (1971). Engel is also renowned as a translator of Yiddish, with projects including The Dybbuk (1979) and Kiddush Hashem (1977), Rachmil Bryks's moving account of the Holocaust.

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; Sixth Edition edition (December 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312157584
• ISBN-13: 978-0312157586
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good intro book, May 2, 2004

By 

salbro1 (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies (Paperback)

Engel begins this book with a general discussion about what logic and argument are/aren't, and about how language impacts the manner in which arguments are formed and understood. He then delves into the informal fallacies, which he divides into three categories: (1) fallacies of ambiguity, which seem to be more misuse/abuse of language than actual fallacies of logic; (2) fallacies of presumption (e.g., hasty generalization, begging the question, slippery slope); and (3) fallacies of relevance (e.g., ad hominem, appeal to authority).

The explanations use clear, simple language that would be appropriate for high-school reading levels and above. As a graduate student, I found this to be an easy but engaging read.

I have two complaints about the book. First, Engel uses many examples from the real world--which is good--but the fallacies in these examples tend to be too obvious. It would be good to start out with obviously fallacious arguments and then move onto more subtle/complicated examples. Second, there are exercises at the end of each chapter where the reader can put his/her new knowledge to work, but answers are given for only a few of the questions in these exercises, which was frustrating.

In summary, this is a good, easily-read introduction to logic. It both prepares and encourages the reader to continue studying logical fallacies, but don't expect to be an expert at identifying fallacies when you're done with this book.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book about good vs. unfair rhetoric I've seen., October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Instructor's Manual to Accompany 'With Good Reason (Paperback)

I collect books about fallacies. With Good Reason is definitely the best of the 32 such books I've accumulated so far. His explanations are very clear, and he covers important subject matter ignored by other authors, such as fallacies caused by vagueness and ambiguity.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ONLY college textbook that I STILL READ!, April 25, 2006

By 

Barbara "Barbara" (Austin/Boulder/Vancouver BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies (Paperback)

After being given the assignment(s) to read and execute the assigned problem sets in WITH GOOD REASON, I decided that this text ALONE was worth all of the thousands upon thousands of dollars I spent on my college education. It changed my life! No longer did I flounder trying to support my 'intuitive' ideas about life, I was now armed (and considerably more dangerous -- ie: effective) with the tools of discernment, brilliantly illuminated by Dr. Engel.

THANK YOU Dr. Engel!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, ad infinum!

My degree work in math, physics, and fine art, paled in their importance to what I learned from Dr.Engel's succinct discourse of informal fallacies. I finished in 1989 and as the tag line stated, I still read and proseletyze from this book-- in fact, I am writing and producing a radio show on informal fallacies based upon WITH GOOD REASON. The show is slated as THINK AGAIN! and will premiere within the next 3 months on RBNLive.com. (today is 4/25/86 ).

I am replacing my well worn, weathered, rubber-banded copy of WITH GOOD REASON with a brand spanking new copy... I encourage EVERYONE to read this book, and more importantly, lobby all school boards to make this book a mandatory course prior to graduating from high school-- yes-- HIGH SCHOOL! Our children need this book.

**If anyone out there in the internet ether knows how to contact Dr.Engel, please contact me, Barbara, at RBN [phone]. Thank you!

BUY IT! (And donate as many as possible to the school districts in your area!!) This is serious business- no one is teaching kids how to think or discern "what is reasonable and what is not".