When I was about 21 or 22, I learned something that I will value for the rest of my life: how to learn. It wasn't something I was taught in my 13 years of government schooling (including Kindergarten), nor my 5 years in college earning a professional degree. Mind you, I took the most advanced classes available to me during that time, but I was never taught how to learn. Like everyone else in my class, I figured out early how to remember what I was given long enough to pass the test. Actually learning was something I had to figure out on my own.
One thing I picked up on pretty quickly when I figured out how to learn was that it's even easier to retain what I learn when I share it with others. To a large degree, that's what has always driven me to keep a blog, and for the last year and a half, a podcast. One of the more enjoyable aspects of being married has been to have someone to share new-found knowledge with.
It is in that capacity that I'd like to share some lessons in logic. Logic is something that should be taught in schools, but somewhere along the line was dropped from most curricula; I suspect it was about the same time that the Bible was excised from school curricula.
When you start to understand some basic principles of logic, you'll find that your understanding of the world changes. You're taken up a notch. You have a much harder time believing contradictory ideas, and you reject unsound reasoning. Your debates with friends, family, and idiots on the internet become more interesting. Because I have loved sharing what I learn with the people around me ever since I learned how to learn, I find myself often debating with people who think they already know everything. Whether it be something political, or discussing my Christian faith, many people are more interested in debating than learning. With a little bit of basic logic on top of knowledge, the advantage in a debate is yours.
At this point I must pause to share some of the wisdom I've picked up over the years. Don't wield this like a club, it's tempting to do, but it doesn't win any friends. Last spring, I interviewed Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason on his book Tactics, which combines a debate tactic that he likes with some basic use of logic (Koukl re-brands many logical principles, but they work just the same). Greg is a master at the use of logic, and an excellent teacher that understands the value of the proper tone of a discussion. Greg prefers wielding logic and reason in the form of questions, as it is much easier to maintain a warm demeanor through questions than it can be with point-counterpoint type argumentation.
Another thing that I like to keep in mind is emotion. I have come to prefer written discussions, spanning days, weeks, or even months over verbal discussions that span minutes or, at most, hours. The reason for this is that it is that it is much easier for me to consider the points made others, process and move past any emotional response that it invokes, and (if I need to) research a good counter-point. You may think it unfair to research a counter-point, but it really isn't. The person you're debating with has the ability to do the same thing.
In coming lessons, I'll show specific logical principles, as well as logical fallacies that we see every day, often without knowing what's going on. Once you understand that much of what you're being told is actually a logical fallacy, you'll begin to see the world in a new light.
Specific logical principles and fallacies include:
