Why Learn Logic?
Why Study Logic?
FIRST
To the question what is more basic than the three R’s of Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic, we answer THOUGHT. To engage in any one of the three activities, you must think! Thinking, correctly done, follows rules. We think incorrectly, when we neglect those rules. The rules for correct thinking and methods for avoiding mistakes in reasoning belong to the subject of logic.
SECOND
The study of logic trains the mind to distinguish logical from emotional (psychological) appeals, which may be offered in support of a conclusion or a position. To opt for a course of action by confusing an emotional appeal with a logical appeal is to fall victim to incorrect thinking. It is a fallacy to accept an emotional inference as a necessary inference. Logic is the irreplaceable means for correct thinking and avoiding fallacious reasoning.
THIRD
The structure of man’s mind is the same as his Creator’s. God is not insane; He is a rational being, and the structure of God’s mind is logic. For these reasons, we say not only that logic is irreplaceable and universal, but logic is necessary and fixed. It is not one scheme of things among others. It is not optional. Man’s mind was formed on the principles of identity, excluded middle, and non-contradiction.
To repeat.
Three reasons for the study of logic are:
- Correct thinking requires it;
- Discerning minds necessarily depend on it; and
- Man is a rational being created in the image of his Creator.
Logic is Universal, Necessary, and Irreplaceable.
Man’s mind was formed on the principles of identity, excluded middle, and non-contradiction. These three laws or principles are the basis for all intelligible thought. Without them, all rational discourse vanishes. (Upcoming: Blogic Post on the Laws of Logic.)
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