Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide To Fallacious Reading [Paperback]

Ray Perkins Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 1998

Logic and Mr. Limbaugh is both an entertaining introduction to the elements of logic and a serious critique of the practical logic of a major conservative propagandist. Professor Perkins takes 50 examples of logical reasoning from Rush's statements, identifies the logical arguments, and points out fallacies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Open Court; 3rd Printing 1995 edition (December 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812692942
• ISBN-13: 978-0812692945
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,635,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars misunderstood book, July 23, 2003

By 

Pollando - See all my reviews

This review is from: Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide To Fallacious Reading (Paperback)

I found these reviews to be the most even handed.

The Truth hurts!, August 13, 2001
and
Repeatedly Distorts What Limbaugh Says, January 4, 2000

Reviewers appear not to understand that the book is tongue in cheek. Dr. Perkins realizes that Limbaugh is a talk show host of the Donahue school, providing entertainment but not argument or logical persuasion.

Lancek is right to point out that Rush is only an entertainer, and "a reader" is correct that passages from Rush that Perkins presents as containing arguments often were not intended as arguments.

As far as being an introductory text in logic the book is good. It combined successfully clear instruction with the popular culture of its day. I wish Perkins had been able to find more examples of unequivocal fallacies. So many of his examples could be resolved as the fallacy of "evading the issue" rather than some other fallacy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to Logic and the Study of Fallacies, December 5, 2007

By 

zpf "zpf" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide To Fallacious Reading (Paperback)

Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide To Fallacious Reading

Notice all the bad reviews posted here of this book mimic the baseless mudslinging style of Limbaugh himself (calling the author a "marxist," etc. with no reference to the fallacies pointed out in the book).

My criticism of this book is it's a little wordy and not as direct as it could be, although it's a good thing Perkins is constantly bending over backwards to give Limbaugh the benefit of any doubts. The book would be an excellent introduction to logic and fallacies to a beginning student, and no one can provide a richer source of fallacies from which to draw from better than Rush Limbaugh. I actually like to play 'Name that Fallacy" when listening to Limbaugh, because they come fast and furious. Of course nowadays he has plenty of competition from Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, etc., all enjoying the lucrative biz of manipulative fallacy.

It's actually very sad these people have built such lucrative careers employing fallacy--it's sad one can be so successful in base manipulation in this day and age, and in this once-great nation. Limbaugh has contributed greatly to denigrating and crippling our language by subverting objectivity for spin, and spawning and encouraging so many, even in politics and in the current administration, to practice the same. Notice how Limbaugh--according to himself--has never been wrong or mistaken? Exactly. Anything and everything can be spun to the gullible. A very sad development for this world.

45 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swatting a Gadfly, January 30, 2002

By 

David L. Mccabe "[e-mail]" (El Cerrito, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide To Fallacious Reading (Paperback)

Professor Perkin's book is excellent for two main reasons. First, the beginning chapters are an easy to follow general introduction to the philosophy of logic for the average layperson (like moi). While it does not go very far in depth, the most useful and basic definitions of deductive and inductive arguments and their forms and fallacies are given. Second, in a calm and light mannered tone, it skewers what has always bothered me most about the Limbaugh phenomena: a desire on the part of his admirers (including himself), many in powerful political and media circles, to pass him off as an astute political thinker/critic, instead of what he is: a loud-mouth blabbing his opinions (which, of course, he has the perfect right to do). Perkins stresses that his book is not about saying Rush's opinions are incorrect, merely that the arguments and logic he uses to back up theses views are, to be charitable, sub-par. For an astute political thinker/critic Limbaugh's logical skills are poor and if you want to read examples of Rush playing fast and loose with the facts check out the book, "The Way Things Aren't". Limbaugh, like too many people on both sides of the political spectrum, is a shallow, lazy thinking reactionary. He isn't about embracing any political philosophy or ideology, merely a platform. That which is deemed in the media or public consciousness as "liberal", well, he's against it. Without listening to his program or reading either of his books, I can tell you his opinions on any major political or social issue, and no, I'm not psychic (It's easy, you try it!). Perkin's book is a great example of how Limbaugh (and yes, there are some on the left as well) is a master of what perhaps could be dubbed the anti-Socratic Method.