Bad Arguments and How to Avoid Them
Productive arguments serve two purposes: to open our minds to truths we couldn’t see — and help others do the same. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls and argue like a master. *** We’re often faced …
Logic
Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning: Make Smarter Arguments, Better Decisions, and Stronger Conclusions
You can’t prove truth, but using deductive and inductive reasoning, you can get close. Learn the difference between the two types of reasoning and how to use them when evaluating facts and arguments. …
Francis Bacon and the Four Idols of the Mind
Among the Enlightenment founders, his spirit is the one that most endures. It informs us across four centuries that wemust understand nature both around us and within ourselves, in order to set …
The Boundaries Between Science and Religion: Alan Lightman on Different Kinds of Knowledge
“The physical universe is subject to rational analysis and the methods of science. The spiritual universe is not. All of us have had experiences that are not subject to rational analysis. …
The Difference Between Truth and Honesty: What Law School Teaches us About Insight, Logic, and Thinking
“We don’t see things as they are, but as we are.” — Anaïs Nin *** Matthew Frederick‘s series of 101 things I learned in {Business School, Law School, Architecture School, …
The Ten Golden Rules of Argument
“You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to.” — Anonymous Arguments are tricky. We spend a lot of our time trying to persuade others. We think that if we show …
Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Journalists, and Others
A lot of our day is spent trying to convince people of something. To do this we often make arguments as to why our product or service is better, or, more commonly why our own opinion is right and …
Not All Good Arguments Are Logically Sound
Some interesting thoughts from James Gray on whether all good arguments are logically sound. Understanding why helps us appreciate good arguments. Proof that not all arguments are logically sound An …
Derek Parfit: Does Anything Matter?
I must admit that I have Derek Parfit‘s long-awaited book On What Matters sitting on my nightstand at the moment. I’m aided in my procrastination by its daunting length—over 1400 pages in …