Download Being Logical A Guide to Good Thinking Audible Audio Edition DQ McInerny Al Kessel Tantor Audio Books
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Logic is synonymous with reason, judgment, sense, wisdom, and sanity. Being logical is the ability to create concise and reasoned arguments - arguments that build from given premises, using evidence, to a genuine conclusion. But mastering logical thinking also requires studying and understanding illogical thinking, both to sharpen one's own skills and to protect against incoherent or deliberately misleading reasoning. Â
Elegant, pithy, and precise, Being Logical breaks logic down to its essentials through clear analysis, accessible examples, and focused insights. D. Q. McInerny covers the sources of illogical thinking, from naïve optimism to narrow-mindedness, before dissecting the various tactics - red herrings, diversions, and simplistic reasoning - the illogical use in place of effective reasoning. Â
An indispensable guide to using logic to advantage in everyday life, this is a concise, accessible audiobook. Created explicitly for the layperson, McInerny's Being Logical promises to take its place beside Strunk and White's The Elements of Style as a classic of lucid, invaluable advice.
Download Being Logical A Guide to Good Thinking Audible Audio Edition DQ McInerny Al Kessel Tantor Audio Books
"Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking
D.Q. McInerny
Hardcover 2004 160 pp
One of the stated goals in author D.Q. McInerny's preface to "Being Logical" is to in "some degree succeed in doing for the cause of good thinking what 'Elements of Style' has done for that of good writing." This book does not meet that goal. It is very doubtful that I will keep it on hand as a reference to help form my thoughts or to construct arguments. There's not enough "how to" guidance for that.
Further, many of the examples that are given do not seem to have been very thoughtfully crafted. Based on that, and also on the too-informal language that pops up throughout, one might be led to suspect that McInerny cobbled together some lecture notes for this book, but didn't make the extra effort to enliven it and strengthen it. The book actually feels like it could be the appendix or the introductory chapter to a larger, better work.
Judging outside the goal of the author, the book is not awful or misleading like some reviewers have made it out to be. It was worthwhile and certainly not a waste of time, but given the opportunity to go back and choose another book for an introduction to logic, I would. And maybe if you're reading this review, you should too.
Update: A better and much more thorough introduction to Logic is "The Science of Correct Thinking" by Fr. Celestine Bittle, ISN: B000MHIJKY"
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Being Logical A Guide to Good Thinking Audible Audio Edition DQ McInerny Al Kessel Tantor Audio Books Reviews :
Being Logical A Guide to Good Thinking Audible Audio Edition DQ McInerny Al Kessel Tantor Audio Books Reviews
- This book is an excellent, introduction to logic and logical thinking as a basic human pursuit. I really like its emphasis on logic as an activity - something people do, practice, and get better at, with the fine points coming into relief only through application and experience. By the time we get to reviewing the classical fallacies, these are not presented as abstract "forms", but as either practical or ethical "mistakes" that srise in the course of argument We mistake guesses for sound observations or inferences ("take our eyes off the ball"), or we are drawn by the emotions aroused by an argument into "quarrelling" and "trying to win", rather than searching for truth - the only real objective for logic. Brief, simple, and pithy enough to be worth reviewing from time to time, as "inspirational reading". Great handbbook.
- I decided about a week ago that I wanted to study the field of logic more directly than I have. As someone interested in apologetics and philosophy of religion, logic is a necessary field of study. The first book I picked up is this basic primer, a mere 130 pages. It is written clearly and concisely, the author deliberately seeking to write after the fashion of Strunk and White (which you should also read, if you have not).
McInerny lays out the basic building blocks of logic, quite simply. He dedicates a few pages to each basic argument, a useful form to expose the reader to logic, but lacking the depth of coverage if you really want to dig in deeply.
The author suggests that logic is a basic educational component missing from nearly all of our schools in modern society. I think he is right on. Given that, this book would be good for Logic 101. - Being Logical A Guide to Good Thinking
D.Q. McInerny
Hardcover 2004 160 pp
One of the stated goals in author D.Q. McInerny's preface to "Being Logical" is to in "some degree succeed in doing for the cause of good thinking what 'Elements of Style' has done for that of good writing." This book does not meet that goal. It is very doubtful that I will keep it on hand as a reference to help form my thoughts or to construct arguments. There's not enough "how to" guidance for that.
Further, many of the examples that are given do not seem to have been very thoughtfully crafted. Based on that, and also on the too-informal language that pops up throughout, one might be led to suspect that McInerny cobbled together some lecture notes for this book, but didn't make the extra effort to enliven it and strengthen it. The book actually feels like it could be the appendix or the introductory chapter to a larger, better work.
Judging outside the goal of the author, the book is not awful or misleading like some reviewers have made it out to be. It was worthwhile and certainly not a waste of time, but given the opportunity to go back and choose another book for an introduction to logic, I would. And maybe if you're reading this review, you should too.
Update A better and much more thorough introduction to Logic is "The Science of Correct Thinking" by Fr. Celestine Bittle, ISN B000MHIJKY - This book was a very good read, and worth a second reading. Not only was it clear and easy to understand, but the examples contained therein were not biased to any particular 'school of reasoning'. As such, the principles can be used to evaluate fairly, any type of reasoning, from political and religious debates, to discussions on civil liberties, and scientific debates to a simple family discussion.
Not only is it useful in evaluating other people's arguments, but in evaluating your own thoughts and preferences on various subjects.
What I particularly like was the author's emphasis on truth, and by extension, the need for honesty in our reasoning (even being honest with ourselves). This is the best (only?) way to reach a sound, logical conclusion.
I highly recommend getting this book. - Establish the facts and stick to the reality. That's the bottom-line. Sounds fine, however, facts can be elusive and truth be hidden. The media can grossly spin the facs and twist the truth to brainwash people. Still, a good read for theory.
- Every high-schooler should have to read this. Also anyone who plans to ever vote in an election would benefit. I read this and several other books for an intro to grad school assignment. It helps to reorient your brain to the different types of fallacies and flawed reasoning/arguments that persuade so many people. Its good, simple, and is more like a handbook for reference.. Its an easy read that may be too easy or rudimentary to some long-time students, but its still good.
- This qualifies as one of my favorite kinds of books, which I call "Short Books of Profound Meaning." Prof. McInerny's work here is one of distillment, of boiling down to bare essentials a discipline which is often absurdly over-theoretized. McInerny's insights into logic, reason, and the objectivity of truth are hard-won and presuppose an ontology of realism. Moreover, this book, unlike books, say, on symbolic logic (which completely ignores the facticity of things), actually gives reasons; it explains WHY untruthful statements are untruthful, how validity "works", why and how logical fallacies are logically fallacious.
In short, this is one of those rare books that should be read and re-read, considered and absorbed, and, ultimately, applied. - At first I had trouble with the book until I realized it was written clearly to define logical thinking and the fallacies of illogical thinking. It was very short and concise, much like The Elements of Style is for writing. It provides a great understanding of communicating in a logical fashion and educates the reader by familiarizing them with the concepts of logic.
