Books about Argumentation from Amazon.com

This is an introductory guide to the basic principles of constructing good arguments and criticizing bad ones. It is nontechnical in its approach, and is based on 150 key examples, each discussed and evaluated in clear, illustrative detail. The author explains how errors, fallacies, and other key failures of argument occur. He shows how correct uses of argument are based on sound argument strategies for reasoned persuasion and critical questions for responding. Among the many subjects covered are: techniques of posing, replying to, and criticizing questions, forms of valid argument, relevance, appeals to emotion, personal attack, uses and abuses of expert opinion, problems in deploying statistics, loaded terms, equivocation, and arguments from analogy..
Price: $5.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Advocacy and Opposition: An Introduction toArgumentation presents a comprehensive and practical approach to argumentation and critical thinking for the beginner who needs to construct and present arguments on questions of fact, value, and policy. Advocacy and Opposition offers a theoretical view of the nature of argument in our society, a discussion of arguing as a form of communication, and a focus on how arguments are created using the Toulmin model of argument. By blending traditional and contemporary views on the nature of argument (including multicultural perspectives on the purpose and process of argument, ethics, and values), Advocacy and Opposition makes students more aware of both the development of theory and practice, providing a well-rounded approach to their study of argumentation..
Price: $71.10 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Presenting the basic tools for the identification, analysis, and evaluation of common arguments for beginners, this book informs by using examples of arguments in dialogues, both in the text itself and in the exercises (Examples of controversial legal, political, and ethical arguments are analyzed.) Illustrating the most common kinds of arguments, the book also explains how to evaluate each kind by critical questioning. Douglas Walton demonstrates the reasonable nature of arguments under the right dialogue conditions by using critical questions to evaluate them..
Price: $6.67 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"It is difficult to see how any rhetorician, rhetorical critic, logician interested in verbal logic, or student of either philosophical or popular argument can claim full competence without familiarity with this work. It challenges the orthodoxies of all and suggests fresh modes of inquiry to all." —The Quarterly Journal of Speech.
Price: $25.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This comprehensive introduction to the principles and practice of argumentation and debate uses a clear, concise, and engaging presentation that makes even complex material easy to understand. ARGUMENTATION AND DEBATE features concepts, argumentation models, practical guides, and real-life scenarios that you use to enhance your skills in academic debates. With an emphasis on critical thinking, reasoned decision making, and advocacy skills, this text empowers you to participate actively as citizens in a democratic society..
Price: $88.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Arranged rhetorically, this anthology of short essays and paragraphs suits both essay-level developmental writing and freshman composition courses Each chapter focuses on a different rhetorical mode, from narration and description to process writing. Three features make Patterns Plus a perennial best-seller: an engaging mix of nonfiction, fiction, and student essays with a careful consideration of multicultural issues; a strong pedagogical apparatus that helps develop comprehension, analytical, and writing skills; and clear presentation of the writing process and paragraph/essay structure. The Ninth Edition includes new student readings, as well as works by well-known writers such as Thomas Friedman, Walter Kirn, and Anna Quindlen. Updated pedagogical tools offer developmental students exactly what they need to master the content, including pre-reading, vocabulary, and post-reading questions that test comprehension and encourage critical analysis of each selection..
Price: $33.93 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This book presents a coherent introduction to the fundamental concepts of argumentation and debate, argumentation theory, and critical thinking. As the title suggests, the reader learns how to use argumentation effectively as a means of discovering what is worthy of belief and for gaining the support of others. Now comprised of nineteen in-depth chapters, this best-selling book offers a broad view of argumentation. The first two sections explain the field invariant concepts of critical inquiry. These chapters feature such concepts as propositions, data, inductive and deductive forms of argument, and fallacies. The third section examines the application of argumentation in advocacy situations. Readers will learn about propositions of fact/value and policy, the implication of argument fields and the narrative paradigm on the development and evaluation of argument, and the unique rhetorical challenges involved in communication arguments. The final section offers description and in-depth consideration of affirmative and negative strategies. In addition, the discussion of refutation and cross-examination is comprehensive and useful to both academic debaters and non-debaters..
Price: $65.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Logical Self-Defense offers step-by-step guidelines for identifying and analyzing arguments. It outlines a theory of good argument to use for purposes of evaluating and constructing arguments. It contains guidelines for constructing arguments and for preparing and writing essays or briefs. Special methods for interpreting and assessing longer arguments are provided. It gives guidelines to help filter out the more reliable information from newspapers and television news..
Price: $19.94 [Notify me when price goes down.]