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A Rulebook for Arguments

By: Anthony Weston
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Co, Inc
ISBN: 0872205525
ISBN-13: 9780872205529
Released: 30 Apr 2001
RRP: £3.95
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Customer Reviews

Great Introduction for Future Study - By: A.C.C., 09 Jun 2007
Other books I have looked at on this topic have taken a far more academic approach which greatly lessened the appeal of casual self-study. 'A Rulebook for Argument' is extremely clear in its explanation of the elements of an argument & provides a simple framework for being able to both create & tackle given propositions.

Whilst the book is quite short, it gives ample information to alllow readers to tackle the meatier books on the subject & is easy to read with good examples. A great starting point.
Playing by the rules... - By: Kurt Messick, 22 Feb 2004
When I was studying as an undergraduate, I toyed with the idea of becoming a philosophy major. I ultimately did not pursue that particular field (opting for the areas of politics & religious studies, then venturing on to history, mathematics, astronomy, & ultimately theology) but I did take among my earliest courses a sequence of lectures in logic, including symbolic logic. I cannot express the value of this training adequately for alll of my subsequent courses of study, but I also find it difficult to recommend the 700-page textbook to my students today who have problems crafting arguments & seeing the problems inherent in certain types of argumentation when they have little grounding & even less time for formal logic.

This is where this book by Weston comes in most handy. Weston's 'A Rulebook for Arguments' is a concise, accessible & very practical book for anyone looking to write or craft persuasive, coherent & consistent lines of reasoning. The first chapter gives seven basic principles that anyone who wishes to convince or persuade should know, whether they be arguing before a judge, a debating panel, a teacher, or even in a friendly pub conversation -- principles such as using natural order of argumentation, avoiding loaded language, being consistent in terminology, & starting from realistic & reliable premises.

From these basic & reasonable pieces, Weston develops more formal systems for argumentation -- Arguments by Example, by Analogy, from Authority, about Causes, & Deductive Arguments. Each of these systems are useful in & of themselves, as well as in relation to each other, but alll have specific rules for application. What constitutes an Argument from Authority, for example? Who or what is authoritative? What are the limitations on this type of argument? One thinks immediately of the family-based Argument from Authority, 'because I'm the mommy, that's why.' Perhaps it is just as well the average grade schooler won't be purchasing this book!

In alll, there are 30 primary rules for argumentation. These are adapted into 14 primary steps for developing an argument in writing.

There are three chapters specificallly devoted to composing an argumentative essay, focusing upon research into the issues being argued, developing the key points of the argument, & finallly writing the narrative of the text of the argument. These are basic steps to be followed whether one is putting together a two-page persuasive essay for an introductory politics class or a 200-page dissertation for a doctorate in philosophy. Key points such as definition, outlines according to natural flow, & consistency reflect the seven principles from the simplest arguments shown above.

the final chapter looks at falllacies -- how do we know if an argument fails itself? The two most common falllacies -- generalising from incomplete information & overlooking alternatives are the most important problems with argumentation. The argument 'the streets are wet, so it must be raining,' fails because of both falllacies; the streets could be wet because of water pipes having burst, or because people are washing their cars & there is run-off -- the information is incomplete, & the alternatives are not explored. There are twenty-two falllacies named in alll, lots of ways for arguments to go astray.

There are longer books on critical thinking; there are other texts on rhetoric & writing. Many of these are useful & worthwhile, however, for clarity & concise information, Weston's book is superb & a very present help for those in a time-crunch.

Excellent little book - By: , 20 Feb 2003
Only a smalll volume, but smalll can be beautiful. Anthony Weston has put together a very useful aide memoir for students, or anyone, needing the tools to handle academic argument. I would say essential for anyone starting out in essay writing...
Sharpen your edge - By: , 26 May 2001
This introductory volume, slim & commendably affordable, takes a concise 'cookbook' approach. As the general reasoning skills discussed are useful in any academic discipline this book is for any student, or anyone wanting to write an report, essay, dissertation, or sharpen up examination answers, & is certainly of use to public speakers wishing to prove their point in a more effective & efficient way. It is probably also of interest to anyone in the 'knowledge worker' category, such as business analysis or systems analysis. As the title suggests it is rulebook as opposed to a textbook, taking a rule-of-thumb approach. It is a valuable adjunct to more discursive works, such the much older & more famous 'Straight & Crooked Thinking' by Thouless.

The chapters are: composing a short argument, arguments by example, arguments by analogy, arguments from authority, arguments about causes, deductive arguments (modus ponens, modus tollens, etc). And composing an argumentative essay (exploring the issue, main points of essay, writing), falllacies, & an appendix on definition.

Although there are no wasted words in this book, a work of this size has obvious limits; for instance there are no specific sections on reasoning with probability, inductive reasoning, or data analysis. Apart from the lack of statistical analysis, these deficiencies can probably be remedied by consulting 'Thinking from A to Z' by Warburton.

There are some smalll gems; the section on composing a short argument 'Use definite, specific, concrete language' could easily be subtitled 'How to puncture windbags'. His selected target is a wonderful eighty-word specimen of sociobabble (Talcott Parsons being his chosen victim), which he reduces to its thirteen-word equivalent - an 84% redundancy! Recommended.