butterfly113 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 if you have used these, would you please share whether the content is christian or secular... or pretty much nuetral? Have your dc like the curriculum? Benefits? Pros and cons? Thanks! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterfly113 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I haven't used either of them yet, but my understanding is they are both written from a Christian perspective. However, I have been told on this forum that both spend a lot of time on abortion, other highly charged political issues and scandalous behavior of politicians like Nixon and Clinton. Ann C. DD 12 - LLATL Green, VfCR, IEW Elegant Essay, Saxon Algebra 1/2, Rainbow Science, BF History of Science, Landmark World History, Latin for Children, Critical Thinking DD 9 - Private School - coming home in the fall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 My big kids read through the Fallacy Detective book. It is decidedly christian with a bible verse on just about every page in the beginning. The exercises ask you to think about both sides of issues regarding abortion, existence of God, homeschooling, breeds of dogs, gun control etc. Not make the case for both sides but think about what two sides there would be, who would be on opposing sides. Quotes from Clinton about avoiding questions, ad hominen attacks that use the example of calling George Washington a mason. It isn't really making the case for any of this stuff, it is just introducing the ideas in the exercises and not tippy-toeing around important topics. If you have strong opinions about some of this stuff it might annoy you to the point that you lose the object of the lesson because of the example. Or, it may give you food for thought about why and how certain opinions and arguements are made. Not a book to just give to young kids. And not all of the examples are like that. Some are just fun or silly or made up. Not to put you off the book. It is an interesting book and useful, just full of controversial or emotionally charged topics used as examples for the fallacies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I haven't used either of them yet, but my understanding is they are both written from a Christian perspective. However, I have been told on this forum that both spend a lot of time on abortion, other highly charged political issues and scandalous behavior of politicians like Nixon and Clinton. We are using Art of Argument right now. It sounds like Ann is quoting me. I struggled with whether or not to continue with this book because of the amount of homework I must do and the amount of discussion that needs to take place. It is not a book that the student should be handed without direct supervision and discussion, imo. Dh convinced me to continue. He said that I could take the opportunity to point out the book's slant whether I agree or not. It might have a particular slant, but it seems to slant one way sometimes and another way other times. I now have to look up the famous people ahead of time so that I can explain to ds about them. I have the opportunity to discuss abortion and rape with ds even though he doesn't want to hear/know/think/talk about it. I have mixed feelings about the book. I would rather not have to discuss Watergate, Iran-Contra, Howard Stern, Clinton, Iraq War, abortion, rape, etc. with ds. I guess the politicians (and advertisements) provide the easiest examples of fallacies. OTOH, there is valuable information in it. It plods through the fallacies one by one. It is amazing to realize how these fallacies permeate our lives on a daily basis. I don't know if I've answered your question. It's the best I can do, though. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof8 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 We have not used Fallacy Detective but have used The Thinking Toolbox by the same authors. We LOVED it!! It was fun to do as a group out loud. I think the kids learned a lot using it this year. It is by Christian authors but I would say it isn't overly Christian at all. I plan to use Fallacy Detective next year for my 12th, 10th 8th and possibly 6th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 So is there anything out there like this that's secular??? I'd really like to do logic with my kids, but I don't think something with that strong a slant would work for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 So is there anything out there like this that's secular? Yes, there are the two books by Anita Harnadek, both titled simply Critical Thinking. Here's a link to the first. They're entirely secular. I was taught with them in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Yes, there are the two books by Anita Harnadek, both titled simply Critical Thinking. Here's a link to the first. They're entirely secular. I was taught with them in high school. Awesome! :hurray::thumbup::party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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