LaserLogic

Spot Bad Reasoning

LaserLogic catches arguments that sound wise but hide flawed logic. It exposes hidden assumptions and logical fallacies.

Arguments that sound wise but hide flawed logic. “Common wisdom” often contains false equivalences, missing variables, and unexamined assumptions.

Example

Claim: “Renting is throwing money away”

Without LaserLogic:

“Building equity is generally better long-term.”

With LaserLogic:

HIDDEN ASSUMPTIONS EXPOSED:

1. FALSE EQUIVALENCE
   Rent = 100% goes to housing (you get shelter)
   Mortgage = 60-80% goes to INTEREST (also "thrown away")
   → Early mortgage payments are mostly interest, not equity

2. MISSING VARIABLES
   - Down payment could be invested in S&P 500 (7-10% annual return)
   - Transaction costs: 6% realtor fees when selling
   - Maintenance: 1-2% of home value annually
   - Property taxes: ongoing cost that renters don't pay
   - Insurance: typically higher for owners
   - Opportunity cost of capital tied up in house

3. ASSUMES APPRECIATION
   "Houses always go up" — ask anyone who bought in 2007
   → Real estate is local and cyclical

4. IGNORES FLEXIBILITY
   Rent: 30 days to leave
   Own: 6+ months to sell, 6% transaction costs
   → Flexibility has economic value

5. SURVIVORSHIP BIAS
   You hear from people who made money on houses
   You don't hear from people who lost money

VERDICT: "Renting is throwing money away" is OVERSIMPLIFIED
Breakeven typically requires 5-7 years in same location.
The right answer depends on your specific situation.

Usage

CLI

# Direct invocation
rk-core laserlogic "Renting is throwing money away"

# Check specific argument
rk-core laserlogic "You should follow your passion" --check-fallacies

Rust API

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
use reasonkit::thinktools::LaserLogic;

let laser = LaserLogic::new()
    .check_fallacies(true)
    .check_assumptions(true);

let result = laser.analyze("Renting is throwing money away").await?;

for flaw in result.flaws {
    println!("{}: {}", flaw.category, flaw.explanation);
}
}

Fallacy Detection

LaserLogic identifies common logical fallacies:

Fallacy	Description	Example
False equivalence	Treating unlike things as equal	“Rent = waste, mortgage = investment”
Missing variables	Ignoring relevant factors	Ignoring maintenance costs
Survivorship bias	Only seeing successes	“My friend got rich from real estate”
Sunk cost fallacy	Over-valuing past investment	“I’ve spent too much to quit now”
Appeal to authority	Trusting credentials over logic	“Experts say…”
Hasty generalization	Too few examples	“Everyone I know…”
False dichotomy	Only two options when more exist	“Buy or rent” (ignore: rent and invest)

Configuration

[thinktools.laserlogic]
# Check for logical fallacies
fallacy_detection = true

# Analyze hidden assumptions
assumption_analysis = true

# Show mathematical breakdowns where applicable
show_math = true

# Severity threshold (0.0 - 1.0)
min_severity = 0.3

Output Format

{
    "tool": "laserlogic",
    "claim": "Renting is throwing money away",
    "flaws": [
        {
            "category": "false_equivalence",
            "severity": 0.8,
            "description": "Treating rent and mortgage interest as different",
            "explanation": "Early mortgage payments are 60-80% interest",
            "counter": "Both rent and interest provide shelter value"
        }
    ],
    "verdict": {
        "classification": "oversimplified",
        "confidence": 0.85,
        "nuance": "True under specific conditions (5-7 year horizon, stable location)"
    }
}

Best Practices

Question cliches — If advice is short and catchy, it’s probably oversimplified.
Follow the math — Many “wisdom” claims fall apart when you do the actual calculation.
Ask “compared to what?” — Every choice has an alternative. What’s being compared?
Look for hidden variables — What factors is the argument ignoring?

Common Myths LaserLogic Exposes

“A college degree always pays off”
“You can’t time the market”
“Networking is everything”
“Hard work always pays off”
“Early is always better than late”

GigaThink — First explore angles, then check logic
ProofGuard — After checking logic, verify facts

ReasonKit Documentation