Let's Think about this Logically
By Dr. Kim Johnson, Lukeion Logic Sage and Maths Expert
You may have seen Lester’s Logic Lounge offered at the Lukeion Project but been hesitant to enroll your students for various reasons. Maybe your learner has taken a few lessons on types of fallacies, and you think that is sufficient. Or maybe logic seems like a nice brainy topic for others with extra time but not right for your family. Maybe formal logic is something that is theoretically interesting, but not terribly applicable in the real world. Maybe the study of logic just hasn’t appeared on your radar at all!
Let’s explore the 3 main myths about studying formal logic.
Myth #1: You don’t need a formal logic course, it is enough to learn logical fallacies.
Logical fallacies are fun to learn, and they are important for maintaining clear thinking in this modern life. Advertisers, politicians, and everybody on the planet use a variety of wily methods to convince us to think, eat, watch, or buy things that may or may not be good for us. If we can recognize a bad argument when we see one, we are better prepared to defend ourselves against the “dark arts” of persuasion.
It is not enough to learn informal fallacies. Imagine if you were taught mathematics by learning only incorrect computations, or history if you were taught only events that didn’t occur. It is important to recognize falsehood, but it is also important to be able to construct and use correct reasoning. Formal logic begins with the beginnings of correct argument: definitions and statements. After mastering the basics, we consider how to put them together to make valid arguments. We analyze both good and bad arguments so we can recognize them in others and formulate them for ourselves.
Myth #2: Logic is only important for those following the classical philosophy of homeschooling.
Dorothy Sayers helped inspire today’s classical school of education with her essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning.” She praised education that had its basis in the Trivium, emphasizing three stages: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. Today, there are plenty of curricula and groups which subscribe to this idea. All of them suggest logic as one of the required courses during middle school years when a student has moved into the “logic” stage (usually around age 13 or 14 for many students).
Formal logic has its place in every educational philosophy, from traditional to unschooling. No matter what your child ends up studying before or after graduation, being able to create and understand sound arguments will help him or her.
Formal logic will help students in mathematics as well as philosophy, which focus on logical arguments. Students in the sciences also need to show the data they collect logically supports their hypotheses. Logic will help any student who must complete formal academic writing of any kind. He or she must analyze and explain sound theories based on data, regardless if that data is 17th century English authors or biology. Logic will help sociologists and psychologists develop studies that prove what they purport to show. Students in political science and economics need logic to create sound policies and then convince others that they are appropriate. The study of logic applies to every branch of higher learning.
Myth #3: Formal logic has no bearing on arguments in real life.
It is true that few arguments these days follow the classical syllogism form. The syllogistic argument goes like this:
- All men are mortal,
- Socrates was a man,
- Therefore, Socrates was mortal.
We start with finding the conclusion of an argument and separating it from the premises. Sometimes just doing this helps us to understand what is really going on in an argument! We look at how statements are related to each other. For example, two statements can be consistent without being logically equivalent, or contrary but not contradictory. We can link these statements into arguments.
In the end we move on to arguments, formally stated and informally stated. Since no one speaks in formal syllogisms, the end of formal logic is to analyze ordinary arguments. We first translate the arguments into formal language to get rid of the imprecision of ordinary language. Then, when we are sure we understand the terms and how they relate to each other, we can attack the argument itself and whether it is valid (which may or may not lead to a true conclusion) or sound (which has true premises, a valid argument, and a true conclusion).
After spending time in formal logic, most students start looking at the world from a new (and more logical) perspective. They may start translating everyday-sentences into logical form and explaining why the argument you make about whether they get more dessert is invalid. Don’t fear! The next step your student takes is effectively arguing points in a history class or an English paper.
Our textbook writers Nance and Wilson define logic as “the art and science of reasoning well.” In Lester’s Logic Lounge, we break down real-life arguments into their smallest components, put them together carefully, and analyze them in simple cases so that, when the complexity of reality breaks in, the student is prepared to respond with their mind instead of gut feelings. Don’t let these myths stop you from studying logic. The benefits of logic reach well beyond a single class and spread through students’ entire lives. We apologize in advance if your child starts making a much-improved case for more dessert.
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