Straight and Crooked Thinking

Straight and Crooked Thinking

Author	Robert H. Thouless
Language	English
Genre	Logic, psychology and education
Publisher	Simon and Schuster
Publication date	1930
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	261 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-330-24127-3
OCLC	1230940
Dewey Decimal	160
LC Class	BC108 .T48 1974

Straight and Crooked Thinking, first published in 1930 and revised in 1953,^[1] is a book by Robert H. Thouless which describes, assesses and critically analyses flaws in reasoning and argument. Thouless describes it as a practical manual, rather than a theoretical one.

Synopsis

Thirty-eight fallacies are discussed in the book. Among them are:

• No. 3. proof by example, biased sample, cherry picking
• No. 6. ignoratio elenchi: "red herring"
• No. 9. false compromise/middle ground
• No. 12. argument in a circle
• No. 13. begging the question
• No. 17. equivocation
• No. 18. false dilemma: black and white thinking
• No. 19. continuum fallacy (fallacy of the beard)
• No. 21. ad nauseam: "argumentum ad nauseam" or "argument from repetition" or "argumentum ad infinitum"
• No. 25. style over substance fallacy
• No. 28. appeal to authority
• No. 31. thought-terminating cliché
• No. 36. special pleading
• No. 37. appeal to consequences
• No. 38. appeal to motive

See also

• List of cognitive biases
• List of common misconceptions
• List of fallacies
• List of memory biases
• List of topics related to public relations and propaganda

References