Course 13 of 18
Reason & Its Traps
Before arguing, learn the shape of good and bad reasoning.
What this course covers
Reason & Its Traps works through before arguing, learn the shape of good and bad reasoning. across 2 lessons. Each opens with a short teaching passage, then tests whether the idea actually landed — and explains every answer rather than just marking it.
The lessons are sequenced, not a menu. Spotting Bad Arguments comes first because the classic fallacies is what the rest of the course assumes; by the end you reach Validity & Assumptions.
How it starts
An argument can feel convincing and still be broken. Logical fallacies are the classic ways reasoning goes wrong. In an ad hominem, you attack the person instead of their point. In a straw man, you distort their claim to knock it down easily. Appeals to authority or popularity dodge the real question. Naming these traps is the first step to avoiding them.
“Arguments from authority carry little weight.”
Who you will be reading
Aristotle is the thinker this course leans on. Each has a profile with their full set of passages in thinkr's library.