Helpful books and resources

There are a lot of books and other resources that address the topics covered in the Arguments in Action section of the course. However, they are perhaps more diverse and varied than resources for other parts of the course. Books can differ even in their definitions of such well-established terms as ‘deductive’, ‘inductive’, ‘valid’, ‘sound’, etc. Sometimes these definitions can be inconsistent and contradictory. It is vital, therefore, that teachers use the mandatory documents to ensure they are using terminology and definitions that are approved for the course. Extra guidance can be gained by consulting recent marking instructions but caution should be used if using older marking instructions particularly if the course has changed. It should also be remembered that marking instructions are working documents produced each year and may have been amended for pragmatic reasons at the marking event in the light of candidate responses. Marking instructions are not mandatory documents and may have been superseded by later mandatory clarifications.

Argument diagrams are presented in different ways by different authors and some of the online material is closely aligned with particular software packages. The SQA guidance on argument diagrams allows for some variety and information in books and other resources should be checked against this guidance.

The Higher Course approach to argument evaluation is reasonably standard in the field of informal logic but some books on informal logic also use ‘argumentation schemes’. This goes beyond what is required of Higher candidates.

There is a lot of material available on fallacies but they are sometimes described and classified in different ways. Again, it is necessary to refer to the mandatory information issued by the SQA to ensure the material is being delivered in an appropriate way.