Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking

by Perry Weddle

This book is designed to encourage the democratic art of thoughtful, articulate discussion. It attempts to help its readers think out their own ideas and those of others. It should prove useful to students of rhetoric, composition, and debate, and should aid journalism students in improving their reporting of scientific and economic news. It complements the formal logic provided by a university-level general education course in logic. And it should aid the general reader, for its guiding principle is the question, "What skills do educated citizens need in order to handle the argumentative raw material which confronts them daily?" The book touches some very basic matters - religion, human action, history, causation, art, and the theoretical foundations on which argument rests. No discourse can be worth much that does not encourage its readers to apply and develop its ideas. This book contains three types of sections to facilitate comprehension, application, and independence. First, each chapter has one or more "Quick Checks," a series of short, straightforward problems, with answers or suggestions, which will enable readers to develop and gauge comprehension on their own. Second, each chapter contains a section "Examples and Comments," which is intended to foster the arts of discussion, critical judgment, and patient, orderly explanation. About a third of the problems are commented on in order to suggest various ways to continue with the remaining problems. Third, each chapter contains a section called "Applications," which tries to narrow the gap between the "on-paper" world and the world as it really is. The three sections also encourage independent research, the pooling of knowledge, and the desire to deepen or challenge the book’s ideas. Above all, everything is intended to be "discussable," to bring individuals constructively together. [From the Preface]

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978