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on September 2, 2016
This book is awful. My sister read it to my niece. Said niece has yet to make a single logical statement, even though she never committed any fallacies before being exposed to this book.
Obviously, this must be because the book is defective. There are no other explanations.
Therefore, we can conclude that the author intends to ruin children's minds, setting us down a slippery slope towards a world of mindless zombies.
In any case, my dad - a tenured professor of Something Unrelated at Prestigious University - says that we can safely ignore this book, as Ali Almossawi is clearly a silly man.
Obviously, this must be because the book is defective. There are no other explanations.
Therefore, we can conclude that the author intends to ruin children's minds, setting us down a slippery slope towards a world of mindless zombies.
In any case, my dad - a tenured professor of Something Unrelated at Prestigious University - says that we can safely ignore this book, as Ali Almossawi is clearly a silly man.
on March 18, 2016
Ali Almossawi’s Bad Arguments is exactly the kind of book more people should keep at hand. In a few pages 20 different logical fallacies are identified and clarified. As something of a freebie there is a short glossary appended.
I never quite understood ‘post hoc, propter hoc’. I only thought I understood ‘slippery slope’. New to me were the terms that address things like 'not a cause for a cause’ or ‘composition and division’.
Having read this slender book I cannot claim to have mastered these terms, nor will I always recognize them in the wild. Still for a book of barely 50 pages; almost ½ given to illustrative cartoons, the learning experience is efficient.
A few words about the illustrations. For all their childlike appeal each one is well captioned to reinforce the point of the explanation.
This is one time I have to question the negative reviews. Too many are obviously driven by a demand for political purity that has nothing to do with the total content of the book. A few other complain that the logic is wrong – I disagree. Others are of the opinion that the discussion is too shallow. This is not a text book.
Unless you are a serious student of logical argument, Bad Argument may be the only reference you will ever need. A light hearted book with the ability to seriously improve your thinking, speaking and listening.
I never quite understood ‘post hoc, propter hoc’. I only thought I understood ‘slippery slope’. New to me were the terms that address things like 'not a cause for a cause’ or ‘composition and division’.
Having read this slender book I cannot claim to have mastered these terms, nor will I always recognize them in the wild. Still for a book of barely 50 pages; almost ½ given to illustrative cartoons, the learning experience is efficient.
A few words about the illustrations. For all their childlike appeal each one is well captioned to reinforce the point of the explanation.
This is one time I have to question the negative reviews. Too many are obviously driven by a demand for political purity that has nothing to do with the total content of the book. A few other complain that the logic is wrong – I disagree. Others are of the opinion that the discussion is too shallow. This is not a text book.
Unless you are a serious student of logical argument, Bad Argument may be the only reference you will ever need. A light hearted book with the ability to seriously improve your thinking, speaking and listening.
on October 18, 2016
I got this book to be better armed in discussions. But what do you do with your debate opponent when in the face of all logical proof/truth they still refuse to say they are wrong? example-the air crash in Germany of the Manchester soccer team's plane. The pilot was made the scape goat when no way around it evidence said there was slush on the runway that caused the plane to quickly decelerate on takeoff and not pilot error. Germany would never admit guilt as it was their airport. This is probably a different line of reasoning for which someone needs to do a different book on. Ooo Ooo I just found it Nonsense: How to Avoid It by Gula a penny plus shipping. If yr reading this you no doubt see the comedy of logic mis reasoning in the presidential race.
on September 2, 2015
This Book seems like it was on the road to greatness, then decided to get published just a moment before it reached it. The design and layout of the book is flawless, and the drawings give off a creepy and simultaneously cute vibe. The book's size is ideal for travel, keeping in your bag, or fitting nicely on the shelf. On to the content. Having learned about logical fallacies in a college course before I purchased this book, I understand that there are many a fallacy that didn't make the final cut. However, I also understand this book never intended to cover everything, It just aims to give a brief coherent summary of fallacies, which it does fairly well. However, on occasion the pictures don't help to clarify the passages, though it seems they are trying to. Also on occasion, It seems the length of the passage just doesn't do enough justice to the fallacy, and it may still be difficult to understand, even after the explanation and the picture. All in all, this book is high-quality and helpful for the Logical Noob and as a reminder to the Fallacy Veteran alike, would recommend.
on April 17, 2014
Great book, beautifully bound and clear pictures.
Good for all ages to learn the ideas of fallacies from.
A good book to teach students with!
Recommended if you are a teacher/person who likes to collect books on mental thought!
Good for all ages to learn the ideas of fallacies from.
A good book to teach students with!
Recommended if you are a teacher/person who likes to collect books on mental thought!
on December 27, 2016
In this day and age, this subject is more relevant than ever. Errors in reasoning are all around us, flooding the the news and infiltrating political discourse (to the extent it even exists anymore!). This cute little illustrated book presents flawed logic in a concise and approachable way. A must read for anyone wanting to navigate complex issues and the arguments surrounding them. Some of my favorites: Straw Man, Equivocation, False Dilemma, Appeal to irrelevant authority, Appeal to Fear, Slippery Slope. 20 Fallacies are presented in total, each with an illustration and an example. Enjoy!!
on January 7, 2014
I gave this as a gift to some friends for the holidays but managed to give it a thorough read before wrapping it up, and I must say this is a must for every coffee table. This goes doubly so for houses that have children. Not only does it teach rhetorical skills and provide adroit methods of defusing fallacy, but it also teaches critical thinking skills, all with beautiful illustration. A must have for any thinking person!
on January 17, 2017
For some years, I've used the online ISSUU version of this book for my critical thinking and political science classes. I recently bought a hard copy for each member of a dear family I know, mostly because they tend to argue with one another using the most outrageous logic. At that time, I bought a hard copy for myself and gave it a close read. Having done that, I'd like to have seen simpler language and less complicated examples. It's a dear little book, and a great concept.
on January 17, 2017
This is a great book. The text itself is clear and direct. The language is not highly technical so it's great for young adults and non-academics; it is also great for teaching rhetorical arguments from the middle school to high school and even college level. I teach first year writing at the university level, I am using this book semester to teach rhetorical fallacies. I already know my students will respond significantly better to this book than they did to the Bedford/St. Martin's handbook.
