Critical thinking basics
November 9, 2009
An important part of being able to think critically is being able to spot logical fallacies, which are errors in reasoning. You need to ensure that you don’t use them in your thinking and debating, and you need to be able to spot them in other people’s arguments.
The Nizkor Project, a web site dedicated to refuting Holocaust deniers, offers a useful listing of 42 logical fallacies, providing definitions and examples of each. Don’t let anyone get away with using the slippery slope or appeal to ridicule fallacies, for example, on your watch!
