Track Your Progress

Knowing whether you are improving is harder than practicing. Use these checks:

• Time yourself — note how long it takes to name an argument's weakest point; that gap should shrink over the weeks
• Keep a flaw log — jot down each fallacy you catch in the wild, then review which types you miss most
• Watch for two traps — calling something flawed only because you disagree with it, and waving through weak claims that happen to flatter your side

When your gut says "something is wrong," stop and name the specific problem. When it says "this is right," check whether you are responding to logic or to agreement.