Beware of Logical Fallacies when Seeking the Truth

Updated July 13, 2022

Throughout my years as a mental health professional, I have made it part of my mission to educate people to be smart consumers. I believe that knowledge of how the mind works gives us true power, and that when a person takes the time to learn the facts about any given situation they will be better equipped to make informed decisions. True freedom of mind means that the “locus of control” for your life is within yourself and not with some external authority–someone else or some institution. How to think clearly and analyze words and claims is an essential tool in mature citizenship. The “big lie” when told by an authority figure who states it as a fact can be independently researched and neutralized, but there are more subtle errors of reasoning, that most people are not taught to recognize and refute.