Straight and Crooked Thinking

Straight and Crooked Thinking
Author	Robert H. Thouless
Language	English
Genre	Logic, psychology and education
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Publication date	1930
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	261 pp
ISBN	0-330-24127-3
OCLC	1230940
Dewey Decimal	160
LC Class	BC108 .T48 1974

Last updated August 15, 2025

Straight and Crooked Thinking, first published in 1930, revised in 1953,^[1] and again in 1974 is a book by Robert H. Thouless which describes, assesses and critically analyses flaws in reasoning and argument. Before Robert's death in 1984 he asked his grandchild C. R. Thouless to create an updated version of the book with contemporary examples. The 4th edition came out in 1990 with very limited run and a 5th edition was published in 2011. The latter book includes discussions of post 9/11 middle eastern terrorism with Western responses and the 2008 Subprime mortgage crisis.^[2] Robert Thouless described it as a practical manual, rather than a theoretical one.

Synopsis

The 2nd edition discusses 38 deceptive techniques used in dishonest argumentation. There are 37 in the 5th edition and the ordering and descriptions do not match exactly. Many but not all of these map into well known fallacies. Appendix I of the 2nd edition provides page #s where they are discussed. Appendix 1 of the 5th locates the discussion by chapter. The following samples are based on the numbering from the 2nd edition.^[1]^{: Appendix I}^[2]^{: Appendix 1}

No. 3. proof by example, biased sample, cherry picking ^[1]^: 28-33^[2]^{: Chapter 6}
No. 6. ignoratio elenchi: "red herring"^[1]^: 39-42^[2]^{: Chapter 7}
No. 9. false compromise/middle ground ^[1]^: 45-47^[2]^{: Chapter 7}
No. 12. argument in a circle ^[1]^: 56^[2]^{: Chapter 8}
No. 13. begging the question ^[1]^: 56-58^[2]^{: Chapter 1}
No. 17. equivocation ^[1]^: 77-83^[2]^{: Chapter 3}
No. 18. false dilemma: black and white thinking ^[1]^: 91-95^[2]^{: Chapter 6}
No. 19. continuum fallacy (fallacy of the beard)^[1]^: 95-98^[2]^{: Chapter r}
No. 21. ad nauseam: "argumentum ad nauseam" or "argument from repetition" or "argumentum ad infinitum"^[1]^: 102-103^[2]^{: Chapter 13}
No. 25. style over substance fallacy^[1]^: 105-107^[2]^{: Chapter 14}
No. 28. appeal to authority ^[1]^: 110-113^[2]^{: Chapter 14}
No. 31. thought-terminating cliché ^[1]^: 130-134^[2]^{: Chapter 11}
No. 36. special pleading ^[1]^: 156-158^[2]^{: Chapter 10}
No. 37. appeal to consequences ^[1]^: 159-150^[2]^{: Chapter 10}
No. 38. appeal to motive ^[1]^: 161^[2]^{: Chapter 10}

Some of the tricks that do not map into fallacies are

No. 23. Making one's opponent angry so that they make mistakes^[1]^: 103-108^[2]^{: Chapter 10}
No. 29. Softening opposition by starting with simpler agreed upon propositions^[1]^: 116-117^[2]^{: Chapter 9}
No. 32. Equivocating pro and con so that no decision gets made^[1]^: 136-137^[2]^{: Chapter 11}

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Thouless, Robert H (1953). Straight and Crooked Thinking. London, England: Pan Books. ISBN 978-034004904-4.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Thouless, Robert H.; Thouless, C. R. (2011). Straight & Crooked Thinking. Hodder Education. pp. ix–xi, 29–30, 103, 118. ISBN 978-144411718-9.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Thouless1953-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Thouless, Robert H (1953). Straight and Crooked Thinking. London, England: Pan Books. ISBN 978-034004904-4.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[Thouless-5th-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Thouless, Robert H.; Thouless, C. R. (2011). Straight & Crooked Thinking. Hodder Education. pp. ix–xi, 29–30, 103, 118. ISBN 978-144411718-9.

[1]

[2]

Straight and Crooked Thinking

Contents

Synopsis

See also

References