The Elements of Reasoning, 2nd Edition

by Edward P.J. Corbett, Rosa A. Eberly

The second edition of The Elements of Reasoning retains the accessible and succinct approach that made the first edition the best treatment of the essentials of argumentation. It presents the principles that govern the composition of effective argumentative discourse and includes brief examples, with analyses that show students the underlying structure of the argument presented and the ways in which the rhetor was persuasive.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Philosophy

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 1991

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eberly and Corbett do a good job in this book. They walk you through the different parts of reasoning and rhetoric with good examples and clear definitions. The last chapter I skimmed through after they went through the logical fallacies (it was about discourse and reasoning in American democracy). These "citizen critic" parts didn't add much for me, other than to give you a practical, everyday place to apply the lessons in the book. A worthwhile read regardless. There are also exercises at the end of each chapter; I skimmed these to get the gist, but they are definitely geared toward a class setting. And I would want this book used in a class because it teaches the reasoning process so well.

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan 2013. Using selectively in my rhetoric class. A few rough spots, but lots of valuable stuff.

Oct 2017. Browsing through this little book, which I remember fondly despite a significant error in the discussion of syllogism.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably wouldn't use it, if only because it is pretty dated.