The Craft of Argument

by Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams

Book Overview

The Craft of Argument: Concise a clear and brief argument rhetoric written by the authors of such successful composition titles as Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (AWL) and The Craft of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 032101264X
• ISBN13: 9780321012647
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
• Length: 474 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

One of the very best on the subject

Logic, argumentation, and influence are three of my favorite study subjects. So it was with great interest that I picked up "The Craft of Argumentation with Readings". I expected a lot of the usual stuff, an almost mechanical approach to logic and influence. This is not at all what I received. This book is unique among this genre of books. The authors very clearly take the reader into the area of argumentation and influence as an art form. All the expected education in argumentation is presented in the book. Reasoning, evidence, claims, forms of reasoning, meanings, causes, overt and covert force of language, fallacies, etc. are all covered. But all these things are in any competent book on argumentation. The problem is that most books also end there - a competent education in the mechanics of argumentation. This book not only develops those competencies but also closely examines issues such as developing the ethos, credibility, and other factors of argumentation. This is where this book pulls away from the pack and becomes one of the very few that teaches the art and craft of argumentation. You might see the difference by comparing it to the art of dance. Anyone can learn the movements required to perform a specific dance and may be able to execute it flawlessly, but it doesn't necessarily move the audience emotionally. Another trained dancer can go through the same steps and create a thing of beauty that moves the audience and causes them to feel they are a part of the dance. Likewise you can go through the mechanics of argumentation and develop a perfectly logical and compelling position that moves no one to accept it. Or you can create it as an art form that creates an emotional as well as a logical response in the recipient. This is not only a highly recommended book for anyone interested in the subject, it should be required reading for anyone serious about understanding argumentation and influence.

Crafty Guide to Analyzing Arguments

A superb addition to the rapidly expanding "informal logic" textbook market. The book tries to familiarize the reader with a (rather original) interpretation of the so-called "Toulmin scheme" for analyzing arguments and combines this approach with a judicious dose of advice on "how to write arguments gracefully," the latter echoing Joseph Williams's well-known textbook (Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace). I liked in particular the book's easygoing tone (people writing on argumentation often come across as rather highbrow) and the excellent selection of readings. If this kind of stuff interests you, this book, perhaps combined with David Zarefsky's recently released (Teaching Company) course on "Argument: The Study of Effective Reasoning," could put you in the fast lane.