Thinking From A To Z [Paperback]

N. Warburton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415096863 | ISBN-13: 978-0415096867 | Publication Date: October 21, 1996 | Edition: 1

How can you beat lawyers, floor politicians and get your own way? By knowing how to use argument. All you need to know about the tricks of the rhetorical trade is listed and explained in Thinking for A-Z . This book shows you how to spot humptydumptying, wishful thinking, zig-zagging, rash generalizations, reductio ad absurdum, a gambler's fallacy or if someone is getting personal. Arranged in alphabetical order, this book makes an ideal reference tool, as well as an irrestible guide to dip into. Thinking from A-Z is written for anyone wanting to sharpen their thinking skills.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nigel Warburton's clear to-the-point style is a winner. Its brevity commends it. The work is far more readable than most. Warburton's examples are topical, and he goes to great lengths and succeeds in communicating his material in a lively and entertaining fashion." -- Alex Orenstein, City University of New York

"Written in a clear and unpretentious style, it will be readily accessible to the ordinary intelligent reader. It presupposes no special background knowledge. It should be particularly useful for sixth-formers and undergraduates in the humanities and social sciences, who need to sharpen up their argumentation in essays. It also provides a useful antidote to various spurious forms of argument common in political debate and in the popular news media." -- Jonathan Lowe, University of Durham

About the Author

Nigel Warburton is the author of the bestseller, Philosophy the Basics, 2nd Edition, also published by Routledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (October 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415096863
• ISBN-13: 978-0415096867
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,839,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nigel Warburton (1962 - ). Nigel Warburton is a senior lecturer at the Open University and bestselling author of several popular introductory Philosophy books including Philosophy: The Basics, Thinking from A to Z, Philosophy: The Classics, Philosophy: Basic Readings, Freedom: An Introduction with Readings, and The Art Question. He is an Honorary Associate Research Fellow of the Institute of Philosophy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He can be found blogging, podcasting and twittering via his popular philosophy blog, Virtual Philosopher.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars May Not Be What You're Looking For . . ., July 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Thinking From A to Z (Paperback)

The title is too broad for what the book is essentially about: providing brief explanations of logical reasoning and fallacies. The "A to Z" is basically the format of the book, starting with such "A" terms like the ad hominem fallacy and moving to "Z". This format may be cute and useful when you need to know a specific definition, but generally unhelpful at giving you a brief introduction to logic.

This book is very slim, resembling a pocket dictionary -- but in this case, it's a pocket guide to informal logic terms and fallacies. Each little definition of a term is very brief, with usually only one small example illustrating how the term is used correctly or incorrectly.

Quite honestly, I found Anthony Weston's "A Rulebook for Arguments" more effective as a concise book on logical arguments. This book seems more like a nifty little gift you'd give to a philosophy major, rather than a handy reference material you'd depend on. At the cover price, I would think that most people would rather invest in Weston's book as a reference guide.

I hope this clears up any confusion about the contents of this book. If you're still not sure, I'd advise you to check the book out at the library or bookstore before buying.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ABC's of Analysis and Argumentation, January 25, 2002

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thinking From A To Z (Paperback)

I believe it was P.T. Barnum who said "You'll never go broke underestimating the public." Barnum was speaking hyperbolically (I hope), but it is true that many otherwise intelligent people will fall prey to the most outlandish fraud and manipulation. In addition to protecting the reader against conmen, this little book will serve as an antidote to fuzzy thinking in general.

"Thinking" is set up like a dictionary, with alphabetical entries and boldfaced cross references. This arrangement makes the work somewhat user-unfriendly. You can't analyze an argument by looking it up in the book. You won't know what entry to look under. Reading the book straight through from A to Z makes the presentation somewhat disjointed because related ideas are scattered throughout the book depending on what letter of the alphabet they begin with.

A good way to attack the book is to start at A and read the entries in alphabetical order, stopping to look up and read each cross reference as you come to it. Thus you'd read "Absurd consequences move" first, and then skip to "reductio ad absurdum," "refutation," and the other terms cross referenced in the entry. Then you'd read the next alphabetical entry and all its cross references, and so on until you come to the end of the book. If you follow this procedure with each alphabetical entry, re-reading every term each time it is cross referenced, by the time you get to "Zig-zagging," you will have a good handle on all types of logical and illogical arguments. You'll also be able to analytically dissect advertisements, newscasts, op-ed pieces, and political speeches.

"Thinking," gives an excellent grounding in rhetorical analysis that will serve you well the next time someone tries to pull the wool over your eyes.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and concise!, June 20, 1999

By 

Jonathan Jeffus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinking From A To Z (Paperback)

It succinctly explains generally the aspects of argument. What is modus ponnens or afirming the antecedent? How do you recognize the gamblers fallacy? It is in alphabetical order with the various subjects explained in the most simple terms possible, with many helpful examples. Well worth the price.