Traditionally, logic has been considered the most general science dealing with arguments. The task of logic is to discover the fundamental principles for distinguishing good arguments from bad ones. For certain purposes, arguments are best studied as abstract patterns of reasoning. Logic can then focus on these general forms rather than on particular arguments, such as your attempt to prove to the bank that they, not you, made a mistake. The study of those general principles that make certain patterns of argument valid and other patterns of argument invalid is called formal logic. Two chapters of this work are dedicated to formal logic. A different but complementary way of viewing an argument is to treat it as a particular use of language: Presenting arguments is one of the important things we do with words. This approach stresses that arguing is a linguistic activity. Instead of studying arguments as abstract patterns, it examines them as they occur in concrete settings. It raises questions of the following kind: - What is the place of argument within language as a whole? - What words or phrases are characteristic of arguments? - How do these words function? - What task or tasks are arguments supposed to perform? When an approach to argument has this emphasis, the study is called informal logic. Though it contains a substantial treatment of formal logic, Understanding Arguments, as its subtitle indicates, is primarily a textbook in informal logic. Review "With its lucid explanations, penetrating analysis of real-world issues, and its selection of exemplary, timely readings, Understanding Arguments should be required reading in any course whose objectives include improving critical thinking and analytical skills.""This book is a well-crafted and philosophically-infused work. It gets students engaged with the material and genuinely challenges them to think critically. It works particularly well for courses on critical thinking that are aimed at developing students' skills in quantitative reasoning."