How can you tell is something is being argued with reason or rhetoric? And what is the difference between reason and rationalization?

Reasoning means employing tools like facts, critical thinking, logic and common sense in building an argument. Like a building, if it’s well constructed, it may stand up on its own.

Using the same analogy, rationalizing is more like building a movie set. It looks like a solid argument, but it’s just a facade, creatively arranged to feel like an argument.

One important clue; if you’re rationalizing, there’s always an explanation. If you’re using reason, you can admit that you don’t know something, or that you’re wrong.

More to come...