The Necessities of Logical Thinking

In one of Star-Talk interview, Neil DeGrasse Tyson make a thoughtful analysis on mathematics. He says, most of people will says math is the hardest subject. Then he conclude, perhaps most of us are not wired for logical thinking. In evolutionary perspective of course this hypotheses is reasonable. Bringing the sequence of simple-complex from evolutionary perspective, it is normal to assume that in the earliest slice of age, human are illogical and only latter on, they are getting smarter and rational. What's the importance of logic for hunter? The feeling for survival was the most important for the cave-man. It is more useful to feel the latent danger and run from a tiger rather than to analyze or scrutinize the tiger just for satisfying the knowledge. Maybe, in the earliest epoch, there was some part of logic to be used in hunting but only a hint. My take on this is that we are wired to logical thinking since beginning of time just that, it need to be developed. R.C Sproul, a Reformed Theologian commentating the Gospel of John and says, in the beginning was word/logos or Logic. Why so? because God is not the author of confusion, the Word must be logical in essence. Moreover, Sproul in his classical Apologetic work, Defending Your Faith affirms that logic is the basic principle that necessary for us to master, it need to to be taught and cultivated always because Christian Faith is rational. Because God is rational therefore his creation must be rational and endowed with a clear logical structures. Logic is essential!

Indeed, logical thinking can contribute to our philosophical, scientific and also theological thinking. To generate sound argument is impossible without a logical structure wrapped throughout the whole premises. Although some people think that creative thinking is better than logical thinking but without logic, creative thinking can only be wishful ideas to be expressed unless it is exercised in the realm of art. Through logic, people an also distinguished what is relevant or irrelevance of every discourse so that so we can hinder an offside discussion. To develop logical thinking of course mathematical studies was proven to helped people. Matthew Inglis and Nina Attridge in their book Does Mathematical Study develop Logical Thinking? show how studying basic mathematic up to advance have shaped our logical thinking and sensitivity profoundly, especially when we are dealing with conditional reasoning (If..then statements). For instance the statement of "if you are policemen then you are tall" also the statement of "you are policemen only if you are tall". Although both look similar, they are differently emphasized. The difference is between sufficiency (1st) and necessity (2nd). If we never learn math,  maybe we will missed this close distinction hence indisputably, math and logic are closely tied with one another. 

So, should everyone enroll in mathematical studies? why not?  But even if we have no time to studied it formally or find the whole endeavor too daunting at the moment, we can still learn logic at least from knowing the basic principles of logic, specially pertaining logical fallacy. If we know the plenty lists of fallacies we often committed then definitely, we are better ahead to exercise logical thinking. In other words, we learn logic by hindering mistakes in our logical reasoning. There are many books about it. One of the comprehensive book about logical fallacy is written by Professor Bennet whereby he compiles 300 logical fallacies we often committed in his book Logical Fallacies: The Ultimate Collection over 300 Logical Fallacies. What a massive work to chew! The more simpler and smaller work from Graham Priest, Logic: A Very Short Introduction can also be a good intro to the subject. 

Apparently, the other simple way to sharpen our logical thinking of course, by asking critical questions of 5 W and 1 H. Why, What, Who, When, Where and How. We can simply do it without any big costs. Start from today, every-time we read or start to think deep we can sharpen our logical thinking by keep asking these questions before-hand until, we cannot asked questions any further. Yet, questioning is like chicken and egg problem in some extent. Why so? because basically, we need a good logic first before we could ask a proper question. We commit a fallacious questioning quite often by asking irrelevant and illogical questions. For example, we might ask, who made God? But if God by definition is the source of every living things, to asked the question who make God is actually a fallacious questioning. God is never being made. He is the ultimate maker who made the world including the questioners who posted the question! That is why, even questioning need to have logic as base. It is not easy task. We need to be patience in the whole process of developing logic and accept that we can be irrational at most of the time. By keep on practicing, questioning and studying logic, we will definitely grow in our thinking as time goes. Logic is like language. Both are inseparable to expresses and describes the reality and fact of our world. That is why, we need to be willing, mindful and attentive to mature our logical thinking, step by step.