
The Art of Deception
An Introduction to Critical Thinking
Prometheus Books (Publisher)
Published on 3. April 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
277 pages
978-1-59102-532-0 (ISBN)
Description
Can you tell when you're being deceived?
This classic work on critical thinking - now fully updated and revised - uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that "it takes one to know one," the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others - whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person.
Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc.), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument.
Whether you're preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others' arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included.
This classic work on critical thinking - now fully updated and revised - uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that "it takes one to know one," the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others - whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person.
Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc.), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument.
Whether you're preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others' arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included.
Reviews / Votes
"I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about intellectual self-defence. It should be on every student's book shelf, and on every educators list of recommended reading." -- Dr Jason Braithwaite, Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre, University of Birmingham.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Amherst
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 137 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-59102-532-0 (9781591025320)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2010
Prometheus Books
€18.78
Available for download
Content
Introduction; Identifying Arguments; Formal Analysis of Arguments; Presenting Your Case; Attacking an Argument; Defending Your Case; Cause-and-Effect Reasoning; Index.