A Theory of Philosophical Fallacies
Authors: Nelson, Leonard
- Is the first to offer a general theory of specifically philosophical fallacies
- Uses real, historical examples by way of illustration that are analyzed by means of the theory
- Tackles uniquely arguments and positions held by professional philosophers and respected scientists
- Includes an exposition of a method that further develops Kant’s transcendental dialectics
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- About this book
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Presented as a Vorlesung in the German philosophical tradition, this book presents the most detailed account of Nelson’s method of argument analysis, celebrated by many luminaries such as Karl Popper. It was written in 1921 in opposition to the relativistic, subjectivistic and nihilistic tendencies of Nelson’s time. The book contains an exposition of a method that is a further development of Kant’s transcendental dialectics, followed by an application to the critical analysis of arguments by many famous thinkers, including Bentham, Mill, Poincaré, Leibniz, Hegel, Einstein, Bergson, Rickert, Simmel, Brentano, Stammler, Jellinek, Dingler, and Meinong. The book presents a general theory of philosophical argumentation as seen from the viewpoint of the typical fallacies committed by anybody arguing philosophically, whether professional philosophers or philosophical laypeople. Although the nature of philosophy and philosophical argumentation is one of the most recurrent objects of reflection for philosophers, this book represents the first attempt at a general theory of philosophical fallacy. According to Nelson, it is in the shape of false dilemmas that errors in reasoning always emerge, and false dilemmas are always the result of the same mechanism--the unwitting replacement of one concept for another.
- Reviews
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“The volume under review is an English translation of that edition by Fernando Leal and David Carus with an introduction and annotations by Leal. … The book should hold significant interest for argumentation theorists for several distinct reasons. … this book makes a salutary contribution to several enduring debates in the analysis of argument. Its translation into English is to be welcomed.” (Andrew Aberdein, Argumentation, Vol. 31, 2017)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
-
- Book Title
- A Theory of Philosophical Fallacies
- Authors
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- Leonard Nelson
- Translated by
- Carus, D.G., Leal, F.
- Series Title
- Argumentation Library
- Series Volume
- 26
- Copyright
- 2016
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Copyright Holder
- Springer International Publishing Switzerland
- eBook ISBN
- 978-3-319-20783-4
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-319-20783-4
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-3-319-20782-7
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-3-319-37323-2
- Series ISSN
- 1566-7650
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- VI, 211
- Number of Illustrations and Tables
- 8 b/w illustrations
- Topics