Logic Lessons: An Introduction
I want to talk about logic. Everyone uses logic (even the people who seem like they don’t), but not very many people understand what it is. One look at social media shows many people who think they understand logic, and even some who consider themselves masters of it, but are they masters of logic or masters of arguing? Plenty of people can make convincing arguments using poor logic (more on this later). This post will be the start of a series I’m doing on logic, argumentation, bias, and common logical fallacies. This will not be a set of consecutive articles, but rather a series I add posts to occasionally. They will all be tagged with “logic lessons” for future reference.
Before I get started, I want to say I’m not an official expert on logic. I have, however, taken multiple math and ethics classes covering the topic. I’ve also grown up as a left-winger in the South and been a Black person on the Internet for over twenty-five years. This forced me deal with the logic of others and refine my own reasoning skills through the “free exchange of ideas” (which isn’t as free as people would like to believe). Additionally, I have worked multiple jobs that required me to advocate for my points of view using evidence and convince others to do what I’ve asked. This included serving in leadership positions. So while I’m not officially an expert, I believe I have enough experience to speak accurately about the topic.
What is logic? Logic is how we understand reality and ascertain truth. How do decide if need to buy more chicken? How do we determine if a potential treatment for disease will be effective? How do we know if what we’re feeling is just in our heads or based on something real? Logic! While it can be applied incorrectly, it’s the best tool we have for making sense out of a seemingly nonsense universe!
But who cares? Why bother writing a series of articles about this? Because logic is essential for critical thinking. How do you know if something someone tells you is true or false? Through logic! Learning about logic gives you the ability to discern fact from fiction. It also makes it more difficult to manipulate you. Some people are very convincing. They can tell you something that sounds good and unfortunately humans are biased towards ideas they want to be true [1]. Logic will allow you to see that while what this person says sounds good, their arguments contain multiple logical fallacies and therefore should be disregarded. While being fooled could only be a minor annoyance, it can sometimes have serious consequences. For example, the coup attempted on January 6, 2021 happened because people were either unwilling or unable to apply logic to what they had read on the Internet or heard on the news. That’s why logic is important!
Most of what I will write comes from the knowledge I’ve obtained through over two decades of higher education, personal/professional experience, and independent research. However, some of what I will discuss is traceable. That’s why I will be including sources in every article, like the one I cited below. To make it easier for everyone interested in reading this series, I will also update this post with links to each installment.
Sources:
[1] “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by Adam Grant
Links to other articles in the series: