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The Illogic Primer is an adapted version of Stephen Downes' excellent catalog of logical fallacies. A good grasp of these all too common rhetorical devices and logical errors is indispensable in improving one's own thinking and seeing the faulty reasoning in bad arguments. The Illogic Primer is still in development, but is marginally useful in its current form.
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Recipe for Conversation
Nathan Jacobson (Afterall.net, 2001. Revised June 2007)
Personally, there are few things I relish more than a ranging conversation with friends over an overflowing plate of supreme nachos. And, graciously, it is in this intrinsically good thing that lies the promise of truths that can set us free. Dialogue is no panacea, of course. In and of itself, it cannot usher in peace and goodwill on earth. Indeed, very often grudges and misunderstandings find their breeding ground here. Still, good conversation is the best thing on the menu. So what makes any old conversation a good conversation? I’d like to suggest a few essential ingredients, mostly learned from the unsavory taste of foot-in-mouth. Take these insights with a grain — or a dash — of salt. > Read More (3238 words)