With Good Reason : An Introduction to Informal Fallacies

Rating:
Summary: A good intro book
Review: Engel begins this book with a general discussion about what logic and argument are/aren't, and about how language impacts the manner in which arguments are formed and understood. He then delves into the informal fallacies, which he divides into three categories: (1) fallacies of ambiguity, which seem to be more misuse/abuse of language than actual fallacies of logic; (2) fallacies of presumption (e.g., hasty generalization, begging the question, slippery slope); and (3) fallacies of relevance (e.g., ad hominem, appeal to authority).

The explanations use clear, simple language that would be appropriate for high-school reading levels and above. As a graduate student, I found this to be an easy but engaging read.

I have two complaints about the book. First, Engel uses many examples from the real world--which is good--but the fallacies in these examples tend to be too obvious. It would be good to start out with obviously fallacious arguments and then move onto more subtle/complicated examples. Second, there are exercises at the end of each chapter where the reader can put his/her new knowledge to work, but answers are given for only a few of the questions in these exercises, which was frustrating.

In summary, this is a good, easily-read introduction to logic. It both prepares and encourages the reader to continue studying logical fallacies, but don't expect to be an expert at identifying fallacies when you're done with this book.

Rating:
Summary: The best book about good vs. unfair rhetoric I've seen.
Review: I collect books about fallacies. With Good Reason is definitely the best of the 32 such books I've accumulated so far. His explanations are very clear, and he covers important subject matter ignored by other authors, such as fallacies caused by vagueness and ambiguity.