How to Recognize Bad Reasoning

Sometimes children's books are just as good for adults.

Recently I learned about a book that a friend used when she home-schooled her son. I was impressed when she said that this son, who is now in college, told her that this book is helping him now in understanding his classes.

The book is The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn & Hans Bluedorn.

My copy of it, which I got from ThriftBooks, is a 3rd Edition; the original copyright was 2002.

I think recognizing fallacies is on a par with learning reading, writing, and arithmetic.

The book begins by inspiring people to have an inquiring mind, and to love to listen.

Then it explains specific fallacies of reason under these categories:

• Avoiding the Question
  
• Making Assumptions
  
• Statistical Fallacies
  
• Propaganda
  

We all need this skill, don't we?

a reply to: DevotedResearcher
You're not supposed to sell your books here, Hans! lol

Thank you for sharing this book, DevotedResearcher. I will suggest it to the homeschooler groups.
We all definitely need this skill.

a reply to: BeNotAfraid

I had to smile when I got my copy.

Being used, it had all kinds of marks in it.

And the return address sticker of the family who had obviously deeply studied the book was still there.

Seems to be rather simple:

1. If it's an objective truth, based on rock solid data and quantifiable, then it's solid reasoning.

2. If it's a subjective truth, based on feelings and my/their/a truth, then bad reasoning.

This book looks like a great resource. My firsthand experience with children has shown me that they are spending their years struggling with their perception of reality, especially as it is dictated to them by adults with whom they are supposed to trust for guidance, and learn that certain phrases can get their emotions out hard and fast, such as "you never believe me" or "you always do that, etc, etc, etc, etc."

Logical fallacies are, for children, the path of least resistance, or a means of receiving maximum interaction intensity for the minimum cognitive effort on their part. Well, maybe the same goes for adults as well now that I'm writing it out.

For children, they are entirely capable of understanding and learning far beyond their bare minimum curriculum of their age group, but us teachers are severely limited by our own ability to communicate effectively the important universally applicable lessons.

originally posted by: Moon68
1. If it's an objective truth, based on rock solid data and quantifiable, then it's solid reasoning.

I think what's also tripping us up a lot, though, is that people think that mainstream science and mainstream news media are the ones who have the objective truth, when, as it turns out, they often don't.

originally posted by: Moon68
Seems to be rather simple:

2. If it's a subjective truth, based on feelings and my/their/a truth, then bad reasoning.

I do not agree that it is this simple and I think the word feelings has become such a buzzword as to be stigmatized while it is indeed a very real thing humans experience from which logic can be produced with sufficient understanding

originally posted by: DevotedResearcher
a reply to: BeNotAfraid

I had to smile when I got my copy. Being used, it had all kinds of marks in it.
And the return address sticker of the family who had obviously deeply studied the book was still there.

That is wonderful. A book with more history to the story. Good rescue.

originally posted by: DirtWasher
I do not agree that it is this simple and I think the word feelings has become such a buzzword as to be stigmatized while it is indeed a very real thing humans experience from which logic can be produced with sufficient understanding

I, also, have something to say about feelings.

I'm of the opinion that intuition is every bit as important as our intellect. And I think it's driven by feelings.

The expression "gut feeling" comes to mind.

We need feelings to guide us.

They help us have a conscience.

A=A. Up is up and down is down.

An immutable fact will always be true regardless of opinion or feeling.

originally posted by: DevotedResearcher

originally posted by: Moon68
1. If it's an objective truth, based on rock solid data and quantifiable, then it's solid reasoning.

I think what's also tripping us up a lot, though, is that people think that mainstream science and mainstream news media are the ones who have the objective truth, when, as it turns out, they often don't.

True. So often anymore, it's all about trying to fit facts into supporting a narrative.