Fables for a Young Skeptic

(book in progress)

A deer came upon a hidden vineyard, and delighted at the sight of hill after hill of delicious grapes. Cautiously remaining half-hidden in the forest, she reached toward the nearest bunch and took an exploratory bite. Unknown to her, the
fruit she sampled hung beneath a pine tree and was
tainted with the bitter, sticky sap. "Ugh! These are
terrible! Why would anyone grow such a distasteful
crop?" Puckering her lips and wincing in disgust, she
turned and ran off, never to return…and never to
realize her mistake.

Moral: Beware of hasty generalizations.

In the tradition of Aesop, this project frames lessons
about critical thinking in natural allegories. Critical
thinking and formal logic, when they are taught as
fields in their own right, are complex enough to demand
considerable sophistication on the part of the student. As
a result, such classes are not taught until some time in
college, and even then, as electives in a philosophy major,
where most students don’t go. By then, many habits of sloppy
reasoning are deeply entrenched and will never be extracted.

If we are going to teach critical thinking, we must start earlier and frame the principles in more approachable terms. This project is my attempt at that.

Presently there are about 40 illustrated fables. The book will probably be published as a small hardcover, with high-quality pen & ink art.