Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington Hardcover – Bargain Price, January 1, 2008
by Thomas Cathcart (Author), Daniel Klein (Author)
Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, authors of the national bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, aren’t falling for any election year claptrap—and they don’t want their readers to either! In Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington, our two favorite philosopher-comedians return just in time to save us from the double-speak, flim-flam, and alternate reality of politics in America.
Deploying jokes and cartoon as well as the occasional insight from Aristotle and his peers, Cathcart and Klein explain what politicos are up to when they state: “The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.” (Donald Rumsfeld), “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” (Bill Clinton), or even, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” (Thomas Jefferson, et al).
Drawing from the pronouncements of everyone from Caesar to Condoleeza Rice, Genghis Kahn to Hillary Clinton, and Adolf Hitler to Al Sharpton. Cathcart and Klein help us learn to identify tricks such as “The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy” (non causa pro causa) and the “The Fallacy Fallacy” (argumentum and logicam). Aristotle and an Aardvark is for anyone who ever felt like the politicos and pundits were speaking Greek. At least Cathcart and Klein provide the Latin name for it (raudatio publica)!
About the Author
Tom Cathcart and Dan Klein pursued the usual careers after majoring in philosophy at Harvard. Tom worked with street gangs in Chicago and dropped in and out of various divinity schools. Dan wrote jokes for comedians, designed stunts for Candid Camera, and continues to pen thrillers. Each lives with his wife in New England.
From AudioFile
This quirky little gem takes world leaders and politicians from Genghis Khan to George W. Bush to task for what the authors have dubbed ³logical flimflam.² Cathcart and Klein gleefully deconstruct direct quotes from well-known people and documents to expose the faulty evidence, sources, and reasoning employed as politicians attempt to hoodwink us. Pointed references to current events and the occasional joke add timeliness and spice to the text. Johnny Heller smoothly handles the transitions from the sacred to the profane as the book shifts from the Greek of Aristotle to the often scatological language of the jokes. Heller’s brisk pace and great comic timing allow the listener to follow the authors’ serious underlying message while still enjoying their humor. M.O.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Hardcover: 191 pages
Publisher: Abrams Image; 1st edition (January 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0810995417
ASIN: B003H4RAOA
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
