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Notes on reading arguments closely: how persuasion works, where reasoning slips, and what software can and cannot tell you about it.
How to read a persuasive text in five passes
A simple method for reading an op-ed, speech or post closely: find the claim, the reasons, the gaps, the pressure and the missing side.
Ad hominem or name-calling? Why the difference matters
An insult is not always an ad hominem. The fallacy is using the attack as a reason to reject a claim. Here is how to tell them apart.
Quoted is not committed: reading propaganda inside news reports
A news report that quotes a politician's loaded words is not itself using loaded language. How to separate what a text says from what it reports.
Whataboutism, tu quoque and red herrings: three ways to change the subject
Three common ways to avoid answering a criticism, how they differ, and what a fair reply looks like.
What a fallacy finder can and cannot tell you
Automatic checks are good at pointing to wording worth a second look. They cannot settle whether an argument is fair. How to use one well.