Alt. Title: Rules of Academic Logical Reasoning (W/out Going to University) Something that has served me very well over the years is studying *how to think*. Part of that is exploring both sides of every argument, fully and completely. Even ones that seem downright obvious at the outset. “Is the earth actually flat?” is a great way to stretch your mind. For the past several months I have been preparing to launch a social project coming soon. I’ll be producing videos help young people develop the mental tools to think critically (without going to university). In order to improve thinking, and even understand modern issues, it helps to know “rules of the game” first. 👉🏼 Today’s essay is an intro into: logical reasoning & fallacies 🥳 You know when you're going back and forth with someone and you feel strong-armed?... Or like they intellectually cheated..but you just can't put your finger on it? That's what you'll learn how to put in to words, with academics on your side. I've taken the most important rules of reasoning and distilled it into today's essay with modern examples of where you'll see them (or not see them, lol). Never enter a fight if you don't know the rules! And now you will. Oh, but you're not a fighter...more of the "don't talk about it at dinner type"? That's great. You still need to know how logical reasoning works you'll keep being sold shit you don't need (metaphorically and literally). When I learned these rules I could properly analyze my beliefs and realized how much of them were paper thin. (Ironically, some even got strengthened even though the logic has undeniable holes!.. Faith, you know?) This is the foundation of understanding whether an idea is strong, or just sounds strong. It’s a peak into how conclusions are misrepresented. Most importantly, it’s how you can strengthen your own ideas and avoid being backed into agreeing to things that just don't make sense.