Farnsworth's Classical English Argument

Reviews / Votes

Praise for Farnsworth's Classical English Argument


"Mr. Farnsworth explains, among many other things, how the most gifted controversialists have used irony and humility in debates, deployed legitimate ad hominem arguments and countered fallacious ones, counseled caution and urged immediate action, and shifted the burden of proof to their opponents. . . . An instructive and entertaining measure of what we've lost."

-Wall Street Journal



"A master class on the art of argument from someone who grades them for a living. You should need a permit to carry it."

-Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)


"In this brilliant and useful book, Professor Farnsworth brings the spirit of the Stoics to public discourse. It's a set of lessons for the ages-in analysis, rhetoric, civility and wit."

-Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)


"The man who composed and orchestrated Farnsworth's Classical English Argument and its three preceding volumes, is among the few living Americans I know who qualify as truly learned-beyond erudite, deeper, subtler, of greater breadth and wider culture."

-Claremont Review of Books




"It's delightful to be reminded of the expressiveness, the pertinence, and the close reasoning that once typified political and literary argument....The clinical perspective we get from the temporal distance is a distinct gain in objectivity, but the biggest advantage is in enhanced eloquence. By hearkening back to the golden age, we see nimbler minds that are comfortable handling words and ideas. We're truly observing speakers 'with all the best words.' "

-Bryan A. Garner, Los Angeles Review of Books