Reviews for Macmillan mathematics

The average rating for Macmillan mathematics based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-07-31 00:00:00 Michel Brunet I think everyone should be required to take a Critical Thinking class in high school. This book, (or any similar book about the use of logic) is something that I urge everyone to read someday. (if you had time to read Harry Potter or Shades of Grey you have time to at least skim a book on logic) This book is one of the most valuable books I have ever read. It's been about 25 years since I read it, but I still remember it and often refer back to it This week, an acquaintance's argument that she "felt" something was true because she saw a lot of examples of it around her -- even though statistically she was wrong that it was not a common occurance in general - was the logical fallacy of "provincialism" Before reading this book, I often felt like something I read or heard "didn't sound right" or failed to convince me, but until I had the knowledge and the vocabulary to identify a "straw man argument",I often had a hard time rebutting or even clarifying the problem I had with someone's statement. Critical thinking seems to be a skill that a lot of people lack. The number of people spouting logical fallacies that I encounter every day is simply amazing. Not just coworkers and acquaintances - but politicians, newscasters and many others. These logical fallacies are often intentionally used to mislead and confuse. Understanding logic (and its fallacies) is vital to being an intelligent and informed person who can communicate effectively.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-10-05 00:00:00 Taimur Chaudhri Meh. I enjoyed the first half, on formal logic and logical fallacies, but was less interested in the second, on (American) media, politics, and textbooks. For an edition that was published in 2006, a lot of the latter type of content seemed more out of date than you'd expect in just 13 years. I know it's not the authors' fault that the media and political landscapes got so crazy so quickly, but even so. The various "political correctness gone mad" rants have dated particularly badly. Surely this: "didn't certain Native Americans make some kind of mistake when they demonstrated during the 1995 World Series against the "demeaning symbols" used by the beloved Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves?" was already an eyebrow-raising POV in 2006? Or am I committing some kind of logical fallacy in thinking so? There's also a section header that says "History Texts Have Gone Overboard on Multiculturalism", and some other examples of content that for me at least really detracted from the reading experience and turned it into something of a slog.