Second was debates where you are *not* allowed to select your side, but random instead.
A helpful way in law school was to have students make their most compelling argument for a position, and then finish with "That is completely wrong. Tell me why." Learning to switch on a dime helps big time!
The argument from ignorance fallacy (or argumentum ad ignorantiam, in nerdspeak)! A genuine classic!
This can seem like a problem with legal processes (ex. "you can't prove I stole it, so I didn't do it"), but that's because we work with a preceding given that one is innocent until proven guilty.
So important to maintain our inner skeptic!
On the note of intellectual humility, I can think of a few resources that have helped me.
First was survey courses in philosophy. Especially before the skills are developed, seeing compelling argument after argument helps build some comfort with the idea of "I may have been wrong before." (1/2)
New Case File: Fallacies in the Wild!
This week, I break down a Fox News headline that serves up environmental outrage with a side of kale-scented strawmen.
If you're tired of false choices and buzzword smog, this one's for you.
open.substack.com/pub/bsdetect...
Hello, everyone!
We're taking a deep dive into a common fallacy today- the False Dichotomy, or as I like to call it, the "Cake or Death" problem.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
open.substack.com/pub/bsdetect...
Today, one of the classics for our Deep Dive: The Strawman!
Ever had your argument twisted into something dumber than you actually said? You’ve been straw-manned.
This post we break down how it works, why it works, and how to push back without getting sucked in.
open.substack.com/pub/bsdetect...
Just launched: BS Detector Repair—a weekly guide to spotting spin, resisting rhetorical traps, and thinking clearly when everyone else is emotionally hijacked.
Read the welcome post here:
open.substack.com/pub/bsdetect...
