- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.; Revised edition edition (30 Mar 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0826490069
- ISBN-13: 978-0826490063
- Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 530,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This is the book your friends will wish you hadn't read, a witty and infectious guide to arguing successfully. Each entry deals with one fallacy, explaining what the fallacy is, giving and analysing an example, outlining when/where/why the particular fallacy tends to occur and finally showing how you can perpetrate the fallacy on other people in order to win an argument. Originally published to great acclaim in 1985 as "The Book of Fallacy", this is a classic brought up-to-date for a whole new generation.
About the Author
Madsen Pirie is President of the Adam Smith Institute and author of numerous books including Boost Your IQ and The Sherlock Holmes IQ Book. He was formerly Distinguished Visiting Professor of Philosophy and Logic at Hillsdale College, Michigan.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
70 of 73 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
We've all been in the situation where some smart-alec produces an argument, often as a joke, which everyone knows must be wrong but where nobody can quite see the mistake.
More seriously, I suspect most of us have seen debates where one side appears to have much more evidence to support their case, until someone comes along who presents the other side of the argument so much better that everyone is convinced - at least until after the superior speaker has won the vote/verdict/board or council decision, by which time it is too late.
Madsen Pirie's book is a masterly and very entertaining guide to the different tricks which people can use to make their argument sound much stronger than it really is, how to spot them, and what the holes in their logic are.
He lists the logical fallacies which, by accident or design, can lead people to support false conclusions.
Unfortunately, as Madsen Pirie points out, knowing why the argument you are listening to is wrong does not always make it easy to defeat the person advancing it. Arguments "ad baculum" (by threat of force) do not go away if you prove the person making the threat to be wrong, irrelevant humour, if it is funny enough, can carry away a valid argument on a gale of laughter, and emotional appeals can be extremely hard to stop with mere logic.
Nevertheless, to be able to understand why an argument is wrong is a useful start - if you don't know yourself you have little chance of persuading anyone else. And this book is really helpful at showing you how to see where faulty logic is in play.
This book is an updated version of a book published in the mid 1980's with the title "The Book of the fallacy - a training manual for intellectual subversives." The new text is about 95% common with the earlier version, although it has a few updated concepts such as "Thatcher's Blame."
Very sadly the new book does not include the highly amusing cartoons which illustrated the original version. That is almost the only fault I can find with it - a criticism which would be covered under the chapter of the book on "Trivial objections."
More seriously, I suspect most of us have seen debates where one side appears to have much more evidence to support their case, until someone comes along who presents the other side of the argument so much better that everyone is convinced - at least until after the superior speaker has won the vote/verdict/board or council decision, by which time it is too late.
Madsen Pirie's book is a masterly and very entertaining guide to the different tricks which people can use to make their argument sound much stronger than it really is, how to spot them, and what the holes in their logic are.
He lists the logical fallacies which, by accident or design, can lead people to support false conclusions.
Unfortunately, as Madsen Pirie points out, knowing why the argument you are listening to is wrong does not always make it easy to defeat the person advancing it. Arguments "ad baculum" (by threat of force) do not go away if you prove the person making the threat to be wrong, irrelevant humour, if it is funny enough, can carry away a valid argument on a gale of laughter, and emotional appeals can be extremely hard to stop with mere logic.
Nevertheless, to be able to understand why an argument is wrong is a useful start - if you don't know yourself you have little chance of persuading anyone else. And this book is really helpful at showing you how to see where faulty logic is in play.
This book is an updated version of a book published in the mid 1980's with the title "The Book of the fallacy - a training manual for intellectual subversives." The new text is about 95% common with the earlier version, although it has a few updated concepts such as "Thatcher's Blame."
Very sadly the new book does not include the highly amusing cartoons which illustrated the original version. That is almost the only fault I can find with it - a criticism which would be covered under the chapter of the book on "Trivial objections."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Firstly, in case you don't already know, this is less a guide to winning every argument and more a guide to identifying fallacies.
This book is a great introduction to the fallacies prevalent in the modern world. There is great breadth to the examination, and each fallacy is explained well. However, note that each fallacy is covered in a couple of pages, so don't expect anything much depth. The humour is cringe-inducing at times, but hardly a reason to ignore this work.
If you have any interest in fallacies, this is a great introduction.
This book is a great introduction to the fallacies prevalent in the modern world. There is great breadth to the examination, and each fallacy is explained well. However, note that each fallacy is covered in a couple of pages, so don't expect anything much depth. The humour is cringe-inducing at times, but hardly a reason to ignore this work.
If you have any interest in fallacies, this is a great introduction.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At first glance, the title will mislead you. This book should be called "The Abuse of Logic in Arguments". But I suppose the current title is designed by marketing people to sell more copies of it.
This book will not show you how to win every argument, but it will show you how logic is being abused in some of them (with real examples). It will also suggest in each case how you could get away with it if you were the one doing the abuse (although you get the feeling the author doesn't quite approve of it). It even has some clever ideas about how you could apply them with children.
It's impossible to win EVERY argument anyway, but this book will help skew the odds in your favour as you should be able to spot the specific abuses of logic that others are doing.
This book will not show you how to win every argument, but it will show you how logic is being abused in some of them (with real examples). It will also suggest in each case how you could get away with it if you were the one doing the abuse (although you get the feeling the author doesn't quite approve of it). It even has some clever ideas about how you could apply them with children.
It's impossible to win EVERY argument anyway, but this book will help skew the odds in your favour as you should be able to spot the specific abuses of logic that others are doing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Simply a dictionary of logical fallacies.
Title is very misleading. The book is simply an A to Z of all the logical fallacies.
Personally, I found the author's style of writing is clunky (dodgy syntax), crusty,... Read more
Personally, I found the author's style of writing is clunky (dodgy syntax), crusty,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tony Frost
A great insight into logical fallacies.
Have you watched the news recently? I read this book and started spotting logical fallacies everywhere. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tox
Spot on.
The author views "any trick of logic or language which allows a statement of a claim to be passed off as something it is not..." as a fallacy. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Shariq
Interesting Selection
The author clearly has his tongue in his cheek with this title. Really, he wants you to be aware of
the tricks of illogic, in order to combat them; but as with many other... Read more
the tricks of illogic, in order to combat them; but as with many other... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Thomas De Vries
not for everyone
Okay, English is not my native language but I now know why this guy wins every argument. In order to understand this book you need at least a University degree in Latin. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Chris
An A to Z of Logical Fallacies
A slightly disingenuous title but if, as I did, you came to find this book by searching Amazon for 'logical fallacies' then it's probably just what you're looking for. Read more
Published 14 months ago by red_monkey
I'm always right
Gives plenty of ideas about winning arguements. Now all I have to do is put them into practice.
Published on 31 Jan 2010 by Gerald D. D. S. Croft
how to win every argument
Love this book, its a great introduction to logic easy to read and so informative upto now its me and the book 6 wife nil! buy it read it and win!!!!
Published on 12 Sep 2009 by P. J. De Maziere
No doubt based on earlier books..
... I haven't even read this book; however I vaguely know Pirie, from Mensa, and have never been impressed by his smug superficiality. Between the wars (i.e. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by Rerevisionist
could be better
I got interested in fallacies and making valid arguments. I found lots of good material on the net, but wanted something a bit more portable and with more structure to it. Read more
Published on 2 April 2009 by Pat
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