Synopses & Reviews
Do you know how to analyze then destroy an argument? THE ELEMENTS OF REASONING reveals the basic elements of structuring arguments, and then shows you how to analyze any argument for its weak points. THE ELEMENTS OF REASONING is also a handy reference tool that you can easily use in the future, no matter what setting you're in. That way, you can refresh your understanding of the concepts of introductory logic and argument analysis without having to purchase another book. It helps you get a great grade; it helps you in the future. Pick up THE ELEMENTS OF REASONING today!
Synopsis
THE ELEMENTS OF REASONING is a concise and lucid introduction to the basic elements of argumentative prose and the conceptual tools necessary to understand, analyze, criticize, and construct arguments. This text is not only perfect for a college course in argument analysis, but also as a reference tool when confronted with arguments outside the classroom experience. While THE ELEMENTS OF REASONING covers the standard formal tools of introductory logic, its emphasis is on practical applications to the kinds of arguments students most often encounter.
About the Author
Ronald Munson is Professor of the Philosophy of Science and Medicine at the University of Missouri--St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and was Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology at Harvard University. He has been Visiting Professor at University of California, San Diego; Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; and Harvard Medical School. A nationally acclaimed bioethicist, Munson is a medical ethicist for the National Eye Institute and a consultant for the National Cancer Institute. He is also a member of the Washington University School of Medicine Human Research Protection Committee and is Associate Editor of the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY. Munson's most recent book is THE WOMEN WHO DECIDED TO DIE: CHALLENGES AND CHOICES AT THE EDGES OF MEDICINE. His other books include RAISING THE DEAD: ORGAN TRANSPLANTS, ETHICS, AND SOCIETY (named a "Best Book in Science and Medicine" by the National Library Association); REASONING IN MEDICINE (with Daniel Albert, and Michael Resnik); ELEMENTS OF REASONING, Sixth Edition (with Andrew Black); and OUTCOME UNCERTAIN: CASES AND CONTEXTS IN BIOETHICS. He is also author of the novels NOTHING HUMAN, FAN MAIL, and NIGHT VISION.Andrew Black has been teaching in the Philosophy Department since fall 1999. Before coming to UMSL, he taught for eight years at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and for one year at Dartmouth College. He holds the Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Black specializes in the history of philosophy, particularly the philosophy of the seventeenth century. He has published articles on Descartes, Malebranche, and Leibniz. Other areas of Dr. Black's expertise include analytic philosophy, logic, and the philosophy of science.
Table of Contents
"I would adopt this textbook in a heartbeat for a class on critical thinking. I am impressed with how much is accomplished in a slim volume. The clarity of writing is one of the great strengths of this text."-- Elizabeth Meade , Cedar Crest College"As a foundational guide to reasoning, Munson and Black?s effort in this edition is commendable ? well organized, filled with timely examples, and weighted with the clearest and most substantive content that I have seen in such a textbook."-- Jason Black , University of Alabama