Articles
Long-form pieces on logic, rhetoric, and the ways arguments go wrong.
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The Fallacies That Run Political Debate
Political argument rewards winning the room over reaching the truth, and that incentive breeds a predictable set of fallacies. Here they are.
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The Genetic Fallacy: Why 'Look Who Funded It' Isn't an Argument
Source-based reasoning is everywhere online. Here's the line between sensible skepticism and dismissing a claim because of where it came from.
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No True Scotsman: Why Redefining a Category Doesn't Save the Claim
How the no-true-Scotsman move redefines a category to dodge a counterexample, five balanced modern examples, and the disputes that aren't this.
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Tu Quoque vs Ad Hominem vs Genetic Fallacy: A Clear Guide
Three fallacies all attack the source instead of the argument. Here is how to tell ad hominem, tu quoque, and the genetic fallacy apart.
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How to Counter a Gish Gallop in a Debate or Comment Thread
Four practical ways to handle someone who buries you in claims faster than anyone could refute them, plus a self-check for whether you do it.
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What Is a Motte-and-Bailey Argument? (With Modern Examples)
How the motte-and-bailey move works, three modern examples, and how to spot the swap in your own writing before someone else does.
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Whataboutism: What It Is, Why It Fails, and How to Argue Better
What whataboutism is, why it doesn't work as a reply, and how to answer a critique without changing the subject.
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A Field Guide to Spotting Bad Arguments
Most bad arguments fall into a handful of recognizable families. Learn to name them, starting with the ones you make yourself.
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Using fallacy.is in a Discussion: A Short Guide
How to use fallacy.is short links to point at a pattern in a discussion without writing a paragraph, when it's helpful, and when to skip it.
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How to Have Better Arguments Online
Online arguments rarely change the mind across from you. They can still clarify the question for everyone watching, and that's the version worth playing for.