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6 Good Reasons To Study Logic & All aBOUT LOGIC

Studying logic provides several benefits: 1) It enhances critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills. 2) It improves conceptual ability by helping to eliminate erroneous concepts. 3) Logic is foundational to understanding language and communication between people. Understanding logic helps develop clearer concepts and conceptual frameworks.

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
353 views10 pages

6 Good Reasons To Study Logic & All aBOUT LOGIC

Studying logic provides several benefits: 1) It enhances critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills. 2) It improves conceptual ability by helping to eliminate erroneous concepts. 3) Logic is foundational to understanding language and communication between people. Understanding logic helps develop clearer concepts and conceptual frameworks.

Uploaded by

Jay Jay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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6 Good Reasons to Study Logic

Why Analyzing Arguments Is Good for You


Symbolic Logic Is Fun
Studying basic symbolic logic is rather like learning a new language, but one with
a small vocabulary and just a few rules of grammar. You learn to do all sorts of
things with these new symbols: you use them to analyze the logic of ordinary
sentences, to test arguments for validity, and to construct proofs for complex
arguments whose validity isn't obvious. The exercises that help you become adept
at these things are like puzzles, so if you like Futoshiki or sudoku you'll probably
love logic. 

Knowing Whether an Argument Is Valid or Invalid Is a Valuable Skill


Logic is essentially the study of reasoning or argumentation. We all use reason all
the time to draw inferences that are useful to us. If our car won't start, we reason
that the battery may be dead. So we test the battery. If the battery isn't dead, then
we deduce the problem must lie elsewhere, perhaps with the starter motor. So we
check the starter motor. And so on. In this example the reasoning is simple, but
sometimes chains of reasoning can become quite complicated. Training ourselves
to construct good arguments and to spot bad ones is a skill that is useful in just
about every field as well as in everyday life. It helps steer us toward truth and away
from falsehood.
03
of 06
Good Logic Is an Effective Tool of Persuasion

The art of persuasion is called rhetoric. Rhetoric, like logic, used to be an essential


part of the liberal arts curriculum. Sadly, neither is usually required any longer, and
rhetoric has given way to Composition 101. Rhetoric can encompass just about any
means of persuasion short of bribery, blackmail, or physical violence. It includes,
for instance, appeals to emotion, provocative images, or clever wordplay. There's
no doubt that these can be persuasive; but so can good cogent reasoning. We're not
saying that good arguments will always win the day over clever rhetoric: human
beings are not Vulcans like Mr. Spock. But in the long run, good arguments will
usually come out on top.

Studying Logic Helps You to Spot Fallacies


Fallacious thinking abounds in our culture. Politicians, pundits, advertisers, and
corporate spokespersons attack straw men, appeal to majority opinion, pursue red
herrings, or reject a view because of something they dislike about the person who
holds it. Familiarity with common fallacies of this sort helps make one a more
critical reader, listener, and thinker.
Logic Is a Foundational Discipline
Logic is foundational to any field that makes use of arguments. It has especially
close connections to mathematics, computer science, and philosophy. Both
Aristotelian logic and modern symbolic logic are impressive bodies of knowledge
that constitute major intellectual achievements.
Clear Thinking Makes One a Better Citizen
Dubious techniques of persuasion, such as "criticizing" a candidate's views by
showing an unflattering image of them, are used especially in election campaigns.
They are no doubt sometimes effective, but that is no reason for preferring them to
good clear argumentation. On the contrary, it's why we need logical thinking more
than ever. 

Lesson 2
What is the importance of studying logic?
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17 Answers

Jack Fooden, former Chef De Cuisine (1992-2015)


Answered Jul 5 2017
Logic is an important subject because it teaches relation. This has far reaching
effects beyond mathematics, where it is often studied.
It teaches deductive reasoning, such as the difference between reason and fallacy.
For example, while it may be true that all rich people have money, it is not true that
all people who have money are rich.
It also allows you to utilize deductive reasoning to interpret statements such as
“Four out of five ____ agree that _______.”
While this statement appears to be founded in statistics, it actually leaves out just
how many were asked the question that led to the results. That is, there is a
difference between 4 out of 5 and 80 out of 100, even though they are the same
percentage; 4 out of 5 tricks the mind to be “better” than 80 out of 100, because
there is less gap between the numbers.
It enforces critical thinking. I recall from my high school math class that taught
logic : “Critical thinking is the desire to seek, the patience to doubt, the fondness to
meditate, and the slowness to assert” – Francis Bacon (1605).
When using critical thinking, you seek out information, not settling for what is
given. Take the previous example of “4 out of 5.” Seeking information allows you
to question how many people were surveyed, and what their relation to the
question is. It allows you to open yourself to ask what may have influenced their
answer.
The patience to doubt opens one to question the information, instead of just taking
it for fact. “The sun will rise tomorrow” may be a fact, but doubting it allows you
to deductively verify or disprove that statement.
The fondness to meditate allows a person the ability to pause and think about the
information presented, instead of just reacting.
The slowness to assert allows one to think about the information they are
presenting, or presented, and analyze it in a meaningful way.
Example:
All birds have feathers. (TRUE)
Turkeys have feathers. (TRUE)
Therefore, all birds are turkeys. (FALSE). (A chicken is a bird, and is not a turkey)
Logic teaches us that
what IS true is that All turkeys are birds.
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Related QuestionsMore Answers Below
What is logic and its importance of studying it as a student?
How important is logic?
Why is logic important for life?
Why is logic important in everyday life?
What do we study in logic?
Harry B Marcoux, Research Student
Answered May 11, 2016 · Author has 197 answers and 358.5k answer views
Originally Answered: Why study logic?
Logic is about both how the world works and how we think. If there were not such
commonality then it is hard to see how we could understand or even function in the
world. Logic is more than just the ability to solve problems and make valid
reasoning's, although, it is true that studying logic will help you reason. The real
difference between us and animals is our conceptual ability, the lizard sunning
itself on a rock has no concept of rock, see no similarity between one rock and
another. Such conceptual ability develops somewhere as animals become more
advanced but really only develops highly with the development of language. It is
conceptual ability that allows language and language enhances conceptual ability.
Logic is the framework upon which language hangs that allows the, inherently
meaningless sounds, convey meaning between speakers of a language.
Understanding logic helps to form a finer conceptual "grain" and to eliminate
erroneous concepts and conceptual frameworks 
 
So advantages of studying logic 
 
Enhances problem solving ability 
Enhances reasoning ability 
Enhances critical facilities 
Enhances conceptual ability
So, you're a bright-eyed freshman college student looking to fill in the schedule for
your first year on campus. After signing up for a few of the obvious choices
(English Composition, College Algebra, American History, etc.), you want to
know if there's something else you should be taking to round out the fundamentals
—those first-year classes that will lay the foundation for the rest of your college
experience.
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This is important.
You ought to think it over logically.
It seems easy to make the case that English and math are must-take first-year
classes (although, admittedly, it would have been hard for me to explain the value
of algebra as a college freshman myself). You may even want to include Speech or
Communication in this list, given how often the task of, you know, talking to other
people seems to pop up.
One class that most likely does not appear on your radar as indispensable is
introductory logic. But this is an oversight, and an illogical one at that. Taking a
course in basic logic or critical thinking will yield real and immediate returns that
impact your life in and out of the classroom. Here are four reasons why you should
sign up for an intro to logic course sooner rather than later.
1. Logic is a foundational discipline.
“The skills you take away from a semester of introductory logic, you can bring
with you to literally every other class of your college career.”
Logic can be a highly specialized field that deals in weird, arcane symbols. This
might give the mathematically disinclined the heebie-jeebies. But, at its most basic
level, logic is all about arguments. An argument—not the kind you have with your
roommate over what to eat for dinner—is a chain of reasoning that connects certain
claims to certain conclusions. Whether you're an astrophysicist, a moral
philosopher, a web designer, a baseball pitcher, a social worker, a parent, or a
panhandler, you make or make use of arguments all the time. Logic helps to render
these arguments transparent; it uncovers their strengths and flaws.
The foundational character of logic makes it a great exercise for the development
of what researchers call metacognition, i.e. the capacity to think about your
thinking. Since this kind of thinking is about the process of thinking itself and not
about any specific task or topic, practicing it in the relatively sterile confines of the
logic classroom will only serve to sharpen your reasoning for other, less abstract
applications. Thus, the skills you take away from a semester of introductory logic,
you can bring with you to literally every other class of your college career.
Considering law school, grad school, or an MBA program? Solid exposure to the
principles of logic will assist you in acing the LSAT, GMAT, or GRE.
2. Logic can help you evaluate your own beliefs.
Knowing whether your beliefs are "valid" or not—if your reasons really buy you
what you think they do—is an invaluable skill. But it's a skill that takes practice,
and often more than a little guidance. Most introductory logic courses offer such
metacognitive guidance as their primary goal. Need to reassess the premises
behind your support for political candidate X? Want to make sure the interpretive
paper you're working on for a freshman literature class stands up to logical
scrutiny? Are you now vaguely uncertain about religious convictions that formerly
seemed obviously true? The principles and habits exercised in an elementary logic
class apply equally well to academic and extra-academic problem-solving pursuits.
The clearer you can be about your own reasons for adopting certain values and
reaching certain conclusions, the better. This remains true in the classroom,
boardroom, courtroom, and living room.
 Tweet this!
Take logic early on in your college career to reap the maximum benefits.
Training in the principles of logic helps to clarify assumptions, beliefs, opinions,
values, hopes, and fears—in short: the basic content of your mental life. Getting
clear about what you hold as true is useful for a number of reasons. Even if the
belief-system you subscribe to survives careful rational scrutiny, the process of
scrutiny itself yields a deeper, more nuanced understanding of your convictions.
Deep understanding has a long shelf life and tends to transfer well to other areas
whose connection to the original problem may not be obvious. Experts say learning
is primarily a matter of building connections and pathways between heterogeneous
ideas. Fortunately, there's a college class dedicated to the practice and study of just
this very thing. Take logic early on in your college career to reap the maximum
benefits.
3. Logic can help you to be more persuasive.
When you're clearer about the content of your mental life, you can more effectively
communicate that content to others. Rhetoric is an ancient art that studies
techniques of persuasion and effective communication in general. Students of
Communication know that "logos"—logical argumentation—is just one of three
basic rhetorical strategies, along with "pathos" (emotional connection to the
audience), and "ethos" (having a credible character). One can certainly enjoy
success as a persuasive communicator on the basis of sympathy or reputation
alone. However, deficiency in "logos" tends to make such success relatively short-
lived.
In the long run, demonstrably valid inferences are more likely to withstand the
pressure of counter-arguments. A skilled rhetorician can easily pull the proverbial
rug out from under arguments that rely on coercion, intimidation, or appeals to
emotion. Typically it is enough to simply identify pathos-heavy arguments as such
in order to sap much of their persuasive vigor. Pointing out that an argument is
"too logical" doesn't tend to have the same effect. Why not? Emotional appeals
work wonderfully on those with sympathetic or easy-to-anger dispositions, but not
everyone is warm, caring, or prone to righteous indignation. The force of logical
inference, on the other hand, transcends widely varying, subjective emotional
tendencies towards something like "objective" truth, or that which remains true
regardless of who is thinking it. Moreover, emotions like pity, anger, or fear are
more likely to work rhetorically when supported by logical arguments that are
capable of standing on their own. Whether you're debating with classmates in a
political science class, lobbying a professor for a better grade, or trying to sway
your parents to pay for that backpacking trip in Europe, the ability to communicate
valid inferences will serve you well in a variety of contexts.
4. Logic can help you spot fallacies.
You live in a media-saturated world where you're constantly bombarded on all
sides by efforts to move you in one direction or another. Politicians, advertisers,
media pundits, lawyers, professors, etc. are all trying to convince you to buy what
they're selling. We've already seen how introductory logic can help you clarify
your own beliefs and communicate persuasively, but it's equally practical for
clarifying and judging the rationality of others' claims.
“As a foundational discipline, logic exercises skills and habits that are pertinent to
virtually every other human endeavor, academic and otherwise.”
A "fallacy" is an error in reasoning that is common enough to warrant a name for
it. In logic, there are "formal" fallacies and "informal" ones. As the name suggests,
a "formal" fallacy is a bad inference whose badness has to do with the
abstract formor structure of the logical argument. While interesting and important,
these fallacies occur so infrequently and in such dry contexts that we needn't
consider them here. It's really the "informal" variety of fallacious reasoning that
you want to know about, since it involves the specific content of arguments, not
just the symbolic language in which that content is represented. Even very smart
people sometimes commit informal fallacies.
Here are a few examples:
"My dad bought a Buick once and its transmission had all kinds of problems.
Buicks must be terrible cars." While it could be true that Buicks are terrible cars,
the sample size of one Buick is not sufficient to support this conclusion. This is
called a hasty generalization.
"Bob is arguing that teachers ought to receive better pay, but he's a narcoleptic jerk
so we shouldn't pay him any attention." This is an argument ad hominem or against
the person. Say what you want about Bob's personality or sleep-proneness, but it
shouldn't have any bearing on the cogency of his argument.
"Either we supply our cops with military-grade equipment, or we sit back and
watch the crime in our society skyrocket." This is a false dichotomy, a false
dilemma, or an example of black and white thinking. Beyond straightforward
manipulation or fear-mongering, there is rarely a reason to reduce a diverse range
of possibilities or consequences to a simple binary.
The ability to identify fallacies like these where and when they pop up can save
you time, money, integrity, and self-respect.
***
A semester of introductory logic yields great returns for both the classroom and
everyday life. Taking logic alongside more traditional freshman courses like
composition or college algebra can give you a real leg-up as you transition to
advanced coursework. As a foundational discipline, logic exercises skills and
habits that are pertinent to virtually every other human endeavor, academic and
otherwise. The metacognitive skills developed in basic logic can assist you in
becoming a clearer, more persuasive thinker and communicator. Finally, the
training you'll receive in an elementary logic class in spotting informal fallacies
will help you to preserve your sanity and dignity in our increasingly media-
saturated, sound-byte punctuated world.

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