LSAT Logic Applied

Andrew Leahey

“LSAT Logic Applied” breaks down everyday arguments in news, politics, and ads using the tools of LSAT logical reasoning. Learn to spot flawed assumptions, strengthen arguments, and think like a law student—without "prepping" for the test. Quick, clear, and a little nerdy.

Episodes

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Southern Fried Shrimp and Giant Quesadillas

    Zaxby’s says fans are craving the return of its Southern Fried Shrimp and Giant Quesadillas—so bringing them back is a no-brainer. But what, exactly, does that claim depend on? In this episode of LSAT Logic Applied, we use a real corporate press release from Zaxbys to break down a classic LSAT skill: identifying a necessary assumption—the unstated idea an argument must rely on to work at all. No politics, no policy. Just clean logic, marketing language, and the hidden reasoning that holds the argument together. If you’ve ever wondered how confident claims get their persuasive force, this episode shows you where to look.

    5 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    Stephen Miller Needs to Go

    We break down a real-world opinion piece on immigration enforcement to illustrate one of the LSAT’s most fundamental skills: identifying the main conclusion of an argument. Using a recent news column calling for the removal of a senior White House official, the episode shows how facts, narratives, and moral language can obscure the actual claim an author is trying to prove. By stripping the argument down LSAT-style, Andrew demonstrates how to separate premises from conclusions—and why confusing the two is one of the most common Logical Reasoning mistakes.

    5 min

  3. 2 FEB

    FTC v. Meta and the Moody Binary

    Today’s episode is about necessary assumptions — the unstated ideas an argument must rely on to reach its conclusion, even if no one ever says them out loud.

    6 min

  4. 29 JAN

    FCC Chair Worries About Competition

    FCC Chair Brendan Carr recently said there are “legitimate competition concerns” about Netflix’s proposed $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. studios and HBO Max. Here’s the twist: the FCC has no authority to review or approve the deal. The FCC regulates broadcast licenses, which aren’t part of this transaction. But Carr made public comments anyway, raising red flags about consolidation in the streaming market. And his comments were picked up as if they had regulatory teeth. So what’s the logical structure here — and where does it go wrong?

    4 min

  5. 26 JAN

    Lilliputian Figures and Undercooked Mushrooms

    The story comes from a BBC report about a mushroom called Lanmaoa asiatica — native to parts of China and the Philippines — that causes remarkably consistent hallucinations of “lilliputian figures”: tiny humans marching on tabletops, climbing up walls, even clinging to your soup spoon. These hallucinations only seem to happen when the mushroom is undercooked, and they’ve been reported across different cultures and time periods. So far, no one’s been able to identify the active compound, and researchers are still trying to explain why the visions are so consistent — both in content and duration. Some scientists suggest that the mushroom contains a unique hallucinogen. Others point to historical accounts of “mushroom madness” in Papua New Guinea that may involve the same species. And the assumption lurking underneath much of the coverage is this: The mushroom causes people to hallucinate tiny people.

    4 min

  6. 24 JAN

    Tariffs and Causal Claims

    The claim comes from Donald Trump, who has said, more than once, that tariffs made the United States the richest nation in the world. FactCheck.org pushed back on that — pointing to economic data and broader historical context that challenges the accuracy of the statement. But for LSAT purposes, we don’t need to resolve the economics. We’re not here to litigate macroeconomic history. We’re here to look at the logic of the claim — and that’s where things get interesting.

    4 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

“LSAT Logic Applied” breaks down everyday arguments in news, politics, and ads using the tools of LSAT logical reasoning. Learn to spot flawed assumptions, strengthen arguments, and think like a law student—without "prepping" for the test. Quick, clear, and a little nerdy.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Leahey
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Andrew Leahey
  • Show Website
    LSAT Logic Applied