Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
by
Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein
Order:
USA
Can
Abrams Image, 2008 (2008)
Hardcover
Reviewed by Tim Davis
A
nyone paying attention to American politics has had plenty of opportunities to listen to the politicians delivering speeches, giving press conferences, participating in debates, and offering up their opinions and comments on television programs.
T
homas Cathcart and Daniel Klein have been paying attention. And now they share their observations in an entertaining, fascinating, and perceptive book,
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington: Understanding Political Doublespeak Through Philosophy and Jokes
which follows up on their previous New York Times 2007 bestseller,
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar
.
H
olding politicians up to relentless scrutiny, Cathcart and Klein have analyzed hundreds of the politicians' most absurd, ridiculous, duplicitous, fallacious, misleading, and (ostensibly) profound statements. The authors explain and expose the
doublespeak
language of politicians, the kind of ubiquitous political language that compels many attentive observers to observe, '
That sounds like utter bullshit!
' (Those words, incidentally, are Cathcart's and Klein's opening salvo, which sets the tone for all that follows in their compact 192 page book.)
U
sing formal logic (with its roots in classical philosophy) and tongue-in-cheek humor, Cathcart and Klein examine hundreds of
sound bites
as they look at what they call
The Tricky Talk Strategy
(
Misleading with Doublespeak
), the
So's Your Mother Strategy
(
Misleading by Getting Personal
), the
Fancy Footwork Strategy
(
Misleading with Informal Fallacies
), the
Star Trek Strategy
(
Misleading by Creating an Alternate Universe
),
Extra Credit
(
Misleading with Way Twisty Formal Fallacies
), and
The Debates
(
Misleading by Fabrication
).
N
o one is immune from Cathcart's and Klein's caustic and cynical analysis: Republicans, Democrats, and Independents; Liberals, Conservatives, and Libertarians; Senators, Representatives, Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Cabinet Secretaries. Everyone is fair-game in
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
.
G
uaranteed to give readers a fresh (albeit cynical) perspective on American politics, and certain to give readers fresh analytical tools with which to
decode
all the
utter bullshit
that comes out of politician's minds and mouths, Cathcart and Klein have a timely and indispensable winner on their hands with
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
.
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