Start Here
Learn the easiest differences first so the rest of the library makes sense fast.
What Brain Bugs Are
Brain Bugs are common thinking traps. Some are mistakes in argument. Some are shortcuts the mind uses too fast. Some are patterns in self-talk that make a problem feel bigger or more hopeless than it is.
Everyone gets them sometimes. The point is not blame. The point is to notice the bug sooner.
The Easiest Differences to Learn First
Fallacy
A weak move in an argument. The reasoning breaks even if the speaker sounds confident.
Bias
A mental tilt. The mind favors some evidence, stories, or impressions more than it should.
Heuristic
A fast rule of thumb. It can help, but it can also mislead when the situation is more complex.
Why everyone gets them sometimes
Brains like speed. Brains like familiar stories. Brains also like belonging, winning, and saving effort. Those are useful traits, but they create blind spots.
That is why Brain Bugs show up in school, meetings, family arguments, shopping choices, and even good-faith teamwork.
Beginner Learning Path
1. Spot the personal attack
Start with a fallacy that appears everywhere: attacking the person instead of the claim.
2. Notice the favorite-story filter
Learn how the mind protects the answer it already wants.
3. Catch the bad choice that keeps growing
See how past cost can trick people into more loss.
Most Common Bugs to Learn First
- Attacking the Person shows up in debates, meetings, and comment threads.
- Straw Man happens when someone rewrites a point into a weaker version.
- Confirmation Bias makes people cherry-pick proof.
- Bandwagon Fallacy turns popularity into fake proof.
- Black-and-White Thinking erases the middle ground.