Product Description

A witty assault on lame rhetoric, specious logic, and official BS

Here's a fast-paced, ruthlessly funny romp through the mulligan stew of illogic, unreason, and just plain drivel served up daily in the media by pundits, psychics, ad agencies, New Age gurus, statisticians, free trade ideologues, business "thinkers," and, of course, politicians. Award-winning young philosopher Jamie Whyte applies his laser-like wit to dozens of timely examples in order to deconstruct the rhetoric and cut through the haze of shibboleth and doubletalk to get at the real issues.

A troubleshooting guide to both public and private discourse, Crimes Against Logic:

• Analyzes the 12 major logical fallacies, with examples from the media and everyday life
• Takes no prisoners as it goes up against the scientific, religious, academic, and political establishments
• Helps you fine-tune your critical faculties and learn to skewer debaters on their own phony logic

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2947 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-12
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

The Guardian
"He ruthlessly exposes logical flaws and sheer nonsense. . . in likably angry and witty style."

Review
"[Whyte] whets a long knife of ultra-rationalism on the cold stone of logic, and death by a thousand cuts is inflicted on prejudice, statistics, morality, religion, weasel words, and seductive sirens such as politicians, New Agers, advertising executives, and, of course, journalists who expect you to be persuaded by anything other than facts." (The Times 20031101)

"He ruthlessly exposes logical flaws and sheer nonsense. . . in likably angry and witty style." (The Guardian )

The Times
"[Whyte] whets a long knife of ultra-rationalism on the cold stone of logic."

Customer Reviews

Logic as a way of life
In a world saturated in lies, half-truths, and propaganda, a primer on logic is essential reading. This book cuts through the nonsense we are exposed to on a daily basis and gives the reader tools for seeing the world more clearly and thoughtfully.

Not as interesting as I'd hoped
Admittedly, I was hoping for something along the lines of "Freakonomics" or "Blink," and this just didn't quite do it for me. Honestly, I just couldn't get into it.

critical thinking
Do NOT believe the book jacket: I would not lump this book in the categories of philosophy OR self-help. Those are typically dry and inaccessible, but thankfully this book is actually funny and easy to read.

Crimes Against Logic is a book about critical thinking. You are bombarded with messages everyday, of people trying to convince you to do something. And yet, all you get is flawed reasoning. School teaches you to memorize facts and soak up knowledge like a sponge. Critical thinking is about using a sieve instead of accepting things blindly.

That's why this book is essential: it's so you can be sure that you're not swindled into your beliefs. Whyte draws plenty of examples from everyday life in a number of subjects. It's not all religion and politics. There's also discussion of nonsensical business language, like "intellectual capital."

It's an entertaining book with serious importance. Pick it up and you won't be disappointed.