How do you avoid bad thinking? How do you detect nonsense? By nonsense we mean fallacious reasoning. Robert J. Gula's book Nonsense is a great place to start to begin to think critically and to spot fallacies in reasoning. (Review here.) It's a book that is thorough with an informal style with plenty of entertaining examples. If it's a fallacy, it's probably in this book. In the final note of the book, Gula distills the book into 15 principles. Here is that content: 15 Ways to Detect Nonsense:

Today's featured podcast is Christian Persuaders, brought to you by UCCF. Apologists are communicators, and learning from the experts as they offer their personal insights is invaluable. This podcast offers interviews with notable apologists and evangelists as they share their experience. Whether chatting with John Lennox about the dangers of the lazy apologist, or speaking with Michael Green about persuasive speaking in Cathedrals, or with Os Guinness about the demolition and construction of arguments -- this podcast offers some great insights.

Find it here: Christian Persuaders - RSS / iTunes / 1-click.
More about CP here.

Enjoy.

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A Rulebook for Arguments (3rd Edition) by Anthony Weston is a short and helpful guidebook for making effective arguments for your position. Weighing in at only 85 pages, the content is simple and clear, but by no means lightweight. This is a gem of a book for critical thinking, argumentation, and logical communication – suitable for an introductory text as well as a guidebook for the advanced.

There are ten brief chapters in the book. Chapters 1—6 deal with various types of arguments (arguments by example, by analogy, from authority, about causes, and deductive arguments). Chapters 7—9 give instruction on composing and argumentative essay. This content gives the reader a game plan for writing effectively, clearly, and persuasively. Finally, chapter 10 deals with the most common logical fallacies, offering a brief explanation of each.

There are a number of good points the reader will take away from this book. First, the book shows the reader how to use language properly by avoiding common errors and encouraging clarity. Second, it presents the correct ways to use various forms of arguments. Third, it gives a nice introduction to deductive arguments without heavy terminology. A good number of logical fallacies are covered but not over-emphasized. Finally, the authors offer great insights into writing effectively.

In short, A Rulebook for Arguments is highly recommended as a concise guide to logical and effective communication.