The Fallacy Detective

The Fallacy Detective

The Bluedorn family, longtime promoters of Christian classical education, encountered content problems in most critical thinking and logic resources. So the Bluedorn brothers, Nathaniel and Hans, put their heads together and came up with this excellent introduction to practical logic from their conservative Christian homeschoolers’ perspective.

Subtitled Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning, The Fallacy Detective uses humor, historical references, and real-life situations to help teens learn to think and express themselves clearly. Comic strips from Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert, Peanuts, and Nuna and Toodles (the Bluedorn brothers’ own creation) are a nice touch. Cartoon and comic illustrations, humorous examples, and a very reader-friendly writing style make this the sort of course that students will enjoy.

Thirty-eight lessons are each followed by questions. The 2015 Workbook Edition includes space for writing answers directly in the book. An answer key is at the back of the book. I highly recommend gathering at least two students to have fun working through the questions together. They will learn even more by discussing possible answers to some of the questions.

Instructions for a "Fallacy Detective Game" in which players make up their own fallacies are also at the back of the book. You will need two or more to play.

You might be interested in following The Fallacy Detective with The Thinking Toolbox, another excellent book by the same authors.

Pricing Information

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You might want to check out the premade lesson plans from Homeschool Planet that are available for The Fallacy Detective.

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Instant Key

  • Need For Parent or Teacher Instruction: low to moderate
  • Learning Environment: all situations
  • Grade Level: grades 7-12
  • Educational Methods: life applications, critical thinking
  • Technology: Kindle
  • Educational Approaches: unschooling or relaxed homeschooling, traditional, eclectic
  • Religious Perspective: secular but Christian friendly

Publisher's Info

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."