Logic Unit Essay Exam
April 07, 2003 5:30 a.m.

Question 2: Analyze logic as explicit reasoning and discuss the specific influences of logic on thinking and writing quality.

It seems to be the nature of humans to be egocentric thinkers. This appears to be derived from their constant intake of stimulus. Because humans are bombarded by such large quantities of stimulus on a constant basis, the development of an ability to instantly organize this surplus of stimulus was imperative for survival purposes. Once the stimulus has been sorted into a group one can begin to look for patterns and attempt to make sense of the stimulus. This is how humans begin to form opinions about the world around them, though prejudgments. Humans, being egocentric thinkers believe their opinions to be correct and are very reluctant to believe otherwise. It is for this reason that initial interpretation, and the opinions formed by such are often discouraged and discredited. It is though an egocentric desire to prove that one’s position is correct that the study of logic was created. It is the study of logic than gives man a means, though specific rules, the ability to prove an argument, or opinion, to be scientifically valid and true, or to prove an argument or opinion to be scientifically invalid or false. Though the personal analysis of one’s thoughts and opinions one can determine if the initial interpretation and classification of the stimulus is accurate or inaccurate. Logic also gives man a method though which to defend these personal opinions and to attack the opinions of others in a manner which is tangible and undeniable. Logic is the ultimate expression of explicit reasoning and it is though the specific influence and usage of logical rules that determines the quality of writing or thinking.

Logic is an expression of explicit reasoning. Logic is used as a means to differentiate between as well as declare what is considered to be accurate or inaccurate reasoning. It is successful in doing such though the usage of many different rules. Logic even has its own language. Words that are found in common everyday language that might have a loose or possibly misinterpreted definition, when used for the formal purpose of logical analysis and interpretation gain a very specific and detailed definition. Logical terms need to be very detailed and specific as a means to keep them from being misunderstood. This is also the case for the formal rules. Each series of rules needs to be written in a way that there can be no means by which the rule can misunderstand. Many of these logical terms even have designated symbols that are used to replace the word. These symbols are all part of the large universal language of Logic. The sentences of this logical language are most often written with these symbols and variables. By using variables in the place of a specific argument one can eliminate all the irrelevant information and focus solely on whether or not an argument is valid or invalid. It is though the rules of inference, the rules of replacement or other such formal methods that one can systematically write out an argument that is scientifically valid. When formulating an argument though the means of formal logic one can create argument that is scientifically valid and the ‘real world’ situation is entirely irrelevant. In state fallacy is entirely impossible.

It is the specific usage of logical reasoning that can determine the quality of thinking or reasoning. By using logic as a virtual skeleton for an argument one can think more clearly about an issue and can then transfer that same argument into a written format that is using words instead of symbols and variables. If one uses this logical method as a means to structure a written argument, the written argument will be much more credible and valid than one which was not constructed in the manner. While both types of written argument are susceptible to fallacies, it is much more difficult to discredit and disprove and argument that has a foundation what was formulated from a logical means. It is the use of logic that will make one argument much better than the other. By being aware of logic one can be much more aware of fallacies which could affect an argument than one who is entire unaware of logic. An argument that is deemed valid though logical means and which does not contain a fallacy is of course the ideal argument and one can only create an argument of this quality of argument though the usage and knowledge of logic.

Logic is the ultimate expression of explicit reasoning and it is though the specific influence and usage of logical rules that determines the quality of writing or thinking. Logical is a scientific and mathematical language all of its own. The words that make up the language have very specific definitions and symbols to represent them. These symbols combined with variables are used to form logical sentences and are used to validate arguments. Symbols and variables are used as a means to remove all extra and irrelevant information from an argument and solely focus on the argument itself, not what the argument is specifically stating or trying to prove. By using a logic basic skeleton for thought or a written argument, one can create a scientifically valid argument for any topic. Therefore a human can take in large amounts of stimulus, categorize it, and later logically analyze all the details of that stimulus to determine the accuracy of that categorization. It is at this point, after the logical examination of one’s thoughts on that specific stimulus that a informed opinion can be made about the stimulus and a logical argument can be written to express that opinion to others in a way that, though the usage of logic, that is impossible to prove invalid and difficult to prove false. By using and understanding logic humans can reinforce the belief that their personal beliefs about the world are correct and that those beliefs of others that are contradictory are wrong. Is this an example of egocentric thinking? This is an example of egocentric thinking when the person is entirely unaware of the opposing position and unwilling to learn it. By understanding the opposing position and knowing how to logical disprove it one can break the cycle of egocentric thinking which is very prominently found in human behavior.