The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking

Can you tell when you're being deceived?

This classic work on critical thinking — now fully updated and revised — uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that "it takes one to know one," the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others — whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person.

Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc.), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument.

Whether you’re preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others’ arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included.

Nicholas Capaldi, PhD (Baton Rouge, LA), holds the Legendre-Soulé Distinguished Scholar Chair in Business Ethics at Loyola University of New Orleans. He is the author or editor of many books including Immigration: Debating the Issues; John Stuart Mill: A Biography; and Journeys Through Philosophy.

Miles Smit, PhD (Toronto, Ontario), works as a business analyst in Canada and holds a PhD in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.