Walking on the Road Less Traveled

This year I have been thinking a bit harder upon the resolutions that I plan to make for the new year. There's the usual stuff like "lose 30 pounds"--the same ones that I've been resolving to lose for the past 10 years". And "be more organized"--though I am actually making headway on that one little by little.

I would have to say that my number one goal for 2010 will be for our family to lead a way, WAY more frugal/simpler lifestyle than we are accustomed to. We've already started making small steps that are adding up nicely such as...

DH and I not having as many "date nights" (dinner out and a movie or shopping) as we used to
Not eating out or bringing home fast food
Eliminating expensive organic/healthy junk food
Cutting WAY down on inexpensive unhealthy junk food
Limiting my online buying
Staying home more

All of these changes have been made out of necessity. To my husband's dismay, I am a spender. Sigh. I hate to admit it. But there it is. It hasn't been easy for me but I'm adapting--and even desiring to become as frugal as possible. My dreams have always been to be self-sufficient, live off the land, etc... but you know, that's hard work!! :-) Works nice in theory but takes a lot of effort to live out.

So here I am, putting on the work boots and gloves and asking for some guidance. If anyone has any favorite frugal sites or tips, I'm all ears!! Pass it on!!

I have a new favorite quote by Thomas Edison...

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work"

Title: The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How To Recognize Bad Reasoning, 3rd edition
Authors: Nathaniel Bluedorn & Hans Bluedorn
Illustrated by: Rob Corley and Tim Hodge
Publisher: Christian Logic, 2009
Price: $22.00
http://www.fallacydetective.com/products/item/the-fallacy-detective/

I've heard of The Fallacy Detective for years, and it has been on my wish list for awhile. When the opportunity to review it arose, I quickly volunteered. I haven't seen the earlier versions, so this review will not be a comparison of the 3rd edition with previous editions. It will focus solely on the recently released 3rd edition of the book. The cover does state that the new book contains more fallacies and more cartoons, though.

If you're wondering what a fallacy is, the very first sentence of the book defines it as "an error in logic -- a place where someone has made a mistake in his thinking." Sometimes we do this unintentionally, but sometimes these fallacies are used intentionally to mislead consumers and the general public. The ability to recognize fallacies is important.

My first reaction to the book when it arrived was that the cover design is very catchy and pleasing, and the softcover book was well-made. The 9" x 6.5" size is a nice one to hold, larger than a standard paperback, but not as bulky as a full-size text book. The book includes Peanuts, Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbes, and other cartoons. Its design, with the cartoons and short lessons, is appealing to myself and my students.

The book is divided into 38 logic lessons. It begins with an introduction that explains what a fallacy is, then moves into 3 lessons on thinking and listening skills. After that, the fallacy lessons begin: 9 lessons on methods used to "Avoid the Question", 9 lessons on "Making Assumptions", 7 lessons on "Statistical Fallacies", and 10 lessons on "Propaganda". The book concludes with "The Fallacy Detective Game" and the Answer Key to the lessons.

Each lesson begins with a concise and enjoyable description of that fallacy, complete with cartoons to help illustrate the point. Then there are a variety of exercises to help you understand the fallacy and identify it in the world around you. The lessons rely heavily on discussion to help students assimilate the information.

My plans were to use this book with my 12 and 14 year old daughters, doing one lesson together at a time. That backfired when my 14 year old (9th grader) ran off with the book and began to devour it. She was fascinated with learning to identify the fallacies, and quickly read through the book. She then started trying to trick us into using a fallacy in our discussions so she could pounce on it. It didn't work, but it was fun to see her looking for fallacies.

I still plan to continue to go through the book with the girls, one lesson at a time. Although my daughter has enjoyed reading it quickly, I am sure she'll get more out of it when we take it more slowly and discuss the exercises together. Once we've finished the book, we can enjoy "The Fallacy Detective Game" together ... sounds like a good car game for family trips.

It is well worth the $22.00 cost, is completely reusable and non-consumable. It can be used to provide a year long curriculum in logic, covering one fallacy a week and spreading the exercises out over the course of the week. My ideal method would be to read the fallacy lesson together on Monday, discuss a few exercises together, then assign additional exercises to be completed independently. This should also lead to great discussion as we spot fallacies in the world around us.

The Fallacy Detective is an excellent logic book for junior and senior high students. It will give students a foundation in logic that will help them think critically about the information surrounding them in life. It will also give them an advantage in school subjects like essay writing, speech, and debate. Its format is easy to use, enjoyable, and most importantly ... effective in teaching the fallacies.