Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies - Gula, Robert J. - Amazon
: Gula organizes fallacies into logical groupings such as irrelevance, oversimplification, evasion, and erroneous comparison. Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies
: The first three chapters delve into how emotional appeals are used and misused to cloud judgment. Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies - Gula, Robert J
: The latter sections cover more formal logic, such as syllogisms and semantics, and include a comprehensive summary of all terms for quick reference. Reviewer Consensus : The latter sections cover more formal logic,
Gula’s premise is that "no one is immune to nonsense". By learning the patterns of illogical thought—such as the tendency to believe what we want to believe or to judge purely from appearances—readers can better protect themselves against deception and improve their own clarity of thought.
: He argues that unsuccessful arguments typically fail in three areas: thoroughness of evidence, accuracy of statements, and the firm relationship between evidence and conclusion.
The book is structured as a "short course" in non-mathematical logic. Rather than just listing technical errors, Gula explores logic through a human lens, acknowledging that our emotions and biases often override our objective reasoning.