Straight and Crooked Thinking

Author	Robert H. Thouless
Language	English
Genre	Logic, psychology and education
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Publication date	1930
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	261 pp
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