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Farnsworth's Classical English: Argument
Book 4 of 4: Farnsworth's Classical English series
Learn how to argue from the masters. This book is a complete course on the art of argument, taught by the greatest practitioners of it: Churchill, Lincoln, and hundreds of others from the golden age of debate in England and America.
The book’s concise chapters provide lessons in all aspects of give and take—the syllogism and the slippery slope, the argumentum ad hominem and reductio ad absurdum, the fallacy and the insult. Ward Farnsworth shows how the full range of such techniques can be used or repelled, and illustrates them with examples that are fascinating, instructive, and fun to read.
The result is a browsable reference in which every page is a pleasure. It will leave you better able to win arguments and to defend yourself under fire. It’s also an entertaining reminder that argument can be a source of beauty and delight. As Farnsworth says of the illustrations, they show talented advocates “crossing analytical swords and exchanging abuse when those things were done with more talent and dignity than is common today. They made argument a spectator sport of lasting value and interest.”
Farnsworth’s Classical English: Argument is the fourth book in a series about the ideas and methods embedded in the best speech and writing of an earlier time. Previous titles in the series are Farnsworth’s Classical English: Rhetoric, Farnsworth’s Classical English: Metaphor, and Farnsworth’s Classical English: Style. Each book is a treasury of insight and an essential reference for all users of language.
Learn how to argue from the masters. This book is a complete course on the art of argument, taught by the greatest practitioners of it: Churchill, Lincoln, and hundreds of others from the golden age of debate in England and America.
The book’s concise chapters provide lessons in all aspects of give and take—the syllogism and the slippery slope, the argumentum ad hominem and reductio ad absurdum, the fallacy and the insult. Ward Farnsworth shows how the full range of such techniques can be used or repelled, and illustrates them with examples that are fascinating, instructive, and fun to read.
The result is a browsable reference in which every page is a pleasure. It will leave you better able to win arguments and to defend yourself under fire. It’s also an entertaining reminder that argument can be a source of beauty and delight. As Farnsworth says of the illustrations, they show talented advocates “crossing analytical swords and exchanging abuse when those things were done with more talent and dignity than is common today. They made argument a spectator sport of lasting value and interest.”
Farnsworth’s Classical English: Argument is the fourth book in a series about the ideas and methods embedded in the best speech and writing of an earlier time. Previous titles in the series are Farnsworth’s Classical English: Rhetoric, Farnsworth’s Classical English: Metaphor, and Farnsworth’s Classical English: Style. Each book is a treasury of insight and an essential reference for all users of language.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published April 23, 2024
53 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Ward Farnsworth
25 books265 followersWard Farnsworth is Dean and John Jeffers Research Chair at the University of Texas School of Law. He formerly was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at the Boston University Law School. He has served as a law clerk to Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court and to Richard A. Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and worked as a Legal Adviser to the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in the Hague. He received his J.D. with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School, and his B.A. from Wesleyan University.
Farnsworth is the author of books on law, philosophy, rhetoric, and chess. He also has published scholarly articles on the economic analysis of law, constitutional law, statutory interpretation, jurisprudence, and cognitive psychology. He serves as Reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement Third, Torts: Liability for Economic Harm.
Farnsworth is the author of books on law, philosophy, rhetoric, and chess. He also has published scholarly articles on the economic analysis of law, constitutional law, statutory interpretation, jurisprudence, and cognitive psychology. He serves as Reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement Third, Torts: Liability for Economic Harm.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 14, 2024
Ward Farnsworth is a national treasure. He has been on a calm, reasoned, well written crusade for the last fourteen years. He has been preaching the value and usefulness of the Classical English writing style. He means by that, the formal English used in speeches, letters and books during the 18th and 19th century in England and America.
He has written books on Classical English rhetoric, metaphor and style. And now we have his book on Classical English argument. He follows the same plan in each of these books. He makes an outline of the subject containing all of the various kinds of rhetoric, metaphors, style and, now, argument used during this period, and he then illustrates each type or variation with short excerpts of two to four sentences as examples.
He picks his examples from the great writers of the style. Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mills, Thomas Macauley, Jonathon Swift, Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Paine and John Madison are all used as examples several times in this volume. He uses excerpts from a few 20th century writers who used the classical style. Winston Churchill is the most prominent example. He also uses examples from many long-forgotten speeches and writing. He seems to have read all of the Parliamentary and Congressional proceedings since 1750.
This volume is great fun, particularly if you ever argued for a living. It is a wonderful catalog of the types of arguments available and the ways to answer them. For example, you can make a direct Ad Hominem argument, or you can do it by inference, or you can do it by aligning your opponent with bad people, or by saying that unfortunately they can't overcome their inherent bias, or that the opponent is a hypocrite because he contradicts himself, or that your opponent does exactly what he is complaining about (called the "Tu Quogue" argument. Latin for "you also") or the argument that your opponent is projecting his own faults or several others.
Each of these variations of Ad Hominin is illustrated by a quote showing it being used in the most effective and elegant manner. Usually, Farnsworth also gives an example of a powerful answer to that kind of argument.
He calmly and clearly explains and examples subjects like the undistributed middle fallacy or the use of enthymemes and sorites.
The tone of these books is perfect. Most modern books on writing are grumpy tirades on how horrible modern writing and speeches are. Farnsworth does not have the tone of censor. He feels no need to, no matter how well deserved, to insult modern writing or speeches. He simply lays out examples of clear and persuasive ways to make a point. He trusts that an intelligent reader can see how to put those lessons to good use.
The bonus is that all of his books are published by Godine Publishing. They are beautifully designed and produced books.
The second bonus is that Farnsworth's two books on philosophy, The Practicing Stoic" and "The Socratic Method", also published by Godine, are wonderful guides in the same tone of intelligent guidance.
He has written books on Classical English rhetoric, metaphor and style. And now we have his book on Classical English argument. He follows the same plan in each of these books. He makes an outline of the subject containing all of the various kinds of rhetoric, metaphors, style and, now, argument used during this period, and he then illustrates each type or variation with short excerpts of two to four sentences as examples.
He picks his examples from the great writers of the style. Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mills, Thomas Macauley, Jonathon Swift, Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Paine and John Madison are all used as examples several times in this volume. He uses excerpts from a few 20th century writers who used the classical style. Winston Churchill is the most prominent example. He also uses examples from many long-forgotten speeches and writing. He seems to have read all of the Parliamentary and Congressional proceedings since 1750.
This volume is great fun, particularly if you ever argued for a living. It is a wonderful catalog of the types of arguments available and the ways to answer them. For example, you can make a direct Ad Hominem argument, or you can do it by inference, or you can do it by aligning your opponent with bad people, or by saying that unfortunately they can't overcome their inherent bias, or that the opponent is a hypocrite because he contradicts himself, or that your opponent does exactly what he is complaining about (called the "Tu Quogue" argument. Latin for "you also") or the argument that your opponent is projecting his own faults or several others.
Each of these variations of Ad Hominin is illustrated by a quote showing it being used in the most effective and elegant manner. Usually, Farnsworth also gives an example of a powerful answer to that kind of argument.
He calmly and clearly explains and examples subjects like the undistributed middle fallacy or the use of enthymemes and sorites.
The tone of these books is perfect. Most modern books on writing are grumpy tirades on how horrible modern writing and speeches are. Farnsworth does not have the tone of censor. He feels no need to, no matter how well deserved, to insult modern writing or speeches. He simply lays out examples of clear and persuasive ways to make a point. He trusts that an intelligent reader can see how to put those lessons to good use.
The bonus is that all of his books are published by Godine Publishing. They are beautifully designed and produced books.
The second bonus is that Farnsworth's two books on philosophy, The Practicing Stoic" and "The Socratic Method", also published by Godine, are wonderful guides in the same tone of intelligent guidance.
November 23, 2024
Never too late
I’m 62, but it’s never too late to improve my language skills. Each of Farnsworth’s books have not only helped improve my skills, I have also learned about writers and orators through history, and the past debates which shaped our world today.
I’m 62, but it’s never too late to improve my language skills. Each of Farnsworth’s books have not only helped improve my skills, I have also learned about writers and orators through history, and the past debates which shaped our world today.
December 10, 2024
Ward Farnsworth is a lawyer and law school professor whose work I first discovered many years ago now through one of his legal books—specifically The Legal Analyst, which helps the reader learn to apply both law and logic to the analysis of legal questions—and in the years since I’ve become quite a fan of his work in general. He’s written about law, logic, philosophy, style, rhetoric, chess, and more. In many ways he seems, particularly with this Classical English series, to be on a one-man quest to restore higher quality to both our thinking and our speech or writing. It’s a worthwhile quest and Farnsworth should be applauded for his efforts.
In this latest entry in the series, he turns his attention to the subject of argumentation. That word can mean different things to different people. Formally, an argument is a series of propositions that lead to a conclusion. Informally, and perhaps the more common definition these days, an argument is a disagreement. Perhaps even a shouting match. This book covers a bit of both definitions (ignoring the shouting match part because there’s nothing dignified about that, though some of the arguments presented are quite biting indeed). It does include chapters on formal logic, wherein it provides a brief but quite solid introduction to t he subject. But it also includes chapters more concerned with the rhetorical techniques one uses to win a debate (rather than the strictest formal structuring of logical arguments).
To an extent, this work seems like something of a capstone or culmination of several of Farnsworth’s previous works, combining the logical with the rhetorical in such a way as to help the reader structure arguments that are formally sound, rhetorically effective, and stylistically pleasing. But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely repetitive. While it does follow the same format as the earlier works in the series—consisting mostly of quotations from “classical” (in this case meaning roughly late eighteenth to early twentieth century rather than antiquity) authors and thinkers surrounded by Farnsworth’s own commentary—and does tread some of the same ground, the work both stands on its own for those who haven’t read the author’s prior works and explores sufficient new ground to be of interest to those who have.
As with Farnsworth’s other books (particularly in this Classical English series), I consider this a must-read for anyone who appreciates the English language at its best or who wants to improve his use of the language in the context of argumentation. Read it straight through, but then also keep it handy as a reference because you will find yourself repeatedly returning to Farnsworth’s carefully-curated examples for inspiration when you need to craft an eloquent argument of your own.
In this latest entry in the series, he turns his attention to the subject of argumentation. That word can mean different things to different people. Formally, an argument is a series of propositions that lead to a conclusion. Informally, and perhaps the more common definition these days, an argument is a disagreement. Perhaps even a shouting match. This book covers a bit of both definitions (ignoring the shouting match part because there’s nothing dignified about that, though some of the arguments presented are quite biting indeed). It does include chapters on formal logic, wherein it provides a brief but quite solid introduction to t he subject. But it also includes chapters more concerned with the rhetorical techniques one uses to win a debate (rather than the strictest formal structuring of logical arguments).
To an extent, this work seems like something of a capstone or culmination of several of Farnsworth’s previous works, combining the logical with the rhetorical in such a way as to help the reader structure arguments that are formally sound, rhetorically effective, and stylistically pleasing. But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely repetitive. While it does follow the same format as the earlier works in the series—consisting mostly of quotations from “classical” (in this case meaning roughly late eighteenth to early twentieth century rather than antiquity) authors and thinkers surrounded by Farnsworth’s own commentary—and does tread some of the same ground, the work both stands on its own for those who haven’t read the author’s prior works and explores sufficient new ground to be of interest to those who have.
As with Farnsworth’s other books (particularly in this Classical English series), I consider this a must-read for anyone who appreciates the English language at its best or who wants to improve his use of the language in the context of argumentation. Read it straight through, but then also keep it handy as a reference because you will find yourself repeatedly returning to Farnsworth’s carefully-curated examples for inspiration when you need to craft an eloquent argument of your own.
April 28, 2024
Read this book. Read it to be better prepared the next time you see that uncle you always debate politics with. Read it so you can spot the tactics (not to call them "tricks") politicians use to sell their ideas. Read it to understand what the hell "the undistributed middle" is. Read it to encounter proper British insults like this one, "There was scarce a word he uttered that was not a violation of the privileges of the House; but I did not call him to order—why? because the limited talents of some men render it impossible for them to be severe without being unparliamentary. But before I sit down I shall show him how to be severe and parliamentary at the same time." In summary, read this book. And then go back and read your favorite parts again.
October 3, 2025
Third book aggregated and narrated by Farnsworth that I have read. I confess it is hard to consistently, thoroughly enjoy his wonderfully curated examples of oral persuasion, advocacy... because 1) I keep wondering how the heck he gathered all these delightful excerpts, 2) I keep trying to re-read and remember nearly each one. This book is a must read for any who find themselves in oral arguments with friends, relatives, or adversaries.
June 29, 2025
I was given this as the geekiest birthday gift from one Language Arts teacher to another, and very geekily enjoyed it. I will definitely be getting the rest in the series.
December 31, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed and recommended to several friends. This book truly follows “show, don’t tell” as it demonstrates how classical rhetorical devices have been used in real life dialogue. .
They say quotation is a poor substitute for wit, but I’m still planning to steal some of these amazing phrases to use at dinner parties.
They say quotation is a poor substitute for wit, but I’m still planning to steal some of these amazing phrases to use at dinner parties.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews