A June 22 letter writer admonished us to think, but his arguments were full of logical fallacies. He said to ignore TV news and press as “left-wing brainwashing.” That’s “tribalism” — prejudging ...

Six months of xenophobic political bloviation do not overturn centuries of experience. Trade and immigration are good for the US economy. As Adam Smith and David Ricardo explained two centuries ago, ...

A fallacy is a mistake in reasoning. It can undermine your case. Therefore, it is important to examine your own planned written and oral presentations. Also, carefully consider opposing presentations ...

"I strongly object to wrong arguments on the right side," said GK Chesterton. "I think I object to them more than to the wrong arguments on the wrong side." Arguments are attempts to persuade by ...

Technically, lame forms of argument are called informal rhetorical fallacies and often have fancy Latin names (e.g. post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy). That’s too bad, because they sure don’t belong ...

When I was in college, I remember naively signing up for a course called "Introduction to Logic." It turned out to be one of the greatest courses I have ever taken. Logic is the basis for philosophy, ...

The Internet is teeming with crazies, jerks, and blowhards; and in online forums, debaters are full of passionate intensity. Peruse the comments area on any popular blog, and you’ll find more ...

MY friend Scholasticus was in a bad way. He had been educated before the elective system came in, and he had a pathetic veneration for the old curriculum. It was to him the sacred ark; now, alas, ...

The stock market has climbed since the election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Some say the rise is a result of the election. Is that so, or is it a post hoc argument? DAMON WINTER NYT Donald Trump ...

Donald Trump is a “racist,” a “white supremacist,” a “misogynist,” a “homophobe,” and so on. Hence, his position on X (where X stands for whatever in the world we choose to plug for it) is illicit.