The Art of Argument ~ TOS Review

Art of Argument? Really? Who would have thought?!  It's a well known fact that teenagers argue. However, most do not know how to argue well, without be taught.  Everywhere they look, our teens and young adults are bombarded with numerous deceptive arguments. Everything from radio, television, magazines, billboards, teachers, politicians, and many more, use false arguments to sway their thinking. How awesome is it that there is curriculum available that actually helps teach our teens the tools they need to argue effectively.  

Through 28 different informal fallacies, The Art of Argument helps them learn to discern which arguments are valid and which are not.

Click HERE to view a sample of the student text.

The student text is in paperback, workbook form; 230 pages including the glossary.Each chapter offers illustrations, examples, review questions, and sometimes advertisements, dialogue, and other real-world examples.

The 28 fallacies are divided amongst 3 unit and 6 chapters.

Unit 1: Relevance
Chapter 1: Ad Fontem Arguments
Fallacy 1: Ad Hominem Abusive
Fallacy 2: Ad Hominem Circumstantial
Fallacy 3: Tu Quoque
Fallacy 4: Genetic Fallacy
Chapter 2: Appeals to Emotion
Fallacy 5: Appeal to Fear (Argumentum Ad Baculum)
Fallacy 6: Appeal to Pity (Argumentum Ad Misericordiam)
Fallacy 7: Mob Appeal (Argumentum Ad Populum)
Fallacy 8: Snob Appeal
Fallacy 9: Appeal to Illegitimate Authority (Argumentum Ad Verecundiam)
Fallacy 10: Chronological Snobbery
Chapter 3: Red Herrings
Fallacy 11: Appeal to Ignorance
Fallacy 12: Irrelevant Goals or Functions
Fallacy 13: Irrelevant Thesis
Fallacy 14: Straw Man Fallacy
Unit 2: Presumptions
Chapter 4: Fallacies of presupposition
Fallacy 15: Begging the Question (Petitio Principii)
Fallacy 16: Bifurcation (False Dilemma)
Fallacy 17: Fallacy of Moderation
Fallacy 18: Is-Ought Fallacy
Fallacy 19: Fallacy of Composition
Fallacy 20: Fallacy of Division
Chapter 5: Fallacies of Induction
Fallacy 21: Sweeping Generalization (Accident)
Fallacy 22: Hasty Generalization (Converse Accident)
Fallacy 23: False Analogy
Fallacy 24: False Cause
Fallacy 25: Fake Precision
Unit 3: Clarity
Chapter 6: Fallacies of Clarity
Fallacy 26: Equivocation
Fallacy 27: Accent
Fallacy 28: Distinction Without a Difference

The text features a variety of:

• Real-World Applications
• Dialogues
• Worksheets
• Tests 
• Phony Advertisements
• Dialectic Discussion Questions
• Fun extras such as a skit, “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Election” for students to perform, and the famous short story, Love is a Fallacy by Max Shulman

 The revised version includes:

• Improved chapter and unit organization for greater ease of use
• Ten new and revised advertisement illustrations  
• Many added and updated examples
• Fallacy explanations rewritten for clarity

The Teacher’s Edition is in paperback form; 286 pages.  It includes the entire student text, answers to all the questions, and chapter and unit tests. I really like that the entire student text is included, as it allows me to easily follow along with my daugter. Click HERE to see a sample. 

Here is a video sample of what the DVD is like.

My oldest daughter (8th grade) has enjoyed the program so far.  It is very thorough and contains a LOT of information. She completes a few pages a day, as this is what works best for our schedule. 


The Art of Argument Student text is available for $21.95, Teacher Guide is $24.95, and the DVD disk set is $54.95.  The Bundle Set is available for $88.95 which includes the Teacher's Guide, Student Text, as well as the DVD disk set. 



Be sure to stop by the TOS hub and read what my fellow crew members have to say about The Art of Argument and The Argument Builder by Classical Academic Press.

I received the student text, teacher's guide, and a sample DVD from Classical Academic Press free of cost in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was received.