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We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve. - Albert Einstein. Rationalism. Deductive logic & inductive logic. Example: A priest is at a party.
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We should take care not to make the intellect our god;it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.It cannot lead; it can only serve.- Albert Einstein
Rationalism Deductive logic & inductive logic
Example:A priest is at a party A. My first confession was a murderer B. Father I was your first ever confessionThus C. They have a murderer sitting at the table If A & B are true, then C must also be true.
The advantage of approach is that you can create new knowledge just with the power of your own mind. You don’t need evidence.
Rationalist approachthat we can ascertain truth by the process of thinking and reflection alone.
Deductive LogicGiven the truth of some information, then the conclusion must also be true. A. All humans are mortalB. I am humanthusC. I am mortal Leads from general to specific
Inductive LogicLeads from several specific observations to a general conclusion Example: There are heavy grey clouds in the sky, it will rain today Example: All swans are white.
‘the problem of induction’ This is incredibly imprecise way of thinking, but also the most common. Why are we willing to accept it?
Lucky streaks • Why do people believe? • Because it works for us most of the time • Because we want to see patterns in life.
Because it’s how we learned about the world. It’s very troubling – because it’s a very poor way to ascertain truth Thus We must learn how to use it better
Problems with deductive logic • No monkeys are soldiers • All monkeys are smelly • Some smelly creatures aren’t soldiers Problem Logic is not always easy to see.
Problem People tend to naturally embellish, make assumptions, & jump to conclusions. For a deduction to be correct:- the premises must be true - and the logic must be true
Problem Definitions, e.g. Art Define ‘bachalor’
Anthony is seventeen. He attends school & lives with his parents. Charles & Chris are a gay couple who have lived together for 20 years. They cannot be married by law. Edward is married to a woman who paid him $25,000 to get married so she could get citizenship. They will divorce as soon as she has citizenship. They live together but he dates other woman. Father Francis is a catholic priest.
If we can’t agree on terms then our argument is about definitions, not about logic. This is a very common mistake. e.g. does explicit violence on TV effect children’s behaviour?
Logic & Lateral thinking Logical thinking constructs a chain of reasoning. ExampleA man walks into a bar, and asks the bartender for a drink of water. The bartender pulls out a gun, points it at the man. The man says "Thank you" and leaves. Why? Example A man goes to a party and drinks some punch. Then he leaves the party. After he leaves, everyone at the party dies of poisoning. He does not die. Why? The answer is logical, but difficult to see.
"Logic is the tool that is used to dig holes deeper and bigger, to make them altogether better holes. But if the hole is in the wrong place, then no amount of improvement is going to put it in the right place. . . . Vertical thinking is digging the same hole deeper; lateral thinking is trying again elsewhere." - Edward de Bono
Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. The term lateral thinking was coined by Edward de Bono in the book New Think: The Use of Lateral Thinking published in 1967. - Wikipedia
If you want to make someone hate you, explain to them, logically and politely, why they are wrong.- J. Blaylock
H/WFind an actual fallacy in the news mediahttp://www.emagill.com/rants/eblog114a.html
