Product Description

Whether regarded as a science, an art, or a skill–and it can properly be regarded as all three–logic is the basis of our ability to think, analyze, argue, and communicate. Indeed, logic goes to the very core of what we mean by human intelligence. In this concise, crisply readable book, distinguished professor D. Q. McInerny offers an indispensable guide to using logic to advantage in everyday life. Written 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.

As McInerny notes, logic is a deep, wide, and wonderfully varied field, with a bearing on every aspect of our intellectual life. A mastery of logic begins with an understanding of right reasoning–and encompasses a grasp of the close kinship between logical thought and logical expression, a knowledge of the basic terms of argument, and a familiarity with the pitfalls of illogical thinking. Accordingly, McInerny structures his book in a series of brief, penetrating chapters that build on one another to form a unified and coherent introduction to clear and effective reasoning.

At the heart of the book is a brilliant consideration of argument–how an argument is founded and elaborated, how it differs from other forms of intellectual discourse, and how it critically embodies the elements of logic. McInerny teases out the subtleties and complexities of premises and conclusions, differentiates statements of fact from statements of value, and discusses the principles and uses of every major type of argument, from the syllogistic to the conditional. In addition, he provides an incisive look at illogical thinking and explains how to recognize and avoid the most common errors of logic.

Elegant, pithy, and precise, Being Logical breaks logic down to its essentials through clear analysis, accessible examples, and focused insights. Whether you are a student or a teacher, a professional sharpening your career skills or an amateur devoted to the fine points of thought and expression, you are sure to find this brief guide to effecting reasoning both fascinating and illuminating.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27185 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-10
• Released on: 2005-05-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"In logic, as in life, it is the obvious that most often bears emphasizing, because it so easily escapes our notice," McInerny argues in this pithy guide to applying logical thinking to everyday life. Modeled after Strunk and White’s indispensable handbook, The Elements of Style, McInerny’s primer offers valuable counsel on making a clear and effective point. He calls attention to the tremendous importance that language holds in the crafting and presentation of an argument, advising readers to "make your words as precise and sharply focused as possible" and to keep arguments, or at least their essential purpose, simple. Readers need not have a background in philosophy to follow McInerny’s remarkably comprehensible explanation of the methods used to construct a valid case, including the syllogistic argument, the conjunctive and disjunctive arguments and the conditional argument. The author also dedicates considerable discussion to the sources and the principal forms of illogical thinking, from such common ruses as begging the question and using tears as a diversionary tactic to the more ethically questionable ad hominem strategy, in which a person ignores an argument and attacks his opponent’s character instead. McInerny recommends that people hone their logical thinking skills by using them in real life situations, but perhaps one of the best ways his audience can learn to clearly express their views is by examining the crisp, articulate writing in this slender but richly informative guide.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
"Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man. Minor Premise: One man can dig a posthole in sixty seconds; therefore-Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a post-hole in one second." Ambrose Bierce's satire on the syllogism belongs to one of many species of specious reasoning that college professor McInerny takes to task in this precis on logic. Remarking that logic is rarely taught "as such" in American education, he presents this makeup course consciously modeled on Strunk and White's Elements of Style (1959). In concise language, McInerny's guide distributes the elements of logic among short, admonitory headings, such as "Avoid Vague and Ambiguous Language." McInerny also provides definitions of the tools of logic and their application in arriving at truth. Inculcating this noble and, in principle, attainable aim, McInerny's explanatory outline of sound thinking will be eminently beneficial to expository writers, debaters, and public speakers. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“I would hope that Being Logical might to some degree succeed in doing for the cause of good thinking what The Elements of Style has done for the cause of good writing. My earnest wish is that this book might succeed in convincing its readers of the intrinsic importance of logic. And may it engender in them an appreciation for the priceless satisfaction which inevitably accompanies that happy state of being logical.”
–from Being Logical

“Given the shortage of logical thinking,
And the fact that mankind is adrift, if not sinking,
It is vital that all of us learn to think straight.
And this small book by D.Q. McInerny is great.
It follows therefore since we so badly need it,
Everybody should not only but it, but read it.”
–CHARLES OSGOOD


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

You don't have to have pointy ears to be logical...
The book 'Elements of Style' by Struck and White is one of my favourite 'go-to' books on grammar, language use, and generally 'making sense'. Author D.Q. McInerny pays tribute to this earlier work by consciously emulating it in this book - 'Being Logical'. So much in our society is dependent upon reasoning and interpretation (much more than we might ever realistically think) and yet so often our reasoning is fault.

All dogs have four legs.
My cat has four legs.
Therefore, my cat is a dog.

This is the kind of reasoning that, when put in concrete examples such as this, makes little sense. But when it is applied to business, political, military and other types of situations, it becomes less clear, because the substance of the argument is less clear.

All military objectives require White House approval.
The education budget requires White House approval.
Therefore, the education budget is a military objective.

McInerny writes with good prose and good style in presenting in gentle and humourous form the elements of making sense. Being logical is about good communication, and this requires first and foremost clear, unambiguous and direct speech (given these criteria, I wonder why political speech often suffers from logic problems?).

McInerny develops a long section on argumentation - problems and situations about comparison, conditionals, moving from universals to particulars and vice versa, truth, value, fact, inductive and deductive argumentation and more. From this basic format (which really hinges on the simplest of platforms, that an argument contains a premise and a conclusion), McInerny proceeds to examining the sources and forms of illogical thinking (bad reasoning). Some of these are common sensical - evasiveness, cynicism, skeptism, emotionalism: any of these taken to extremes (or sometimes just a bit beyond moderation) can cause flaws with argumentation. According to McInerny, common sense is 'characterised by the unfailing capacity consistently to distinguish between a cat and a kangaroo.' Logic, common sense and good reasoning rely upon language that reveals, not conceals, and 'is suspicious of words that dazzle more than denote.'

McInerny presents a long litany of typical faulty-logic types that nonetheless are commonplace. These include very familiar types (straw man arguments, begging the question, ad hominem fallacies) as well as less familiar but more insidious types (misclassification, affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent, reductionism). He also looks at problems that are less 'logical' as they are problematic for continuing argumentation and debate - laughter and tears (both unlike to show up in logical constructions on paper) can both be used as diversionary tactics in the process of logical discussion.

'Important though it is to avoid the pitfalls of poor reasoning, it is more important to concentrate our energies on mastering those positive principles that make for its happy opposite - sound reasoning.' McInerny appeals to philosophers such as Aristotle in his constructions, but does not present dry and dusty prose - his writing is fresh and accessible, interesting to follow and helpful for people in all walks of life.

Pithy, Targeted and Right to the point
Essentially, this book is to logic what "The Elements of Style" is to writing.

The benefit of this book lies both in what it is and what it is not. If you're looking for an advanced book laying out Logic as an academic study which is thorough and hits all the points, then this is not the book for you. If what you are looking for is a very readable, simple and fast moving read that hits about 90% of what you will commonly need to know in this realm, then this is exactly that book.

Moreover, if you want a book you can refer to quickly as a reference in the course of your everyday life as you begin to examine and detect those logical errors and inconsistencies that we brush up against in the course of everyday life, this is a book worth owning and keeping in your personal library.

McInerny does a very good job in putting logic within the grasp of the average reader who with just a little effort and familiarity with the standards outlined in this book can jump beyond sloppiness of thought that characterizes far too much of our society. Logic indeed is sorely lacking as a foundation even within our academic communities. This book is a wonderful little gem for use in remedying that situation.

5 stars. A near essential read for any who are not already intimately familiar with the subject and a good launching point to realms beyond.

Bart Breen