How critical thinking and scientific method can help us to make the right decisions and spot fake news.

Good Thinking is our best defense against anti-vaccine paranoia, climate denial, and other dire threats of today Publisher’s Note: Good Thinking was previously published in the UK as The Irrational Ape. In our ever-more-polarized society, there’s at least one thing we still agree on: The world is overrun with misinformation, faulty logic, and the gullible followers who buy into it all. Of course, we’re not among them—are we? Scientist David Robert Grimes is on a mission to expose the logical fallacies and cognitive biases that drive our discourse on a dizzying array of topics–from vaccination to abortion, 9/11 conspiracy theories to dictatorial doublespeak, astrology to alternative medicine, and wrongful convictions to racism. But his purpose in Good Thinking isn’t to shame or place blame. Rather, it’s to interrogate our own assumptions–to develop our eye for the glimmer of truth in a vast sea of dubious sources–in short, to think critically. Grimes’s expert takedown of irrationality is required reading for anyone wondering why bad thinking persists and how we can defeat it. Ultimately, no one changes anyone else’s mind; we can only change our own–and give others the tools to do the same.

“This short book makes you smarter than 99% of the population. . . . The concepts within it will increase your company’s ‘organizational intelligence.’. . . It’s more than just a must-read, it’s a ‘have-to-read-or-you’re-fired’ book.”—Geoffrey James, INC.com From the author of An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language, here’s the antidote to fuzzy thinking, with furry animals! Have you read (or stumbled into) one too many irrational online debates? Ali Almossawi certainly had, so he wrote An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments! This handy guide is here to bring the internet age a much-needed dose of old-school logic (really old-school, a la Aristotle). Here are cogent explanations of the straw man fallacy, the slippery slope argument, the ad hominem attack, and other common attempts at reasoning that actually fall short—plus a beautifully drawn menagerie of animals who (adorably) commit every logical faux pas. Rabbit thinks a strange light in the sky must be a UFO because no one can prove otherwise (the appeal to ignorance). And Lion doesn’t believe that gas emissions harm the planet because, if that were true, he wouldn’t like the result (the argument from consequences). Once you learn to recognize these abuses of reason, they start to crop up everywhere from congressional debate to YouTube comments—which makes this geek-chic book a must for anyone in the habit of holding opinions.

Can a nation accept limits in an arms competition? James H. Lebovic explores the logic of seeking peace in an arms race. Flawed Logics offers a compelling intellectual history of U.S.-Russian strategic nuclear arms control. Lebovic thoroughly reviews the critical role of ideas and assumptions in U.S. arms control debates, tying them to controversies over U.S. nuclear strategy from the birth of the atomic age to the present. Each nuclear arms treaty—from the Truman to the Obama administration—is assessed in depth and the positions of proponents and opponents are systematically presented, discussed, and critiqued. Lebovic concludes that the terms of these treaties with the Russians were never as good as U.S. proponents claimed nor as bad as opponents feared. The comprehensive analysis in Flawed Logics is objective and balanced, challenging the logic of hawks and doves, Democrats and Republicans, and theorists of all schools with equal vigor. Lebovic’s controversial argument will promote debate as to the very plausibility of arms control.

Increasingly, college courses and programs require a critical thinking component and include assignments meant to measure your critical thinking skills. ATTACKING FAULTY REASONING, 7E, International Edition can help you brush up on these skills and learn how to develop the logical, persuasive arguments you need now and throughout your career. This useful handbook addresses more than 60 common fallacies of logic with the help of over 200 memorable examples. It provides explanations and tips for "attacking" fallacious thinking, and is an ideal resource when writing papers, essays, or arguments.

A timely and accessible guide to 100 of the most infamous logical fallacies in Western philosophy, helping readers avoid and detect false assumptions and faulty reasoning You’ll love this book or you’ll hate it. So, you’re either with us or against us. And if you’re against us then you hate books. No true intellectual would hate this book. Ever decide to avoid a restaurant because of one bad meal? Choose a product because a celebrity endorsed it? Or ignore what a politician says because she’s not a member of your party? For as long as people have been discussing, conversing, persuading, advocating, proselytizing, pontificating, or otherwise stating their case, their arguments have been vulnerable to false assumptions and faulty reasoning. Drawing upon a long history of logical falsehoods and philosophical flubs, Bad Arguments demonstrates how misguided arguments come to be, and what we can do to detect them in the rhetoric of others and avoid using them ourselves. Fallacies—or conclusions that don’t follow from their premise—are at the root of most bad arguments, but it can be easy to stumble into a fallacy without realizing it. In this clear and concise guide to good arguments gone bad, Robert Arp, Steven Barbone, and Michael Bruce take readers through 100 of the most infamous fallacies in Western philosophy, identifying the most common missteps, pitfalls, and dead-ends of arguments gone awry. Whether an instance of sunk costs, is ought, affirming the consequent, moving the goal post, begging the question, or the ever-popular slippery slope, each fallacy engages with examples drawn from contemporary politics, economics, media, and popular culture. Further diagrams and tables supplement entries and contextualize common errors in logical reasoning. At a time in our world when it is crucial to be able to identify and challenge rhetorical half-truths, this bookhelps readers to better understand flawed argumentation and develop logical literacy. Unrivaled in its breadth of coverage and a worthy companion to its sister volume Just the Arguments (2011), Bad Arguments is an essential tool for undergraduate students and general readers looking to hone their critical thinking and rhetorical skills.

Have you ever found yourself in an argument that you know you could have won but didn't because you couldn't find a way to poke a hole in their reasoning? Maybe you instead delivered an argument you thought was sound, only to have your opposition demonstrate flaws in your reasoning. Logical Fallacies: The Ultimate Guide to Dealing with Bad Arguments is the resource you need to improve your debate skills. This book will provide an extensive list of common logical fallacies along with an explanation of the flaws in their reasoning. If you want to master your skills in argument, this book will prove to be an invaluable resource to help you reach your goal. Learn the proper structure of a logical argument, as well as how this applies to logical fallacies, to understand the reason the logic is flawed. Once the reader understands the principles of argument, we can move on to practical examples. This book will demonstrate over 75 logical fallacies, providing you with many different opportunities to apply this knowledge. After reading the explanations and examples for each fallacy, you will feel confident in your ability to recognize and counter these common flawed arguments. By understanding these logical fallacies, you will be able to speak with greater confidence in your own reasoning and be ready to counter the flawed reasoning of your opponent. With this book as your guide, we will discuss the following: Learn what a logical fallacy is Learn the proper structure of a logical argument Over 75 examples common logical fallacies Explanations of the fallacies, and the flaws in their logic Examples that demonstrate the fallacies being used Ways to counter these flawed arguments

Logical fallaciesWhat is a Logical Fallacy, Exactly?-------------------All logical fallacies(34)-Examples-Simple Explanation------------------------The word "fallacy" comes from the Latin "fallacia" which means "deception, deceit, trick, artifice," however, a more specific meaning in logic (a logical fallacy) that dates back to the 1550s means "false syllogism, invalid argumentation."An Error in ReasoningOne of the earliest academic discussions of logical fallacies comes from the book Elementary Lessons in Logic: Deductive and Inductive, published by MacMillian and Co. in 1872 where the modern definition of logical fallacies is used: "the modes in which, by neglecting the rules of logic, we often fall into erroneous reasoning." Today, this basic definition is still used, and often abbreviated to just "an error in reasoning." It is not a factual error.The Difference Between Logical Fallacies and Cognitive BiasesIn the early 1970s, two behavioral researchers, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky pioneered the field of behavioral economics through their work with cognitive biases and heuristics, which like logical fallacies, deal with errors in reasoning. The main difference, however, is that logical fallacies require an argument whereas cognitive biases and heuristics (mental shortcuts) refer to our default pattern of thinking. Sometimes there is crossover. Logical fallacies can be the result of a cognitive bias, but having biases (which we all do) does not mean that we have to commit logical fallacies. Consider the bandwagon effect, a cognitive bias that demonstrates the tendency to believe things because many other people believe them. This cognitive bias can be found in the logical fallacy, appeal to popularity.Everybody is doing X.Therefore, X must be the right thing to do.The cognitive bias is the main reason we commit this fallacy. However, if we just started working at a soup kitchen because all of our friends were working there, this wouldn't be a logical fallacy, although the bandwagon effect would be behind our behavior. The appeal to popularity is a fallacy because it applies to an argument.I would say that more often than not, cognitive biases do not lead to logical fallacies. This is because cognitive biases are largely unconscious processes that bypass reason, and the mere exercise of consciously evaluating an argument often causes us to counteract the bias.Factual Errors are Not Logical FallaciesTo illustrate this point, let's consider the availability heuristic, a cognitive bias that describes the tendency for one to overestimate the likelihood of more salient events, usually the result of how recent the memories are or how unusual or emotionally charged they may be. This bias can be demonstrated in believing that you are more likely to die in a plane crash than an automobile accident because of all the plane crashes you see in the news. As a result of this bias, one might argue: Plane crashes kill more people than automobile accidents. Therefore, it is safer to drive in a car than fly in a plane.This is not fallacious; it's factually incorrect. If it were true that plane crashes kill more people than automobile accidents, the conclusion would be reasonable. The argument itself does not contain flawed reasoning; it contains incorrect information. While we can say the reasoning behind the argument was fallacious, there is no logical fallacy present in the argument. Similarly, if I told you that the sun was about 30 miles from the earth and the size of a football stadium, I would not be committing a fallacy-but I would be a moron. Factual errors are not fallacies........

Written by the Harvard Law School Alumni who created LSATMax, the #1-ranked LSAT app (search "LSATMax" in the Apple App Store and/or Google Play Store), 33 Common LSAT Flaws is an LSAT prep book specifically designed to help students master one of the most important, and most challenging, Logical Reasoning concepts: identifying specific flaws within arguments. This study guide is simple, thorough, and highly effective in boosting learners' LSAT scores. Understanding flaws and logical fallacies won't just help test-takers answer Error in Reasoning (Flaw) questions. The secret of the LSAT is . . . it's all about flawed arguments. Whether Strengthening, Weakening, or looking for a Sufficient Assumption, throughout the Logical Reasoning section, students are expected to identify logical flaws and understand how they function within arguments. The good news is, there are a limited number of logical fallacies that show up over and over again on the LSAT. 33 of them, to be precise, falling within just 12 Flaw Families. Any student sufficiently dedicated to raising their score can learn to identify all 33. 33 Common LSAT Flaws includes . . . (1) Concise and actionable introductions to all 12 families of LSAT fallacies (2) How to identify all 33 common LSAT flaws (3) Real examples from the LSAT of each common flaw (4) Thorough explanations for each sample Logical Reasoning question written by our 99th percentile instructors that identify (1) the question type, whether the stimulus is an (2) argument or set of facts and whether the argument is (3) valid or flawed, provide a (4) summary of the stimulus and (5) strategy overview, (6) anticipate the correct answer, (7) explain the correct and incorrect answer choices and provide a (8) key takeaway that you can apply to future Logical Reasoning questions. Please note, however, that the LSAT is no longer a paper/pencil exam in North America. Now, every LSAT in North America (United States & Canada) is administered digitally on a Microsoft Surface Go Tablet. Tablets will be provided to test takers at the test center. On the digital LSAT, both the content and the structure of the test sections and the questions will be the same as the paper-and-pencil LSAT. But in addition, the digital LSAT will include new features such as a timer with a five-minute warning, highlighting, and flagging to keep track of questions that you may want to revisit in a section. While this is undoubtedly the biggest change in history of the LSAT, tablet-based digital LSATs are nothing new for LSATMax. We are the pioneers of mobile LSAT prep and we have been offering full-length, officially licensed LSATs on both iPads and Android tablets since 2012. So you can rest assured that our 5-star rated app will allow you to simulate the new tablet-based digital LSAT experience to a t. All LSATMax's instructors and private LSAT tutors were not naturals but were able to score in the 99th percentile (172+) on an officially administered LSAT. A couple of them have even scored a perfect 180 score. Here are some LSATMax student success stories: "The tutorials from LSATMax helped me get my 99th percentile score! I would watch the explanatory videos while riding the bus and found them engaging enough to keep my attention, allowing me to work on drills when I was at home. It was great to have the videos at my fingertips at all times so that I could study any time I had a moment." - Anita Yandle (Student at Columbia Law School)

* Our summary is short, simple and pragmatic. It allows you to have the essential ideas of a big book in less than 30 minutes. By reading this summary, you will learn what the most common thinking errors are and how to guard against them to avoid acting against your own interests. You will also learn : that reasoning is far more fallible than you think; that your emotions betray you; how you can influence the judgment of others; how advertisers push people to buy; why it is difficult to think objectively; how to make better decisions. We think we are free, driven only by logic and reason, but common sense is not as widespread as we would like to think. Decisions are too often made after flawed reasoning, "brain farts" to use the author's humorous trait, which car salesmen, for example, provoke abundantly to achieve their ends. Here's how to recognize them and try to avoid them. *Buy now the summary of this book for the modest price of a cup of coffee!