Book Description
Provides readers with the background knowledge and guidelines that wil enable them to test their own ethical positions in business situations.
KEY TOPICS: Topics included are: it outlines two approaches to ethical theory, an overview of deontological and consequentialist views, and the analysis of ethical reasoning according to stages of moral development. Also offers a step-by-step protocol for resolving ethical conflicts, many of which end in stalemates, plus much more.
Customer Reviews:
Complex but filled with useful information on ethical though.......1997-08-17
Have used the book for two years in a college level management course. Material is complex forcing the student to read and think. Text covers many ethical principles that are usually not contained in business ethics books. Cases are thought provoking
Amazon.com
Even those who think the idea of a "corporate soul" is an oxymoron will be persuaded by journalist David Batstone's whip-smart suggestions for how values can reinvent an organization's bad behavior. Saving the Corporate Soul alternates examples of principled companies like Clif Bar and Timberland with those of innovative leaders such as Denny's CEO Jim Adams, who recovered from a $54 million racial discrimination lawsuit to create a company hailed for its recruitment of minorities. Batstone demonstrates his core belief that "companies thrive once they align the ethics of the company with the values that drive its workers and customers." Readers worried about psychobabble can relax. The topics are nuanced and substantive; they include reputation as the guardian of a company's brand, restoring sanity to CEO compensation, operating with transparency, moving the company into the community, viewing the environment as a silent stakeholder, and defining core values for a global economy. Everyone in your organization should read this provocative and practical guide to the post-Enron era. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
Every day the media reports on the latest corporation guilty of financial misconduct and public deception. Insider trading, fraudulent accounting, outlandish executive pay and perks— a steady stream of scandals scars the business landscape. But the corporate crisis is as much spiritual as it is financial. More than ever, the time is ripe for Saving the Corporate Soul. In this hard-hitting, thought-provoking book, David Batstone shows that a corporation has the potential to act with soul when it aligns its missions with the values of its workers and puts its resources at the service of the people it employs and the public it serves. He offers companies and their employees eight sound principles for "doing the right thing" and— citing examples from firms like Timberland, General Motors, Clif Bar, and BP— offers evidence that principled companies will excel financially over the long haul.
Customer Reviews:
Simple rules for building a good reputation and foundation of values...........2007-05-10
This book provides excellent examples and guidelines to putting the respected values back into corporations. I especially enjoyed the chapters on valuing the worker, transparency and integrity and customer care. I have seen how these, when in place, really explode the popularity and the growth of corporations, and when management deviates from the values for the short term buck, then corporations are then exposed in the media and start to fail (and people even cheer for their downfall). This is a great follow up to "The Naked Corporation" book, and both state that some sort of plan of transparency should be in place.
My question: will anyone act accordingly after reading this?.......2004-09-09
I say this book is worth reading, after watching The Corporation (the documentary).
You can read many books on "corporate responsability", ethics, and caring for the environment. But, when pressed for profits, in real life, when your job is on the line, would anyone "do the right thing"?.
Don't get me wrong... I praise the author for writing books like this one. And more like it are needed. But the question should be: aren't corporations, often almost-run by stockholders (with CEOs always on the line and on the brink of getting a kick by angry shareholders) and also the executives heavily influenced by wall street gurus, are all of them capable of "corporate responsability" and a long-term strategy?. I'd say no.
I think that companies that "sell out" to the stock market lose their soul, and become tools for a few speculators to "make a quick buck". A stable, responsible company then starts sailing at the mercy of a few stock market gurus and the volatility of the international stock markets. But of course, that is my personal opinion.
The Canadian documentary titled "The Corporation" (can't wait to see it on DVD - for the moment check out www.thecorporation.tv ), argues that Corporations as we know them today, and specially mutinational ones, are flawed by design.
The movie surprisingly got a great review on financial publication The Economist, which praised it:. It begins with a potted history of the company's legal form in America, noting the key 19th-century legal innovation that led to treating companies as persons under law. By bestowing on them the rights and protections that people enjoy, this legal innovation gave the company the freedom to flourish. So if the corporation is a person, ask the film's three Canadian co-creators, what sort of person is it?"
"The answer, elicited over two-and-a-half hours of interviews with right-wing captains of industry, economists, psychologists and philosophers, and left-wing intellectuals, is that the corporation is a psychopath. Like all psychopaths, the firm is singularly self-interested: its purpose is to create wealth for its shareholders. And, like all psychopaths, the firm is irresponsible, because it puts others at risk to satisfy its profit-maximising goal, harming employees and customers, and damaging the environment".
I repeat: try to read this book, and then watch The Corporation (the documentary), which shows the opinion of real execs, in real life. Both essays will make you think, probably getting in the way of your good night's sleep.
Picked low fruit missed the Agribusiness.......2003-05-29
This book is written very well and is pretty straightforward. So straight forward you can get most of the concepts of the book by reading the table of contents. There can't be much to argue with in the book because virtually every corporate hack who raked in the money during the obscene years is now preaching the same messages of corporate redemption. Expense stock options, treat employees fairly, create an environmental scorecard.... wake me up when it is over. In short, there is nothing new in these pages but the way it is recapped is very sweet primer on the subject. But my question is why did Batstone stop where he did? Where are the chapters relating to the ethics of afdvertising and PR? The ethics of obscene campaign contributions and political lobbying efforts? Where are the chapters about companies holding communities hostage by leveraging the threat of relocation for sweet tax deals? The chapters about what truly sustainable business practices mean about the globalization of companies?
Batstone does a nice job on the content he handles but fails miserably in addressing the core problems at the heart and soul of corporations today.
Excellent and Essential Advice.......2003-05-15
David Batstone's excellent book on corporate integrity is a must-read for executives and managers who want ideas on how to create profitable but soulful businesses that show heart as well as logic. This is not a text that preaches from the pulpit or revels in moral condemnation of Enron's misdeeds. For those of us who are sick to the teeth of reading Enron/Anderson post-mortems, Batstone's book will come as a refreshing change.
Reputation building has always been a profitable way to grow a business. `Reputation is not the same thing as a brand' Batstone says. Instead he says, `Reputation is the perceived character a company holds to public eye', which is probably the best definition this reviewer has read. Using the eight principles outlined in the book, managers are guided through examples that have helped or hindered individual companies. IKEA vs Home Depot for example is cited in the Community section of the book - the underlying principle being `A company will think of itself as part of a community as well as a market'. Which one would you rather have open a store in your community, and why? For the record, the residents of Mountain View, CA (a pretty town near to Silicon Valley) said they'd prefer an IKEA, and not because they like modular Swedish furniture.
The eight principles outlined in the book are:
Principle One: The directors and executives of a company will align their personal interests with the fate of stakeholders and act in a responsible way to ensure the vitality of the enterprise.
Principle Two: A company's business operations will be transparent to shareholder, employees and the public and its executives will stand by the integrity of their decisions.
Principle Three: A company will think of itself as part of a community as well as a market.
Principle Four: A company will represent its products honestly to customers and honor their dignity up to and beyond a transaction.
Principle Five: The worker will be treated as a valuable team member, not just a hired hand.
Principle Six: The environment will be treated as a silent stakeholder, a party to which the company is wholly accountable.
Principle Seven: A company will strive for balance, diversity and equality in its relationships with workers, customers and suppliers.
Principle Eight: A company will pursue international trade and production based on respect for the rights of workers and citizens of trade partner nations.
If you are looking for one book to share with others in your organization to start a discussion on integrity and reputation, Saving the Corporate Soul should be it.
The Book for our Times.......2003-04-29
Batstone shows by numerous examples, compelling stories, and shrewd analysis, that running a business with integrity and values intact is indeed "good business". This refreshing book provides welcome reading in a time dominated by corporate scandals and public cynicism. I recommend this book to EVERYONE!!
Book Description
Synchronicity is an inspirational guide to developing the most essential leadership capacity for our time: how we can collectively shape our future. Through the telling of his life story, Jaworski posits that a real leader sets the stage on which "predictable miracles, " seemingly synchronistic in nature, can - and do - occur. He shows that this capacity has more to do with our being - our total orientation of character and consciousness - than with what we do. Leadership, he explains, is about creating - day by day - a domain in which human beings continually deepen their understanding of reality and are able to participate in shaping the future. He describes three basic shifts of mind required if we are to create and discover an unfolding future - shifts in how we see the world, how we understand relationships, and how we make commitments - and offers a new definition of leadership that applies to all types of leaders.
Customer Reviews:
the best book i have ever read.......2007-04-11
it should be a must for all college students
Dancing in the moment.......2007-03-17
If you are following the path of coaching and be a leader in your field
its a great book to read.
An engaging personal saga of leadership and the inner life.......2004-08-01
Synchronicity is one of the most inspiring books I know on leadership. The book is a fascinating and holistic blend of the personal and the professional. Jaworski is a name you may already be familiar with. He is the son of Watergate prosecutor, Leon Jaworski. His career is facinating. He began his professional life as a high-powered attorney in Houston. He chased after and won all of the trappings of external success. Then, suddently, his wife announced she was leaving him, and he was forced to confront himself, his values, and the meaning and purpose of his life. The rest seems to flow out of this pivotal experience. Jaworski left the practice of law and went on to become founder, chairman, and CEO of the American Leadership Forum. This organization continues to serve established local leaders and promotes collaborative problem-solving in communities and regions for the public good. In the early 90's, he joined Royal Dutch Shell in London as head of Global Scenario Planning. The initiative he led there is credited as instrumental in the peaceful transfer of power in South Africa which put an end to the government of apartheid. At the time the book was published, Jaworski was with MIT's Center for Organizational Learning which later closed in 1997. His role there was to work with leading corporations on building learning organizations, a topic which still receives considerable focus in leadership circles. It's a concept that appeals to many, and yet few have succeeded in implementing one. The old models die hard. Still, change is in the air.
The book speaks to topics that resonate with us at a deep level: integrity, commitment, responsibility, values, meaning, vulnerability, trust, collaboration, to name a few.
The book begins with a familiar story. A man seeking what we've been led to believe is success. Prestige as a high-powered attorney, a big income and a big home. Then his world falls apart when his wife leaves him, and his identity proceeds to fall apart. He rebuilds a life that is based on authenticity. He speaks of finding the flow in his life when he honors an inner call. He has a vision of what is possible. He sees his life and his choices as intimately connected with the world. He sees himself and his actions in relationship, not isolated and separate. He notes the the busyness of his earlier life as symptomatic of a larger of dis-ease in our culture. We spend too much of our time on activity and too little time on being present to what's really happening around us. We've forgotten the power we have as a witness. We fear having too much time to reflect, instinctively knowing that we're going to have to face ourselves and our lives at a deeper level than we're comfortable with. We're hooked on the notion that commitment and activity are inseparable. So we create a continual stream of activity, making sure that everybody sees us doing lots of things so they'll believe we're actually committed. If we stay busy enough, maybe we'll even convince ourselves that our lives had some meaning even though, deep down, we know they couldn't possibly have any meaning, because everything is hopeless and we're hopeless, and we couldn't possibly affect anything anyhow. Often, it takes a crisis to cause us to question the value of our lives and our activity.
He speaks of proper timing -- that situations unfold at an organic pace that is impossible to rush. All of our pushing and forcing serves mainly to exhaust us. There is a natural flow to our individual lives and to the times in which we live. Nothing of real substance can be pushed or forced to fruition. The purpose of life and our individual lives is revealed at a mysterious pace that the rational mind cannot grasp. There are things that want to happen. We can either fight or embrace the natural flow of our life, thus being an integral part of that larger flow of life. We won't find more riches anywhere else than in our own experience. Jaworski also speaks to an intriguing notion he calls economy of means. Change one small thing and the repercussions can be enormous. How is is possible to see which thread of a situation or a challenge needs to be pulled in order for everything to fall into place without the space for reflection? Economy of means. It's the notion that with perspective and awareness, we can see opportunities we couldn't see before. And seeing these opportunities, we can sense when the moment is right to act, and we will know exactly what needs to be done.
We begin to see that with very small movements, at just the right time and place, all sorts of consequent actions are brought into being. We develop what artists refer to as an "economy of means," where, rather than getting things done through effort and brute force, we start to operate very subtly. A flow of meaning begins to operate around us, as if we were part of a larger conversation. This is the ancient meaning
of dialogue: (dia .logos) "flow of meaning." We start to notice that things suddenly are just attracted to us in ways that are very puzzling. A structure of underlying causes, a set of forces, begins to operate, as if we were surrounded by a magnetic field with magnets being aligned spontaneously in this field. But this alignment is not spontaneous at all -- it's just that the magnets are responding to a more subtle level of
causality.
He writes at some length about his experience at Shell with scenario planning. It's a tool for strategic planning at a level most of us are not yet used to working at. Its objective is to create the future with greater awareness of the consequences of our choices through collaboration and dialogue. The approach was designed to uncover and directly impact the mental models used individually and collectively to make choices large and small. Our mental model is the totality of the opinions, judgements, and beliefs that act as a filter, preventing us from seeing a situation clearly as it is without bias. The work led by Royal Dutch Shell included a diverse team of international experts. The team developed two scenarios known as "New Frontiers" and "Barricades" and two sets of wide-ranging implications on the international community, the environment, energy, economics, politics, business, and people.
Writing "Barricades" was a sobering experience for the entire team. We had been as realistic and conservative as we could in the development of this scenario, yet we had drawn a chilling picture of an increasingly divided world with anarchy enveloping society within our children's lifetime.
New Frontiers is a world where the center of gravity of the world economy shifts from the rich to the poor.... It's a story of new demands, new opportunity, turbulence, and vast change, resulting in governments and businesses being challenged beyond what they thought possible.
Jaworski calls dialogue the power of collective thinking. It's the idea that there is a collective consciousness at the level of the family, the community, the nation, and the world at large. There is a collective consciousness implicit in the times in which we live. These two scenarios were widely presented in 2- and 3-day workshops. Presentations were made to government officials, the business community, black community groups and leaders in exile. The initiative was successful in getting a critical mass of key individuals to focus their attention on choices and their consequences, about the unsustainability of the system and the consequences that each scenario might have on the international community, the environment, the opportuntity for other choices. And power was transferred peacefully in South Africa.
Jaworski describes three fundamental shifts of mind necessary for the creative leadership that will solve some of the world's tougher dilemmas:
1) A shift from resignation to a sense of possibility that comes from seeing the universe as a magical dance, full of living qualities rather than a linear, logical, and predictable view of what's really going on.
2) A shift from seeing ourselves as separate and isolated from everything else that we see "out there" to seeing the world holistically as a web of relationships. Change one small thing and everything else is subtly different.
3) A shift in the nature of our commitment from a highly disciplined proposition in which you "seize fate by the throat and do whatever it takes to suceed" to a deeper level of commitment that comes from an willing spirit. This sense of willingness opens us up to connect with our inner guidance systems and wisdom. To hear the call, to recognize an innate sense of purpose and to accept and honor that.
As these shifts occur, we will notice that synchronicity comes into our life, both the personal and the professional. Synchronity, is defined by Carl Jung as "a meaningful coincidence of two or more events, where something other than the probability of change is involved." When synchronicity comes into our life, it's an indication that we are on the path. There is a sense of ease and excitement, a sense of true belonging to ourself, to one another, to the times in which we live, and to life.
Reads like a good mystery novel.......2004-07-02
My colleagues and I have been designing and facilitating leadership development programs for about 20 years. I've also served as a VP of three Fortune 500 companies. I recommend this book to everyone who is a leader or who wants to be one. Not only does it contain THE secret to true leadership, Mr. Jaworski has written his account so that it reads like a good mystery novel. You wonder what will happen next. And he has written this book from his heart. I hope our paths cross one day soon.
Good Story about Personal Reinvention.......2004-04-27
I read the book on the recommendation of a coworker. For me, it opened up my eyes to finding my type of leadership-in my case servant-leadership. His journey of personal reinvention is a joy to read especially as he learns what is truly important in life.
Book Description
Praise for Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling, Third Edition
"This is absolutely the best text on professional ethics around. . . . This is a refreshingly open and inviting text that has become a classic in the field."
—Derald Wing Sue, professor of psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University
"I love this book! And so will therapists, supervisors, and trainees. In fact, it really should be required reading for every mental health professional and aspiring professional. . . . And it is a fun read to boot!"
—Stephen J. Ceci, H. L. Carr Professor of Psychology, Cornell University
"Pope and Vasquez have done it again. . . . an indispensable resource for seasoned professionals and students alike."
—Beverly Greene, professor of psychology, St. John's University
"[The third edition] focuses on how to think about ethical dilemmas . . . with empathy for the decision-maker whose best option may have to be a compromise between different values. If there is only room on the shelf for one book in the genre, this is it."
—Patrick O'Neill, former president, Canadian Psychological Association
"This third edition of the classic ethics text provides invaluable resources and enables readers to engage in critical thinking in order to make their own decisions.?This superb reference belongs in every psychology training program's curriculum and on every psychologist's?bookshelf."
—Lillian Comas-Diaz, 2006 president, APA Division of Psychologists in Independent Practice
"Ken Pope and Melba Vasquez are right on target once again in the third edition, a book that every practicing mental health professional should read and have in their reference library."
—Jeffrey N. Younggren, risk management consultant, American Psychological Association Insurance Trust
"Without a doubt, this is the definitive book on ethics within psychology that can inform students, educators, clinical researchers, and practitioners."
—Nadine J. Kaslow, professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine
"This stunningly good book . . . should be on every therapist's desk for quick reference."
—David Barlow, professor of psychology and psychiatry, Boston University
Customer Reviews:
Not All Ethics Texts are Created Equal.......2006-07-10
I thought I read every ethics text throughout my close to ten years in higher education. Obviously, this one was left out. This is an excellent text, easily readable, engaging, practical, and down to earth. I look forward to picking it up and continuing on each day. This text should be used in every ethics class and by every professional in the field of human service. Incredible job by the authors. Definitely recommended to every practicing clinician.
Book Description
This completely updated edition of the leading ethics and law guide provides authoritative, timely information on professional standards and legal requirements for the delivery of school psychological services. Ethics and Law for School Psychologists, Fifth Edition covers a host of ethical and legal issues that are unique to the field.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource!.......2006-12-14
This book is required as a reference tool for a course that I am taking and it is quite helpful. If you are seeking a degree as a mental health practicioner within or outside a school then this is the book for you!
Great job on the seller's part.......2006-02-25
Book was in excellent shape, received the book in a timely manner, overall great
Book Description
More than 10,000 people turn 50 every day in the U.S.; how do they handle this shift? Claiming Your Place at the Fire invites this group of "new elders" to ask four key questions: Who am I? New elders synthesize and transfer the wisdom of the past into the present. Where do I belong? They have a powerful sense of where they have come from, where they are, and where they are going. How do I bring my passions alive? They rejoice in rediscovering their life's work, their calling, their vocation. What is my life's purpose? Freed from imposed schedules and demands, new elders now find the freedom to create their lives anew. This timely book describes how new older adults can rekindle the good life, relight the fire within, and share that warmth and light with others.
Customer Reviews:
My friend loves this book!.......2007-05-30
I gave this as a gift...and she loves this book!
Grow Alive Instead of Old.......2005-01-25
You can grow old in the darkness of night or grow alive in the light of your sun--your choice. Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro take you by the hand and help you see how to let go of the things that don't bring you alive and replace them with things that do. Can it really be that simple? You decide.
CLAIMING YOUR PLACE AT THE FIRE lets you see how to believe that every second of human life is valuable. And, oh how our needy world needs the best of every single one of us. If you can answer a telephone and speak, you can volunteer for a prayer line where people call for comfort in times of turmoil and are so grateful when they get a live person.
When you are tempted to give in to your aches and pains, do remember Stephen Hawking, our modern day Einstein confined to a wheel chair, who had a body that was unable to respond to him. So, he used to the fullest what was able to respond to him, his mind, and blessed the entire universe with his wisdom.
Best of all, CLAIMING YOUR PLACE AT THE FIRE makes you feel warm and comfortable about walking your path instead of so afraid of what will happen to you.
Attention Boomers: Buy This Book!.......2004-09-02
As one who has benefited from Richard Leider's work during my own mid-life transition, this new work takes us into new (yet old) territory and reminds us of what's been lost in our society and in ourselves through the industrial era. The best is yet to be . . . and let Leider & Shapiro be your journey partners!
Book Description
This easy-to-follow book offers a study of legal ethics and ethical dilemmas from the perspective of the paralegal. The book includes the ABA Model Rule that applies to attorneys so as to inform the paralegal how to act in accordance with these rules and better assist attorneys. The NALA and NFPA rules and guidelines focus on practical advice and information paralegals can use to comply with the pertinent rules of ethics. A discussion of business ethics prepares readers for the ethical situations they might encounter in working for a law firm, a major corporation, a government agency or other type of businesses.
Book Description
Original material, reprints, and cases on topics such as relationships with colleagues, institutional responsiblity, conflict of interest, experimentation with animals and humans, and methodologies for ethically conducting, reporting, and funding research clarify difficult questions for students and professionals alike. The collection supports efforts, in response to increasingly stringent federal mandates, to include ethics instruction in research training.
Customer Reviews:
Required Class reading.......2007-05-12
I bought this book for a class that I was taking in Bioethics. At first glance the book looked very dry. But actually it was well organized and well written. I don't know if I would have read this text without it being a requirement but for the class it was a good choice. I also enjoyed the case studies that were at the end of every chapter.
Book Description
ATTACKING FAULTY REASONING is the most comprehensive, readable, and theoretically sound book on the common fallacies. It is designed to help one construct and evaluate arguments. The overriding purpose of the text is to help the students recognize when they construct or encounter a good or successful argument of a particular action or belief. This one skill is reinforced on every page of the text, from the first three chapters that focus on the criteria for a good argument, through the four major chapters on the fallacies or ways that arguments can go wrong. The emphasis is on resolving issues rather than pointing out flaws in arguments.
Customer Reviews:
Good for GRE Preparation.......2007-09-20
I bought this book to prepare for the written part of the GRE. I did not take any philosophy or reasoning classes. I found it very useful, short and easy to read. I was able to get a lot of practical information to utilize in writing my essays without having to read the whole thing. Well worth the money.
Furthermore, I enjoyed the content and find myself utilizing the "critical thinking" ideas and tactics in my daily life.
And, yes, I'm pleased with my writing score!
Coverage Does Not Match Its Introduction.......2007-07-10
The Introduction says see the sample answers and explanations at the end of the text. They don't exist. The Introduction cites definitions for specific fallacies like Tu Quoque, Fallacy of Popular Wisdom, and Inference from a Name or Description that do not exist in the text.
The Fourth Chapter ends with a table of 60 fallacies, however 35 of the fallacies are not defined or further discussed in the text.
The fallacies and definitions that do get covered are covered pretty well.
All this for $35! What a rip off!
The ideal guide for making and breaking arguments.......2005-09-11
So many significant decisions are made in the workplace based on majority opinion or by the highest ranking person in the room.
This book will give the reader the knowledge and insight to put forth good arguments as well as point out how to identify flaws in others.
Of particular interest is the author's focus on the quest for the truth, or as he puts it the most defensible position. While the techniques laid out in this book can be used to 'win' arguments, the focus in primarily on helping find the truth.
Highly recommended for anyone in business.
Even the best of us sometimes disappoint, ironically, and otherwise.......2005-09-05
As you can read from the excellent reviews of the fourth Edition of Attacking Faulty Reasoning (which anyone contemplating buying this volume should), Damer's "positive theory of argument" represents a huge breakthrough in informal logic. To my knowledge, Damer was the first to put foward a coherent schema of the fallacies of informal, organizing them as violations of four comprehensive rubrics, which stand as criteria for effective argument: 1) relevance 2) acceptability 3) sufficiency 4) resiliency (actually a change which Damer might have contemplated making in this new edition) - he uses 'rebuttal' - which, I suppose would have to be 'rebuttal-ness' - to stay in adjectival mode (appropriate to the idea of finding suitable and exhaustive 'criteria' for argument). Still, the term 'resiliency' more adequately than 'rebuttal' describes the criterion he is delineating in his theory.
That point aside, in the brilliant fourth edition - not enough can be said in its favor - Damer's theory reached the peak of its maturity. Five Stars Plus. I have taught this theory to hundreds of students in my critical thinking classes over the past five years, so I walk my talk here. Damer's organization of criteria provides the simplest and most user-friendly tool for evaluating the strength of an argument's process of justification which I have found. What better reason to buy a book on critical thinking?
Other than the glitch I point to above with the naming of the rebuttal criterion, Damer's theory was technically as nearly perfect (well, {a deep Wittgensteinian 'well' there} as could be expected for an exposition of the anatomy of contexts in informal argument) - simple, accessible, pragmatic (Falliblism and a Davidson-like Principle of Charity are crafted into the "12 Commandments" of rational discussion): a real advance in a line of thought which has emerged with increasing intensity as central to human progress since its early articulations with the work of Toulmin and others of his ilk.
And Damer, as the many who have read him know, writes very clear, concise instructions - the book is really a manual, and reads much in the style of the directions ubiquitously packaged into the many techno-artifacts and tools of our civilization. Good. No one, however, would actually dream of reading Damer for his diction - of poetic gifts his displays not a hint, nor a glint. A remedy to that problem might have been sought - if radical change seemed to be beckoning with the prospect of a new edition.
Instead, in this fifth edition, Damer has opted to hybridize what was formerly purely a theory of informal argument with a section drawn straight out of Aristotle's Posterior Analytics - his formal fallacies - introduced under the rather spurious, and disputable, criterion "structure". I could lament at length here. But, there are many who have varying views on the new inclusion. Out of respect - he never explains his reasons for this major alteration, I refrain from further critique. Rather, I leave my reservations those those purists who seek to go further with the development of the science of informal logic as a caveat re: the new Damer theory (don't buy it!), as opposed to those who seek once again to expand the domain of formal analyses, with the usual dubious results.
One hopes that a reassessment is forthcoming. Unfortuately, I doubt it. For the currently definitive statement of the informal fallacies - my opinion is to stick with the fourth edition, and supplement your reading with Toulmin, Fischer, and Zarefsky.
Also, as weird as the cover of the fourth edition was, this photo of the umbrella with what appears to be a half-filled glass of water from some restaurant has got be the lamest cover design for a textbook yet - and that indication should serve as caveat enough! Believe me, within, the glass is half-empty.
Invaluble for everyday life, not just the classroom..........2004-10-31
Although I gathered that this book was written primarily as a text for logic and critical thinking courses, it helped me immensely in terms of learning how to make sense of argumentative quality in everyday life, not only the classroom. I did not read this book for a class as I have graduated college, but I found it to be a real help in determining the strengths and weaknesses in arguments and other forms of persuasive speech that we encounter daily.
The book uses clear and familiar everyday examples to make the points, instead of presenting things in an abstract and think-tank way, and most people will find themselves realizing that they have had arguments or debates exactly like those described in the book. The book clearly demonstrates how much reason and critical thinking can be diminished or overlooked by laziness or unwillingness on the part of people to care enough to think well.
The chapters follow a clear course and almost every logical fallacy I have ever encountered in the classroom or the real world is covered in the book. It explains the fallacy, gives examples, and shows how to expose the fallacy for being a poor argument, as well as demonstrating ways to combat and point out to the other person (in a nice way) the flaw in the reasoning. The tone of the book is pleasently informal, as it attempts to create familiar dialouge and situations to which the reader can easily identify. I highly reccommend the book and think that anyone who cares enough to want to think more maturely would benefit greatly.
Books:
- Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved (The University Center for Human Values Series)
- Principles of Corporate Finance + Student CD + Ethics in Finance PowerWeb + Standard and Poor's (McGraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance, and Real Est)
- Professionalism in Health Care: A Primer for Career Success (2nd Edition) (PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTH CARE)
- Proven Strategies in Competitive Intelligence: Lessons from the Trenches
- Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Building a Business Team That Wins: The Invisible Code of Honor That Takes Ordinary People and Turns Them Into a Championship Team (Rich Dad's Advisors)
- Run With the Bulls Without Getting Trampled: The Qualities You Need to Stay Out of Harm's Way and Thrive at Work
- Sensemaking in Organizations (Foundations for Organizational Science)
- Social Strategy & Corporate Structure (Studies of the Modern Corporation)
- Social Work Values and Ethics (Foundations of Social Work Knowledge Series)
- Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership and Change
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Recommended Books
- Beyond Initial Response: Using the National Incident Management System's Incident Command System
- Pottery Barn Home
- Hillbillyland: What the Movies Did to the Mountains and What the Mountains Did to the Movies
- History: Fiction or Science
- Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Pas
- Sweet Life: Adventures On The Way To Paradise
- My Life as Invisible Intestines with Intense Indigestion
- Dividend Policy: Its Impact on Firm Value
- Macroeconomics: Explore and Apply, Enhanced Edition
- Murder Most Frothy: A Coffeehouse Mystery
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right
Theories of Public Organization
Classics of Organization Theory (with InfoTrac )
eGov: E-Business Strategies for Government
Public Personnel Management and Public Policy (4th Edition)
