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‘An Illustrated Book Of Bad Arguments’: Dispatching the Dumb, One Funny Animal at a Time
09.08.2013
11:03 am
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Software designer Ali Almossawi has been moonlighting as the author of this wonderful primer on the logical fallacies that have been screwing up our thinking and our argument construction since shortly after the invention of dirt. While that information is copiously available both in intro philosophy courses and, naturally, online, such sources are often dry, laden with jargony academese, and pitifully bereft of the marvelous work of illustrator Alejandro Giraldo. The writing is tight, sharp, and accessible enough that it might (MIGHT) actually penetrate the dense, reality-repellent cranium of any given straw-man enthusiast posting Alex Jones links to your Facebook feed.
 

 
From Almossawi’s introduction:

This book is aimed at newcomers to the field of logical reasoning, particularly those who, to borrow a phrase from Pascal, are so made that they understand best through visuals. I have selected a small set of common errors in reasoning and visualized them using memorable illustrations that are supplemented with lots of examples. The hope is that the reader will learn from these pages some of the most common pitfalls in arguments and be able to identify and avoid them in practice.

 

 

 
The work is currently being supported by an online tip jar and distributed under a Creative Commons license, but the site claims that a print edition is forthcoming.

And because it is inconceivable to me to post about argument without including this, please enjoy, for what surely must be the thousandnth time in your life, Monty Python’s classic “Argument Clinic” sketch. It’s still amazing, no?
 

 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Comedian’s hysterically funny ‘Hotel Graffiti’ blog: ‘If you’re reading this it’s already too late’
Quality vs. quantity in life: Man’s touching and inspirational speech about what’s really important
Neil Innes on The Rutles, ‘working’ with Lennon & McCartney and being impersonated by Elvis!

Posted by Ron Kretsch
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09.08.2013
11:03 am
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