Tools that turn
reading into reasoning
Build an argument, test it for weak spots and plan what to read next. Every tool runs in your browser and works alongside the guides.
Argument Mapper
Lay out premises and a conclusion, then test its validity.
Best for: essay planning, seminar prep
Open the mapper →Fallacy Finder
Practise naming the flaw in everyday reasoning.
Best for: critical thinking practice
Try it below ↓Thought Experiment Lab
Make a choice and see which tradition you sided with.
Best for: classroom discussion
Open the lab →Glossary
Terms like "a priori" explained in one sentence.
Best for: quick look-ups while reading
Open the glossary →Thinker Compare
Two philosophers side by side on one question.
Best for: revision, compare-and-contrast essays
Reading Path Builder
A reading order matched to your level and time.
Best for: self-study
Try it now
Fallacy Finder
Four arguments, four flaws. Read each one and pick the fallacy it commits.
- Ad hominem.
- Attacking the person, not the argument.
- False dilemma.
- Offering two options when more exist.
- Slippery slope.
- Claiming one step must lead to an extreme, without showing why.
- Straw man.
- Attacking a distorted version of a view.
"You can't trust his argument about taxes. He has been divorced twice."
How they fit together
From a question to
a finished argument
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Step 1
Understand the idea
Read the guide and look up unfamiliar words in the Glossary.
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Step 2
Test your intuition
Run the matching dilemma in the Thought Experiment Lab.
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Step 3
Build your argument
Set out your premises and conclusion in the Argument Mapper.
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Step 4
Check for flaws
Use what you practised in the Fallacy Finder to review your own reasoning.
Sources and further reading
The tools on this page are informed by established work in informal logic and philosophy education:
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Fallacies ↗ — comprehensive catalogue of informal and formal fallacies.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Thought Experiments ↗
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Argument ↗ — theory of argument structure and validity.
- PhilPapers — Logic ↗ — academic bibliography for logic and argumentation research.
Tools FAQ