Description
An essential tool for our post-truth world: a witty primer on logicand the dangers of illogical thinkingby a renowned Notre Dame professor
Logic is synonymous with reason, judgment, sense, wisdom, and sanity. Being logical is the ability to create concise and reasoned argumentsarguments that build from given premises, using evidence, to a genuine conclusion. But mastering logical thinking also requires studying and understanding illogical thinking, both to sharpen ones own skills and to protect against incoherent, or deliberately misleading, reasoning.
Elegant, pithy, and precise, Being Logical breaks logic down to its essentials through clear analysis, accessible examples, and focused insights. D. Q. McInerney covers the sources of illogical thinking, from na ve optimism to narrow-mindedness, before dissecting the various tacticsred herrings, diversions, and simplistic reasoningthe illogical use in place of effective reasoning.
An indispensable guide to using logic to advantage in everyday life, this is a concise, crisply readable book. Written explicitly for the layperson, McInernys Being Logical promises to take its place beside Strunk and Whites The Elements of Style as a classic of lucid, invaluable advice.
Praise for Being Logical
Highly readable . . . D. Q. McInerny offers an introduction to symbolic logic in plain English, so you can finally be clear on what is deductive reasoning and what is inductive. And youll see how deductive arguments are Free Press
McInernys explanatory outline of sound thinking will be eminently beneficial to expository writers, debaters, and public
Given the shortage of logical thinking,
And the fact that mankind is adrift, if not sinking,
It is vital that all of us learn to think straight.
And this small book by D.Q. McInerny is great.
It follows therefore since we so badly need it,
Everybody should not only but it, but read it.
Charles Osgood
Author: D. Q. McInerny
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Trade
Published: 05/10/2005
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.27lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.24w x 0.39d
ISBN: 9780812971156
Language: English
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