An illustrated book of bad arguments

By: Ali Almossawi

ILLUSTRATED BY: Alejandro Giraldo

ISBN:978-1615192250

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

• Is your reasoning sound?
• Have you bought into a false choice?
• What opinion truly makes the most logical sense?

WHAT I LOVE:

Blending whimsy and practicality, this book asks a fundamental question. It’s one I try to consider daily. Am I thinking clearly? So often, when I ask this question, I realize that the answer is no. I’ve been fuzzier in my thinking than I want to be.

While logic is important in public discourse, for me, it’s of daily importance. Why? I know that my thoughts cause my feelings. My feelings play out in my actions. Those actions create my day-to-day results. So, if I allow illogical thoughts to run my life, my results (creative, professional, personal) will be haphazard, too.

I love this book with its easy-to-skim reminders of how logic works, plus fun-loving reminders of common pitfalls to avoid.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

“A flawless compendium of flaws.” —Alice Roberts, PhD, anatomist, writer, and presenter of The Incredible Human Journey

The antidote to fuzzy thinking, with furry animals!

Have you read (or stumbled into) one too many irrational online debates? Ali Almossawi certainly had, so he wrote An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments! This handy guide is here to bring the internet age a much-needed dose of old-school logic (really old-school, a la Aristotle).

Here are cogent explanations of the straw man fallacy, the slippery slope argument, the ad hominemattack, and other common attempts at reasoning that actually fall short—plus a beautifully drawn menagerie of animals who (adorably) commit every logical faux pas. Rabbit thinks a strange light in the sky must be a UFO because no one can prove otherwise (the appeal to ignorance). And Lion doesn’t believe that gas emissions harm the planet because, if that were true, he wouldn’t like the result (the argument from consequences).

Once you learn to recognize these abuses of reason, they start to crop up everywhere from congressional debate to YouTube comments—which makes this geek-chic book a must for anyone in the habit of holding opinions.

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SOPHIE’S WORLD

By: jostein Gaarder

ISBN:978-0374530716

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

• Who are we?
• Where did the world come from?
• What kinds of questions should we ask when we think about the world around us?
• And biggest of all … What is the meaning of life?

WHAT I LOVE:

I’ve read this novel a number of times. Each time, it feels like a wake-up call. Like the main character, Sophie, I find myself drawn into the philosopher’s lessons. Each new question he introduces stretches my mind in a new direction. As he walks through this history of philosophy, I walk through the development of my own thinking. I ask myself, “What questions have been most useful in my life? Where have those questions led me so far, and where might they lead me next?

In one of his early lessons, the philosopher says, “My concern is that you do not grow up to be one of those people who take the world for granted, Sophie dear.” Too often, I do take the world for granted. I slowly slip back into the day-to-day rush, and I forget to ask those larger questions.

Whenever I re-read this book, my mind fills with important questions. Instead of asking myself what’s next on my to-do list, I’m asking questions about meaning and importance. As a result, I find myself walking a little more slowly, looking a little more closely, and listening a little more carefully.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie’s World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print.

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?” From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning―but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

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The Three Questions

By: Jon J. Muth (based on a story by leo tolstoy)

ISBN:978-0439537636

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

• When is the best time to do things?
• Who is the most important one?
• What is the right thing to do?

WHAT I LOVE:

This picture book uses simple language and a quiet pace to slow the reader down. The simplicity of story and the beauty of the words cause me to stop, breathe, and think. All of these activities are excellent ways to prime the pump for more meaningful questions. I’m also reminded that even in the quest to “ask better questions,” the goal is not always to find a complicated question. Often, the most powerful questions are simple, and their very simplicity is what makes them transformative.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

 What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo’s cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.

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 Asking better questions

By: Norah Morgan and Juliana Saxton

ISBN: 978-1551382098

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

• How might we improve the quality of questions that we ask for the sake of thinking, learning, and discussion?
• What kinds of questions help us tap into what we already know?
• Which questions help us build a context for shared understanding?
• How might questions challenge our creative and critical thinking?

WHAT I LOVE:

Written in an easy-to-access style, this book is far more than a book for educators. As adults, many of us no longer have teachers to stretch and challenge us. As a result, we become our own teachers. We learn to facilitate our own learning process. And our primary tool? Questions.

This slim volume packs a punch on each page. It invites us to consider the power of our words, and how those words guide us toward outcomes. You might use this book to boost your skills as a discussion facilitator. Or, you might use it to improve the quality of discussion inside your own mind. Either way, it’s sure to be a transformative read.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

Asking Better Questions explores the compelling role of questions in creating a powerful learning environment. Research tells us that the person who asks the question is the active learner, yet too many classrooms still revolve around teacher-generated questions.

This revision of a classic teacher resource recognizes that it takes time and diligence to become an effective questioner. Based on extensive classroom experience, this comprehensive guide:helps teachers understand why questions are so important to teaching and learning;suggests an uncomplicated way to classify the questions teachers need to ask in order to acquire information, build understanding, and generate reflection;promotes a simple three-part classification of questions—questions that tap into what is already known; those that build a context for shared understanding; and those that challenge students to think critically and creatively;offers models, techniques, activities, and examples which promote better questioning by teachers and students;allows for various entry points based on the interests and needs of the classroom teacher.

The book recognizes that “thinking” and “feeling” are the essential components of a classroom that respects and encourages questions. It is committed to helping teachers ask the appropriate question at the right moment, providing a variety of teaching stances, roles, and situations that will elevate language and encourage divergent thinking.

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