Indian
July 13th, 2005, 03:31 AM
The idea of logic is truth preservation. What that means is that if you start with true beliefs, your reasoning will not lead you to false conclusions.
But logic does not generate true beliefs. There's no easy way to do that.
Most people use the evidence of their senses to generate true beliefs. They see that apples grow on trees, that some bananas are yellow, and so on.
For many other truths, we must rely on faith. That God exists, that right is better than wrong, that truth is a virtue: these are beliefs which cannot be confirmed by the senses, and reflect therefore a certain world view.
When it comes to conflicts between such basic precepts, logic fails. It is not possible to show that one world view is right and the other is wrong. If a person believes in God, for example, logic is unlikely to change that person's mind, for that belief is ultimately based on faith.
And remember - most people have non-logical reasons for believing the things they do. They may have political opinions because their parents had them, they may have on-the-job views because they're afraid of being fired, they may think a movie is good because all their friends do.
These too count as parts of a person's world view. There is no reason for you to hold these beliefs, because you are not subject to the same non-logical factors. But you should be aware that mere reason will not be enough to get them to change their minds.
So use reason with caution, and if you really want to persuade someone of something, remember that compassion, honesty and tact are as important as logic.
cut/paste :)
But logic does not generate true beliefs. There's no easy way to do that.
Most people use the evidence of their senses to generate true beliefs. They see that apples grow on trees, that some bananas are yellow, and so on.
For many other truths, we must rely on faith. That God exists, that right is better than wrong, that truth is a virtue: these are beliefs which cannot be confirmed by the senses, and reflect therefore a certain world view.
When it comes to conflicts between such basic precepts, logic fails. It is not possible to show that one world view is right and the other is wrong. If a person believes in God, for example, logic is unlikely to change that person's mind, for that belief is ultimately based on faith.
And remember - most people have non-logical reasons for believing the things they do. They may have political opinions because their parents had them, they may have on-the-job views because they're afraid of being fired, they may think a movie is good because all their friends do.
These too count as parts of a person's world view. There is no reason for you to hold these beliefs, because you are not subject to the same non-logical factors. But you should be aware that mere reason will not be enough to get them to change their minds.
So use reason with caution, and if you really want to persuade someone of something, remember that compassion, honesty and tact are as important as logic.
cut/paste :)