This book demonstrates how the use of clear, rational thinking and logic can win any argument, however emotionally charged the topic in question.
It describes the typical flaws of reasoning in argument and shows how language can be used to deceive – and how to avoid being deceived. Although written over 80 years ago, it proves that certain principles remain timeless; it has shown many thousands over the decades how to cope with media spin and distorted reasoning.
Reviewed by Rebecca Willis in Slightly Foxed Issue 65.
Choppy Waters
MELISSA HARRISON
Dishonest or ‘crooked’ arguments are nothing new, but recently our fractious politics coupled with the invention of the Internet have lent them a fresh intensity, and a wider reach. Would that Straight and Crooked Thinking, written by Robert H. Thouless and first published in 1930, was now more widely read and taught in schools. This little book would not solve all our problems, of course, but it might help us see through partisan propaganda, take on unprincipled Internet warriors, persuade others honourably, defend our own beliefs effectively and (crucially) change our minds when necessary . . .
Extract from Slightly Foxed Issue 65, Spring 2020
Choppy Waters
Dishonest or ‘crooked’ arguments are nothing new, but recently our fractious politics coupled with the invention of the Internet have lent them a fresh intensity, and a wider reach. Would that...
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