Book picks similar to
Elements of Logic (Revised) by Richard Whately
logic
recommended-jpe
philosophy-logic
epistemology
The Politics of the Family and Other Essays
R.D. Laing - 1969
D. Laing discusses how and why we value society's notions of family over our own.Using concepts of schizophrenia, R.D. Laing demonstrates that we tend to invalidate the subjective and experiential and accept the proper societal view of what should occur within the family.A psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, Laing worked at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. His books include The Self and Others and The Politics of Experience.
The Abolition of Sanity: C.S. Lewis on the Consequences of Modernism
Steve Turley - 2019
Ayurveda: Ancient wisdom for modern wellbeing
Geeta Vara - 2018
Through balancing the three energy forces in the body known as 'doshas', Ayurveda goes beyond the boundaries of conventional practice to reveal your unique physical, emotional and mental needs.Expert practitioner Geeta Vara BSc and PGDip in Ayurvedic Medicine, gives simple, daily applicable rituals and wisdom that can be personalised to suit you, including guidance on food as medicine, detoxification, movement and meditation.By teaching us to reconnect with our natural bio-circadian rhythms, Ayurveda will lead you out of the doctor's surgery and on a journey towards self-healing.WITH THIS BOOK, YOU CAN: · Discover your mind/body type · Better understand the epicentre of your health - the gut · Learn to identify early signs of imbalance · Transform your diet through taste and mindful eating · Be empowered to take a preventative approach to healthcare · Tackle personal health problems including: stress and fatigue, immune system issues, gastro-intestinal problems, disturbed sleep, migraines, weight management and more
How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method
George Pólya - 1944
Polya, How to Solve It will show anyone in any field how to think straight. In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be reasoned out--from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams. Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft--indeed, brilliant--instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of the problem.
Labyrinths of Reason: Paradox, Puzzles and the Frailty of Knowledge
William Poundstone - 1988
This sharply intelligent, consistently provocative book takes the reader on an astonishing, thought-provoking voyage into the realm of delightful uncertainty--a world of paradox in which logical argument leads to contradiction and common sense is seemingly rendered irrelevant.
Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?
Philip E. Tetlock - 2005
This book fills that need. Here, Philip E. Tetlock explores what constitutes good judgment in predicting future events, and looks at why experts are often wrong in their forecasts.Tetlock first discusses arguments about whether the world is too complex for people to find the tools to understand political phenomena, let alone predict the future. He evaluates predictions from experts in different fields, comparing them to predictions by well-informed laity or those based on simple extrapolation from current trends. He goes on to analyze which styles of thinking are more successful in forecasting. Classifying thinking styles using Isaiah Berlin's prototypes of the fox and the hedgehog, Tetlock contends that the fox--the thinker who knows many little things, draws from an eclectic array of traditions, and is better able to improvise in response to changing events--is more successful in predicting the future than the hedgehog, who knows one big thing, toils devotedly within one tradition, and imposes formulaic solutions on ill-defined problems. He notes a perversely inverse relationship between the best scientific indicators of good judgement and the qualities that the media most prizes in pundits--the single-minded determination required to prevail in ideological combat.Clearly written and impeccably researched, the book fills a huge void in the literature on evaluating expert opinion. It will appeal across many academic disciplines as well as to corporations seeking to develop standards for judging expert decision-making.
The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking
Nicholas Capaldi - 1971
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.
Anarchism
Daniel Guérin - 1965
“One of the ablest leaders and writers of the French New Left describes the two realms of ‘anarchism’—its intellectual substance, and its actual practice through the Bolshevik Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, the Italian Factory Councils, and finally the role in workers’ self-management in Yugoslavia and Algeria… An important contemporary definition of New Left aims and their possible directions in the future.” —Publishers Weekly
The 25 Cognitive Biases: Uncovering The Myth Of Rational Thinking
Charles Holm - 2015
In reality this is not the case at all. We all have the tendency to overestimate our rationality to the point of denying reality. The many ways in which we do this are collectively called cognitive biases. Our brain may be the most complicated thinking machine but it is not without limitations. In our attempt to understand the world around us through our lens we simplify things and fall prey to cognitive biases. Sometimes these biases are caused by heuristics or mental shortcuts which help us reach quick judgments when we have little time. At other times our judgment is clouded by situational factors and inner motivations and emotions.However we are not completely helpless in this aspect. Knowing these biases exist can help us avoid them through conscious efforts. We need to be able to recognize these biases in our decision making. They are inevitable in most cases but they are not impossible to bypass.
The Life of the Mind
Hannah Arendt - 1971
The author’s final work, presented in a one-volume edition, is a rich, challenging analysis of man’s mental activity, considered in terms of thinking, willing, and judging.
Knowledge And Decisions
Thomas Sowell - 1979
Sowell, one of America's most celebrated public intellectuals, describes in concrete detail how knowledge is shared and disseminated throughout modern society. He warns that society suffers from an ever-widening gap between firsthand knowledge and decision making--a gap that threatens not only our economic and political efficiency but our very freedom. This is because actual knowledge is being replaced by assumptions based on an abstract and elitist social vision of what ought to be. Knowledge and Decisions, a winner of the 1980 Law and Economics Center Prize, was heralded as a landmark work and selected for this prize "because of its cogent contribution to our understanding of the differences between the market process and the process of government." In announcing the award, the center acclaimed that the "contribution to our understanding of the process of regulation alone would make the book important, but in reemphasizing the diversity and efficiency that the market makes possible, [this] work goes deeper and becomes even more significant."
The Edge of Reason: A Rational Skeptic in an Irrational World
Julian Baggini - 2016
According to Aristotle, the capacity for reason sets us apart from other animals, yet today it has ceased to be a universally admired faculty. Rationality and reason have become political, disputed concepts, subject to easy dismissal. Julian Baggini argues eloquently that we must recover our reason and reassess its proper place, neither too highly exalted nor completely maligned. Rationality does not require a sterile, scientistic worldview, it simply involves the application of critical thinking wherever thinking is needed. Addressing such major areas of debate as religion, science, politics, psychology, and economics, the author calls for commitment to the notion of a “community of reason,” where disagreements are settled by debate and discussion, not brute force or political power. Baggini's insightful book celebrates the power of reason, our best hope—indeed our only hope—for dealing with the intractable quagmires of our time.
Freud: A Very Short Introduction
Anthony Storr - 1989
Only now, with the hindsight of the half-century since his death, can we assess his true legacy to current thought. As an experienced psychiatrist himself, Anthony Storr offers a lucid and objective look at Freud's major theories, evaluating whether they have stood the test of time, and in the process examines Freud himself in light of his own ideas. An excellent introduction to Freud's work, this book will appeal to all those broadly curious about psychoanalysis, psychology, and sociology. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
Bhagavad Gita Made Very Easy: Read & Understand Complete Bhagavad Gita in Short Time
Kishan Barai - 2016
It’s long, complicated, and can be extremely difficult to understand. The good news is that you CAN absorb every life lesson that lies within, quickly and easily! Bhagavad Gita Made Very Easy is different from anything else on the market, and all 18 chapters and 700 scriptures can be completed in no time at all! Are you ready to unlock permanent happiness? Mind control? Freedom? Direction? Motivation? Faith? Peace of mind? This is just the beginning! Remember – it’s important to read the whole book from start to finish for uncompromised insight. Each chapter has its own gift to give. The thing is, The Bhagavad Gita is NOT just a book. It’s a life-changing conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjun before the battle unfolds. Are you ready to uncover this secret knowledge - with incredible speed and ease? Discover what your goals in life should be, and change your outlook on life like never before, with Bhagavad Gita Made Very Easy! Cordially Yours, Kishan Barai (Author)
Sigmund Freud
Pamela Thurschwell - 2000
Studied on most undergraduate literary and cultural studies courses, Sigmund Freud takes a fresh look at the work of this groundbreaking theorist, offering students a clear introduction to Freud's importance for psychoanalytic literary criticism, while tracing the scientific and cultural contexts from which he emerged. This book guides readers through Freud's terminology and key ideas and includes a detailed bibliography of his own and other relevant texts.