The Art of Argument: An Introduction to the Informal Fallacies

by Aaron Larsen and Joelle Hodge

Classical Academic press

The Art of Argument teaches informal logic to students in grades 7 through 12. The publisher's intent is that younger students would first use this book, then follow up with The Argument Builder (learning how to construct compelling arguments) and The Discovery of Deduction (a study of formal logic). Even if students do not have time or inclination to complete all three books, The Art of Argument is a foundational book that would benefit all learners.

The goal of this course is that students learn to identify 28 common logical fallacies that they encounter in advertising, news media, conversations, and even in the classroom.

The topics covered are similar to those in other resources like The Fallacy Detective, but this course is a bit more challenging and requires more work on the part of students. Lessons sometimes direct students to define words, including their etymology. After initial instruction in a lesson, students are often given a "dialectic exercise" that requires them to provide a thoughtful response. These exercises are best used for discussions, but students could write out answers if they are working independently. (IMHO, a parent/teacher will likely have to engage the student in a discussion regarding their written answer, so you're probably best off beginning with discussion in the first place.) Periodic "Review Exercises" and "Cumulative Fallacy Worksheets" offer plenty of opportunities for students to provide written responses. In addition, the Teacher's Edition includes quizzes and tests.

All this makes it sound like a boring workbook course, but it's not! Most lessons feature one or more "advertisements" created to demonstrate the fallacy (or fallacies) under discussion. The more you explore these ads, the more humor you'll discover. A few dialogues between three characters— Socrates, Tiffany, and Nate—bring in Socratic dialogue in a user-friendly fashion. A script for a brief play, "Bill and Ted's Excellent Election," makes great entertainment as well as a fun way to review common fallacies. As you can see, there's quite a bit of variety in lesson presentation.

Practical application abounds through the lessons as students begin to realize that logical arguments and fallacies are ubiquitous. This particular course includes plenty of political and faith-based fodder in questions and examples, although it doesn't present direct arguments to support particular positions. For example, in discussion the fallacy of presupposition (just because something is a certain way, it ought to be so), one example reads: "We shouldn't condemn people for having abortions. After all, they are engaging in a legal activity" (p. 144). Students should be identifying the hidden assumption in this statement. This exercise actually prepares students to argue for the Pro-Life message, but in a very indirect fashion.

This is a fairly rigorous course for junior high students because of vocabulary used in lesson presentation as well as to be mastered by the student. It might be completed in one semester, especially by high school students.

Review posted September 2009.