An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments

An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments is a free, scrollable primer on logical fallacies by Ali Almossawi, with illustrations by Alejandro Giraldo. Each compact lesson puts a reasoning error beside examples and a memorable animal scene, making abstract mistakes easier to spot later.

What is An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments?

The book takes a dry-sounding assignment - learn how arguments fail - and gives it a sly illustrated field guide. Short entries move from terms and definitions to examples of equivocation, false dilemmas, slippery slopes, appeals to authority, and other familiar traps. Giraldo's large-headed creatures keep the pages from feeling like lecture notes, but the whimsy is doing real work: it gives each mistake a visual hook. A glossary and bibliography add enough structure to turn a casual scroll into a useful reference without pretending this compact collection replaces a full logic course.

What you can do there

• Read 19 concise introductions to common reasoning errors
• Pair each explanation with a memorable animal illustration

Why we picked it

It is rare to find an entire useful book sitting openly on one uncluttered web page. The combination of concise prose, mischievous animals, and recognizable argumentative blunders makes it easy to read one entry for fun and leave with a sharper diagnostic tool.

How to get the most from it

Read the opening terms first, then take the fallacies in small batches. After each entry, try to invent a fresh example from an advertisement, meeting, or online argument; the lesson sticks better when the animal scene becomes your memory cue rather than the final word.

Good to know

The online edition is free and carries a Creative Commons BY-NC license, while print and audio editions are separate. The drawings can suggest a children's book, but the reasoning and references fit teens and adults better. Current retailer, translation, and accessibility details were not fully checked.

Who made it, and when?

Ali Almossawi is the credited creator or organization. The earliest supported launch date we found is July 2013.