The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking

by Nicholas Capaldi

Overview

Can you tell when you're being deceived?

This classic work on critical thinking — now fully updated and revised — uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that "it takes one to know one," the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others — whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person.

Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc.), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument.

Whether you’re preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others’ arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615920716
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	277
Sales rank:	910,788
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Nicholas Capaldi, PhD (Baton Rouge, LA), holds the Legendre-Soulé Distinguished Scholar Chair in Business Ethics at Loyola University of New Orleans. He is the author or editor of many books including Immigration: Debating the Issues; John Stuart Mill: A Biography; and Journeys Through Philosophy.

Miles Smit, PhD (Toronto, Ontario), works as a business analyst in Canada and holds a PhD in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition i

Preface 7

Introduction 11

What Is Logic? 11

What Is an Argument? 15

When Is an Argument Acceptable? 18

Summary and Exercises 21

1 Identifying Arguments 23

Arguments 23

Difficulties in Identifying Arguments 23

Grammar, Punctuation, and Reading Comprehension 24

Rules for Identifying Premises and Conclusions 27

Summary and Exercises 34

2 Formal Analysis of Arguments 37

The Ideal of Logic 37

Syllogisms 39

Rules for Valid Syllogisms 44

Soundness and Informal Logic 48

Summary and Exercises 50

3 Presenting Your Case 55

Gaining a Sympathetic Audience 58

Presenting the Facts 69

Driving Home the Conclusion 94

Nonverbal Devices 99

Advertising as a Case Study 101

Summary and Exercises 108

4 Attacking an Argument 111

Audience Reaction 111

Anatomy of Refutation 117

Attacking the Conclusion 142

Face-to-Face Debate 151

Summary and Exercises 155

5 Defending Your Case 159

Counterattack 163

Winning the Argument 180

Going for a Tie 186

Summary and Exercises 188

6 Cause-and-Effect Reasoning 191

History of the Concept of "Causation" 191

Hume's Definition of Cause and Effect 194

Causal Reasoning as Practical 196

Mill's Methods 199

Fallacies of Causal Reasoning 203

Problems with the Concept of "Causation" 210

Summary and Exercises 215

Appendix 219

Critical Reading Skills 219

Review Exercises 257

Some Suggestions for Further Reading 263

Index 265