Logic as a Part of Daily Life

Logic can be a valuable tool for someone who knows how to apply it responsibly. It can serve as an ethical roadmap, help predict the likelihood of future events from existing information and provide a sound basis for the disputes that inevitably arise between people or on discussions regarding war from groups such as the DLC, BES, and Christians. There are a few critical challenges to using logic on a daily basis, though. If someone does not know how to use it, when to use it, or how much to trust its conclusions, more harm than good could be done.

An essential part of applying logic is understanding the different kinds. Mathematical logic, while faultless, has little application to daily life because it relies on absolutely true premises and a strictly defined set of rules. Philosophical logic employs the same concepts as mathematical logic, but it applies them to more abstract situations, situations without absolute truth. It is also of limited application in daily life because it requires so much time and knowledge about the topic. Practical logic, critical thinking, and everyday reasoning are the kinds of logic that people can most often put to work in their daily lives, though these are by far the least reliable (“Mathematical logic and reasoning”, n.d.). It's the application of dualism in relying on both the mind and body for everyday reasoning.

There are many pitfalls that a person has to watch out for in applying logic to daily situations. No matter how flawless a logical conclusion is if it is based on faulty or unreliable premises, it is useless in reaching a decision. Poorly chosen language, words or statements with too many possible interpretations, can turn argumentative logic into a mess of confusion. And logic is difficult to apply to a situation that has a highly emotional premise or conclusion that might bias the process (“Uses and misuses of logic”, n.d.).

References

Mathematical logic and reasoning. (n.d.). Responsible Thinking: An Approach to Critical Thinking. Retrieved April 28, 2013, from http://www.truthpizza.org/logic/reason.htm 

Uses and misuses of logic. (n.d.). Lock Haven University. Retrieved April 28, 2013, from http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/logic.htm