Thinknetic - Conquer Logical Fallacies: 28 Nuggets Of Knowledge To Nurture Your Reasoning Skills (Critical Thinking & Logic Mastery)

Menare apt to mistake the strength of their feeling for the strength of their argument. The heated mind resents the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic.

William E. Gladstone

A young man and a beautiful maiden fell in love with each other, but, alas, she was a princess and he, a commoner. The king heard of this affair and, livid with rage, had the man captured and brought before him.

You have committed an unforgivable crime and shall be executed, said the king. But because I am a righteous and merciful king, I will allow you one kindness, and that is to choose the manner of your death. You are to make one statement. If you tell the truth, you shall be sent to the gallows to die by hanging. If you tell a lie, you will be burned at the stake. Go ahead, then. Make your statement.

The young man thought briefly, then said: I will be burned at the stake. The king, hearing this, thought deeply, then set the man free.

Many of you readers by now will have a feeling of dj vu. Of course, you had already heard this story or some variation of it sometime before. It is a version of the liars paradox. In the story above, the young man was released by the king because his statement put the king in a quandary. If his statement was ruled a lie, he would be burned at the stake, turning his statement into the truth. But if it were the truth and he was sent to the gallows, he would have told a lie because he said he would be burned at the stake. Therefore, the righteous king, therefore, had to let him go or risk putting a man to death against the terms of his own proclamation.

The liars paradox is a popular logical puzzle, but many who have already heard it before are again confused upon hearing it again. They could not recall the answer to this familiar story, because they would have forgotten the logical connections made before. Why? Because our human nature makes us forget what we have learned if we learned the lesson only once. Learning does not take hold if we fail to address the lesson again and to practice it repeatedly, frequently, and in different contexts.

You may be reading this book because you were intrigued by its reference to Our Irrational Side. We are rational beings and make decisions consistent with reason and logic, but we often find ourselves caught in the repercussions of irrational actions and decisions.

- Students will forego preparing for an examination knowing full well the consequence is a failing grade. Still, they convince themselves with the fallacy that they could still pass the test by cramming or cheating.

- Employers know the opportunity cost in turning away potentially outstanding applicants because of a first impression bias, yet they repeat the habit.

- Consumers make purchases that they had no intention of making because they were swayed by celebrities and influencers posing as authorities. All of us have been there and had subsequently experienced buyers remorse.

It is not easy to constantly think and act logically. We are the product of different cultures, experiences, educational backgrounds, and upbringing. We are each equipped with different sets of values and beliefs that combine our upbringing and social environment. Yet, logic is objective, scientific, coldly discerning. Sound reasoning often leads to one solution, the right solution.

Sound reasoning has its benefits. A right-thinking student will hit the books before an exam. Employers will recruit the best applicants based on merit after careful deliberation. And consumers will realize that models, actors, and television personalities cannot replace real engineers, physicians, and similar experts.

This book aims to help everyday people make sound everyday decisions. It discusses:

• Why people repeatedly make logical mistakes.
• What logical principles and tools can help us reason better.
• What formal and informal logical fallacies we frequently encounter, and how we can address them.
• What biases we are most prone to have, and how we can minimize them.
• What steps we can take to think logically as a habit.

The book provides a pragmatic description of the fundamental logical concepts and the most frequently encountered fallacies and biases that impact our daily decisions.

The author has a doctorate and has taught in college and graduate school for 40 years. Outside the academe, she has had field experience in business management, engineering, law, finance, and marketing. She has been married for 35 years and has raised three children, now professionals in their own right. Her wealth of experience and academic foundation enable this books grounded approach through straightforward explanations and everyday examples.

This book is designed for the average readers who want to apply logic to their everyday lives, to tame the heated mind enough to relish the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic. It is a journey towards mastering the skill of sound reasoning.

Are you ready to take the journey with us?

A man walks into a bar and says to his favorite bartender. Jim, give me a stiff one. I cant stand going home to my wife this early. All she does is nag, nag, nag without making any sense, and I cant get a word in.

Jim says, Bob, Lettys just bored. I got my Emma to attend evening classes on embroidery, and now shes too busy with her cross-stitching to get on my case. Bob thought that was a great idea.