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Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning, 2nd Edition
- Narrated by: David Zarefsky
- Series: The Great Courses: Modern Philosophy
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Categories: Relationships, Parenting & Personal Development, Personal Development
Non-member price: $51.19
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Publisher's Summary
What is effective reasoning? And how can it be done persuasively? These questions have been asked for thousands of years, yet some of the best thinking on reasoning and argumentation is recent and represents a break from the past.
These 24 engaging lectures teach you how to reason, how to persuade others that what you think is right, and how to judge and answer the arguments of others - and how they will judge yours. Professor Zarefsky makes argumentation accessible and familiar by breaking it into five easy-to-understand components: The tools of formal logic, while essential and even definitive for mathematics and programming computers, are inadequate to decide most controversial issues.
This course shows more useful approaches. Arguments can be divided into three parts: a claim, evidence, and an inference linking the evidence to the claim. All arguments fall into a handful of distinctive categories, and the same issues are at stake each time one of these distinctive patterns occurs. Three kinds of evidence can be advanced to prove an argument that something is true: objective data, social consensus, and personal credibility. There are six kinds of inference that link evidence to a claim: example, cause, sign, analogy, narrative, and form. How to use and challenge each is explained.
Along the way, you'll look at numerous actual controversies with a perspective that allows you to see the structure of all disputes. In this way, argument becomes an exchange, not just a flurry of words.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning, 2nd Edition
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-02-2016
Like informal logic and argumentation?
You'll love this. Toulmin is presented in solid detail- this isn't obvious from the blurb but his ideas and their application get a very thorough going over. This is argumentation and informal logic application for law, human rights, academia, science, social work, politics and just about anywhere else real arguments are constructed and let loose in the world.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 30-01-2016
Outstanding class with superb content
The professor in this course presented the material with maestri. All the topics are addressed in detail, in a way you can easily follow and generalize to your area of expertise. I dare to say that this is the most complete audiobook on the matter. It covers. The philosophy, the history, the theory, the application and the strategic and tactical aspects of argumentation. Nothing was left out.
If I have to point at flaws in this course , the only one I can come with is that 90% of the examples were taken from presidential speech. A more diverse source of examples would be beneficial in the entertainment aspect. But as teaching tools to convey the point, the examples are perfect.
27 people found this helpful
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- liam
- 22-08-2013
If you are on the fence, Get it!
If you could sum up Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning, 2nd Edition in three words, what would they be?
Clear, concise, informative
Which scene was your favorite?
Understanding logical fallacies.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
no.
Any additional comments?
This is an excellent course to take. Interesting right the way through and very dense on content. Argumentation is a pastime of mine, and although I have read much about it, I have never taken any kind of structured course on the subject. These lectures opened up an understanding of the processes, the nomenclature and the method to me on a larger scale than I knew. Very helpful, Already I am applying this new understanding to my every day life, and that's not just in winning arguments with my spouse ;)
95 people found this helpful
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- Happy
- 28-11-2015
Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning
Very interesting. This should be a required course in every school. Random emotional thoughts or stringing together loose ideas is so much easier than thinking. Most of the book is just common sense, but so often the lack of logic is not apparent. Gave the evening news broadcasts a whole new dimension. With any luck, the book helped tune up my thinking.
9 people found this helpful
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- steamer.ssf
- 22-03-2016
Excellent presentation and content:
I enjoyed listening to these lectures. The professor was very articulate and presented the information in a logical and structured manner. Great examples were used making for an enjoyable listen!
6 people found this helpful
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- James
- 13-02-2018
If you are interested in this, it likely isn’t for you.
Nearly all people who are interested in effective reasoning will already have spent some time learning about the basics of logic and the essential fallacies that get us all through the day. All people with a basic understanding of logical fallacies are well advanced beyond the topics discussed here. If you are not lost at this point then you are overqualified for this listen.
29 people found this helpful
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- Joseph
- 26-03-2018
Fantastic course
Essential for everyone in the modern world who wants to speak intelligently on topics that concern the public good. So much of the discussion one sees on news channels is emotive and nonsensical. This would help anyone see through the drivel and make their own well thought out arguments. The view of argumentation as a cooperative activity is particularly important. Well worth the time !
4 people found this helpful
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- Carlos
- 30-04-2019
Very Good
This is a great lecture series and the professor is well informed. My only reservation is that this seems to be more about public speaking and logical reasoning than argument per say. Overall very good though.
3 people found this helpful
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- Donovan Feist
- 23-03-2018
Amazing content! I’ll definitely listen to this again. He speaks slowly though.
Amazing content! I’ll definitely listen to this again. Be aware that he speaks a bit slowly though.
3 people found this helpful
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- Andy Olsen
- 14-07-2015
Excellent course.
Professor Zarefsky has a very interesting voice and he uses this fine voice to draw you into the covets he discusses . I enjoyed listening to him very much.
3 people found this helpful
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- Brian S. Holmes
- 25-04-2015
Intellectual OVERVIEW, NOT really Instrumental
specifically for improving your Personal performance in your own argumentation. Helpful, but it was not designed for this purpose. I plan on listening again while preparing formal arguments on topics and then using the examples from famous speeches to help me better construct my argument. What I love about this course, and most of The Great Courses for that matter, is the intellectual breadth of the teachers. However, because they're scholarly teachers, rather than public speakers, they're often kind of dry and boring. Anyhow if an in - depth study on all the ways an argument can be constructed then you will not be disappointed.
19 people found this helpful
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- joseph
- 08-06-2014
Noticeably improved my rational thinking skills
This lecturer is fantastic. He's passionate, warm, likeable and competent. His demeanour carried me through some of the more complicated bits.
As far as the content goes:
The course breaks down the components of logic and argumentation and makes the listener familiar with them. Then it demonstrates logic and augmentation of some famous political debates. In doing so through repetition and exposure I felt the content was tedious and challenging at times, sometimes I was just getting through it, but afterwards I am shocked at my skills and ability to cut to the heart of arguments I come across and challenge claims and logic. This has benefited me in all areas as strength of logic is valued in most areas. I think this is a fantastic tool for learning and wished I'd come across it years ago.
The content and lecturer are outstanding and the work 'The Great Courses' do is wonderful for someone like myself who has no time to read and dyslexia but is still very fanatical about learning. However, one still has to endure the embarrassingly pretentious classical trumpet outbursts and audience clapping sound bytes at the beginning of every lecture! Also I feel that any lecture series that names itself 'The Great Courses' can't be that great. It's all transparently socially aspiring and an appeal to the grandiosity of the archetypal university which falls flat as insincere, arrogant and pompous. Further, judging by the reviews of many other listeners of their lectures on audible there are very few who these tactics have the desired affect on. However this doesn't invalidate the courses that have to be examined on a case by case basis and this pomposity is a small price to pay for the content. I mention it here more to change 'The Great Courses' approach and let off some steam.
18 people found this helpful
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- Terence Alan Browning
- 18-09-2019
one of the worst Teaching Company products
This course advocates and teaches adversarial emotive argumentation. In itself, that is not terrible, however... After mentioning Thomas Kuhn (always a warning sign), the presenter introduces a Straw Man definition of scientific reasoning. Later, he uses this Straw Man to conclude that science cannot involve probabilistic reasoning! Wow! Just wow! This course is rich in material for anyone interested in studying intellectual dishonestly.
1 person found this helpful
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- Connor
- 05-10-2016
Fantastic Course
Clearly a knowledgeable and passionate individual in the field. Experience Tells. What a brilliant academic.
1 person found this helpful
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- D
- 29-01-2015
excellent and informative course
very good and clear presentation style, useful examples and the explanation of the subject was thorough and well structured
1 person found this helpful
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- Mr. R. D. Cox
- 06-09-2017
Will read again
learning argumentation from a generic stance
helped me to think about the differences and similarities between faculties such as law and science
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- Richard Fernandez
- 18-09-2016
Dry topic
It's great if you want to disect arguments down to their fine detail and if you want to understand the different parts of arguments. Good for debators or anyone that needs to structure arguments in their profession... couldn't see any practical application for day-to-day life.
1 person found this helpful
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