Falsehood and Fallacy: How to Think, Read, and Write in the Twenty-First Century

by Bethany Kilcrease

Falsehood and Fallacy shows students how to evaluate what they read in a digital age now that old institutional gatekeepers, such as the media or institutions of higher education, no longer hold a monopoly on disseminating knowledge. Short chapters cover the problems that exist as a result of the current flow of unmediated information, Fake News, and bad arguments, and demonstrate how to critically evaluate sources – particularly those that appear online. Kilcrease provides a range of tools to help students evaluate the legitimacy of what they read. She discusses how to be on the lookout for bad arguments and logical fallacies and explains how students can produce clear and convincing academic writing. Exercises are included throughout the book to test student knowledge. Written in a positive style and full of useful tools and exercises, Falsehood and Fallacy embraces the idea that everyone is a writer and has aptitude for further growth.

200 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2021

Reviews

[Saif AL Jahwari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book is addressed mainly to college students, it provides a vital clarification on how to determine “falsehood and fallacy” sources, in addition to “fake news”, through using different techniques such as “The CRAAP Test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy,Purpose” to evaluate online sources.

I do like the author’s methodology to add exercises in some sections to run through the main ideas of the book.