With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 45 ratings · 6 reviews

A concise, easy-to-read introduction to informal logic, With Good Reason offers both comprehensive coverage of informal fallacies and an abundance of engaging examples of both well-conceived and faulty arguments. A long-time favorite of both students and instructors, the text continues in its sixth edition to provide an abundance of exercises that help students identify, c...more

Paperback, 317 pages

Published December 7th 1999 by Bedford/St. Martin's (first published July 1st 1976)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 147)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 12, 2008 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: logic

Good book on informal fallacies. Humor (and even cartoon drawings!) is used throughout the book. Thus this text isn't as arid as most logic texts are. With Good Reason is definately introductory, but it is a good introduction. This book is a good place to start your informal fallacy training.

like 1 like · see review

Aug 22, 2008 Matthew Carlson rated it 5 of 5 stars

A fabulous book, one I would suggest that everyone should read. Early editions did not contain as complex an amount of introductory material and in that regard were more readable to one interested merely in an informative and engaging introductory text on philosophical argument and fallacies of logic. Of course, this is a college textbook and therefore its compexity is bound to increase over time.

Don't be fooled however, if you don't really care for philosophy but still want some pointers on ho...more A fabulous book, one I would suggest that everyone should read. Early editions did not contain as complex an amount of introductory material and in that regard were more readable to one interested merely in an informative and engaging introductory text on philosophical argument and fallacies of logic. Of course, this is a college textbook and therefore its compexity is bound to increase over time.

Don't be fooled however, if you don't really care for philosophy but still want some pointers on how to reason better and see the flaws in others reasoning (whether it be on the basis of religion, politics, or any other field of interest) this book is superb. The treatment Engel provides of the informal fallacies of logic are clear and easily understood. The style in which he had written does not require one to be familar with the topic previous to reading this text in order to comprehend it.

I am partciularly fond of the following excerpt:

"Unfortunately, in argument the one who talks longest, loudest, and last often comes out looking like 'the winner,' even though he or she may not have argued well at all. This is because if no one has answered the argument—if no one has actually shown that the argument is weak or unlikely, we are left thinking: the arguer could be right and, moreover, no one can point to anything wrong, so.... This is why we bother to dispute a point at all—if it goes undisputed we and others may be subtly or even heavily influenced by it, may in fact be weakened in our original disagreement with it, and may find it hard to refuse other arguments or even calls to action that derive from it. All of which can lead us to feeling that we have no choice but to say and do things that we do not, at heart, chose or believe in." (S. Morris Engel, With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies, Sixth Edition [Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000], pp. 5-6.)

Anyone who has engaged in debate at any level will recognize the truth of this statement. Silence has always been intepreted as tacit agreement even if that is not the intention. This book will arm you with the ability to respond more intelligently.

Entertaining, informative, and educational. One piece of advice however: unless you are attending a college course, get the Instructor's Edition which includes an additional section at the back of the book with the answers to the quizzes/tests within its pages. These are very helpful and the answers will allow you to test your own understanding of the material more fully.(less)

like · see review

Jul 20, 2012 Stacey L. Douglas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good, but I like T. Edward Damer's "Attacking Faulty Reasoning" more.

like · see review

Aug 25, 2011 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book. Covers deductive, inductive, and “seductive” arguments.

like · see review

Dec 05, 2012 Jamie added it

Shelves: for-class

I don't normally read non-fiction, which was why this was a boring read... but, nonetheless, informative for class.

like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

A bit dry, but well organized. A good introduction to logical fallacies.

like · see review

May 09, 2013 Wang Kaidong marked it as to-read

May 06, 2013 Jenny Thompson marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-it

May 03, 2013 Brian Currie marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2013 Erin marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2013 Srivatsan marked it as to-read

Apr 27, 2013 Anna added it

Apr 04, 2013 Ricardo Gordillo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 03, 2013 Donald rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 01, 2013 Bryan added it

Mar 15, 2013 Stefan marked it as to-read

Mar 13, 2013 Kelly marked it as to-read

Mar 13, 2013 Steven Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mar 10, 2013 Kayla Young marked it as to-read

Mar 05, 2013 Deirdre Lewis added it

Feb 23, 2013 Magneto85 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned, sunshine

Feb 19, 2013 Andy Goldman added it · review of another edition

Feb 17, 2013 Jay Reed added it

Feb 08, 2013 James marked it as to-read

Shelves: religion-and-skepticism

Feb 04, 2013 Andrew Leyton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 03, 2013 Vanessa marked it as to-read

Jan 27, 2013 Ana marked it as to-read

Shelves: find

Jan 23, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: logic

Mar 29, 2013 Krystal added it

Jan 17, 2013 Ryan marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
A Discussion and an Introduction	4	6	Oct 10, 2008 08:51am

combine
Other Editions (8)

More editions...

Genres

Philosophy

8 users

Non Fiction

5 users

See top shelves...

Books by S. Morris Engel

Fallacies and Pitfalls of Language: The Language Trap

The Language Trap, or How to Defend Yourself Against the Tyranny of Words

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About With Good Reason:...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies
avg rating	preview: With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies Goodreads rating: 3.96 (45 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/683669.With_Good_Reason?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316731517l/683669.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/683669.With_Good_Reason?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies by S. Morris Engel[/url]

With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (8)

Genres

Books by S. Morris Engel

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About With Good Reason:...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)