Interested in a quirky picture book for grown-ups? Take a look at An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi, with woodcut-style illustrations by Alejandro Giraldo. In a bold attempt to fill a gap in the popular literature on critical thinking, Almossawi uncovers 19 errors of reasoning in a series of appealingly-presented vignettes.
Well-produced and charmingly illustrated, An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments presents itself as an accessible entrée into critical thinking for the uninitiated: a gift book or whimsical collectible for a thoughtful readership. The popularity of the online version of the book is a testament to how unusual and exciting it is to see material on critical thinking presented in a genuinely creative way. The often idiosyncratic examples in Bad Arguments – and the logical fallacies themselves – are thought-provoking teasers that whet my appetite for a deeper understanding of where arguments go wrong.
Pervading the book is a sincere attempt to draw out the practical relevance of informal logic to our everyday lives. It’s part of a larger mission to improve reasoning skills in the general public. And that mission is motivated by a belief that broader and more intelligent participation in public debates, more subtle articulation of arguments and more sensitive consideration of alternative views will eventually lead to more sophisticated and civic-minded policy positions. As a step in this direction, Almossawi seeks to improve his readers’ skills in critical thinking and cogent reasoning by drawing attention to the various characteristics of good arguments: precision, rigour, clarity, consistency, coherence, relevance and completeness.
Where Bad Arguments aims high, however, I think it misses the mark in several respects. My in-depth review published at Metapsychology Online Reviews sets out a critique. But whatever the book’s shortcomings, I want to celebrate its success in stimulating curiosity – and I look forward to seeing many more books on critical thinking designed in such an innovative and attractive way.
You can take a look at some illustrations from the book below and read my full review for Metapsychology Online Reviews.
The Philosophy Club works with teachers and students to develop a culture of critical and creative thinking through collaborative enquiry and dialogue.
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funny and cool~
Reblogged this on Psychology & Statistics Tutor:Mentor and commented:
Critical thinking~ framing an argument
Reblogged this on Didáctica de la Filosofía.
Congratulations! I like your blog so much I have nominated it for the Liebster Award. To accept your award visit my blog http://wp.me/p3O5Jj-cY and follow the instructions.
Happy blogging! Best wishes. Norah
Thank you for this nomination, Norah. I really appreciate your generosity and interest in my blog. I hope you’ll understand if I decline the award since I have a personal policy of not perpetuating chains. Still, I’m grateful for your encouragement and very pleased to belong to a supportive community of educational bloggers with an interest in improving thinking. I’m confident that together we can help a wider public see the potential for philosophical enquiry to enrich and deepen learning.
I always learn a lot from reading other people’s blogs, and I often quote from them on The Philosophy Club’s facebook page.
A few posts on other people’s blogs that have recently caught my attention are Relevance in education: Part of the solution by Harry Fletcher-Wood (on the blog Improving Teaching); Should teachers of controversial issues disclose their opinions? by Harry Brighouse (on the blog In Socrates’ Wake); Critical thinking skills for civic participation by Gabriela Martínez Sainz; a guest post by Rory Kraft (editor of Questions: Philosophy for Young People) on the blog Kids Think About It; and Raising a critical thinker in a gullible country by a humanist parent in the USA.
I’ve discovered quite a few great blogs about philosophy for children and young people, including: The Philosophy Foundation (and its previous incarnation, The Philosophy Shop); Thinking Space; PLATO Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization; Story Philosophy; Wondering Aloud; Philosophy for Children Seville; and Philosophy as a Way of Life. Another excellent blog (not specifically related to philosophy for children) is Philosophy Strikes Back, which pithily applies philosophical logic to the analysis of public debates.
It’s a privilege to be part of this relatively small but thriving international community of philosophy practitioners and activists! Thank you for your recognition.
Another book I like that is in a similar vein is “The Phantom Tollbooth”. Exploring issues of knowledge and touching on the ethical it can be enjoyed by children (and adults) of all ages.