Logic: Ages 13 and up
The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Six Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning
Authors: Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn
Publisher: Christian Logic
For more information or to order: www.homeschoolingfromtheheart.com
(We are pleased to offer this resource in our catalog!)

As a homeschool mom, the study of logic has always seemed out of reach to me.  I simply could not imagine trying to help my children navigate a subject which I couldn't grasp myself.  Thankfully, two homeschool graduates, Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn, have done families everywhere a great service by writing The Fallacy Detective, which introduces young adults to the study of logic in an easy-to-understand, non-intimidating format!

The Fallacy Detective encourages young people to become thinking Christians, able to navigate the maze of messages that are presented through the media, advertising, politics and everyday conversation.  Designed to be self-teaching, each of the 36 lessons is written in a conversational tone.  Lessons are short, usually no more than a couple of pages and utilize clear, sometimes humorous examples to help the reader grasp the faulty reasoning being illustrated.  The authors have also included illustrations from some popular comic strips, including their own series, Nuna and Toodles.  After presenting the new lesson material, readers are instructed to work their way through several examples to see if they can find the fallacy or propaganda in each statement/conversation. An Answer Key is included at the end of the book along with instructions to create your own Fallacy Detective game.

Although The Fallacy Detective is designed to be self-teaching, the authors encourage parents to study the book with their child(ren).   I agree - in fact, the teen years are the perfect time to dialogue about many of the issues presented as examples throughout the book.  When reading The Fallacy Detective, students begin to build a biblical worldview as they consider some of the common arguments and statements used to defend abortion, smoking, religion, conservation issues and more.  And parents be forewarned - I recognized plenty of faulty reasoning in my own thought processes, which just goes to show, our kids aren't the only ones who will benefit from the study of logic!  Some of the fallacies introduced are generalizations, red herrings, equivocation (changing the meaning of a word in the middle of an argument), making assumptions and circular reasoning.  I especially enjoyed the first several lessons, which discuss why we as Christians should study logic, the importance of "really" listening to what others are saying and the importance of seeing both sides of an issue.

Designed to introduce readers to the study of informal logic, The Fallacy Detective lays a great foundation for future studies in more formal or traditional logic.  The authors' website, www.christianlogic.com, provides insightful articles and a suggested course of study for learning logic at home, which includes brief reviews of several programs the Bluedorns have used and recommend. 

Making the grade: A+
Cost: $22.00
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10
Reviewed by Cindy Prechtel, Editor