Challenge the Imagination
Stimulate the Intellect
Our Mission
Enhance Thinking
Enhance Reasoning
Enhance Insight
Entertain & Inform
Wisdom comes from experience and a logical mind. Experience is a product of time and circumstances, but neither time nor circumstances guarantee wisdom. Having ten years of experience is different from having one year of experience ten times. Circumstances are situational. Situations can be similar or unique for each person. Every situation offers a learning experience.
A logical mind analyzes information that forms the basis for knowledge. Acquiring and assimilating knowledge is a skill. Learning how “to learn” cultivates that skill. A student may learn from a teacher, but teachers are not necessary to learn. Students who teach themselves gain not only the knowledge they are studying, but also develop a method to learn when a teacher is not available or not practical.
Surround yourself with the tools to gain elemental knowledge to construct logical concepts. Consider your mind a computer that analyzes data. One of the oldest and most important principles about data is Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO). Break datum into its basic elements to assess its validity.
Listen, watch, examine. “Analytical Listening” is an art. Do not underestimate it. Let others talk. They often reveal more than they say. Seek clarity. Ask simple questions. If you do not receive simple answers, a problem exists. If people conceal the obvious, a problem exists. Analyzing what others say is challenging if we analyze with emotions. Developing an intellectual approach to analyzing information is important. The foundation of intellect comes from a variety of sources. Education, life experiences, and people with whom we associate, are a few of the sources.
Some people believe education is a measure of intelligence. So, does that mean that someone who has a doctorate from a university is more intelligent than someone with a master’s degree, and a person with a master’s degree is more intelligent than someone with a bachelor’s degree? Would we say that someone with a college education is more intelligent than someone without a college education? The answer is simple. No. Do not conflate academic achievement with intelligence. Intelligence is cumulative. An academic education can contribute to intelligence but does not guarantee intelligence nor is it a requisite for intellectual competence.
People who do not have a logical argument to justify their position shout the loudest. Shouting at others is an intimidation tactic. Intimidation does not rely on intellect; it shows intellectual weakness. Understanding that basic concept allows you to gauge the strength of an assertion. When a person shouts, it is often an emotional outburst which is meant to elicit an emotional response. That emotional response can range from fear to rage.
If both parties are engaged in appealing to emotion and responding emotionally, an intelligent dialog is not possible. When a person shouts but it is not an emotional outburst, it is an intimidation tactic. The outcome they would like to achieve is fear to engage with them. The best response is to disengage without weakening your intellectual or physical position. Never walk away from a from someone who is shouting at you. Back away from them.
If you shout, do so with intent. Not the intent to intimidate nor the intent to elicit fear. Shouting can be a defense mechanism, but it has no place in intellectual endeavors. When you shout, be deliberate in your choice of words. A planned choice of words is tactical. An unplanned choice of words is an emotional response.
We live in a virtual reality age. In virtual reality, things are not always as they seem. For some, reality is Confirmation Bias; soliciting support for what they want to be true, not what is true. For others, it may be Cognitive Dissonance; they invest so much in believing something is true, they cannot accept it may be false. That is human nature. A logical mind tests beliefs and is willing to accept that those beliefs may be wrong. Testing beliefs requires interacting with others who do not share the same mindset.
The difficulty is making disparate information available to us. People who fear challenging their ideology will not engage with others who hold antithetical beliefs. When we engage with others who have different perspectives on a range of subjects, it should be a constructive engagement. If they try to force their beliefs on us by shouting or other forms of intimidation, they have invalidated their argument. Interacting with someone who invalidates their argument wastes time, energy, and other personal resources.
Deductive reasoning is the primary tool to develop Lasting Logic. Premises form the basis for deductive reasoning. It is important to know if the premises are true or false, a binary choice. If the premises are true, the conclusion will be true. If any premise is false, it cannot be the basis for a true conclusion. If a premise’s validity is contingent upon accepting someone’s statement as true, we must be certain that person is an authoritative source who has no motivation other than stating truth. Often, we allow others to think for us without realizing it is happening. When we allow others to think for us, the process damages deductive reasoning.
Inductive reasoning has become commonplace in many societies. People believe something to be true and find information to substantiate their position. Others find information that invalidates that same position. Which is correct? That is the basis for societies built on ideologies. This is where we now find ourselves. Opposing ideologies that refuse to engage in public debate based on elemental premises. Turning that into a society that believes in a free exchange of ideas and confirming or invalidating those ideas through deductive reasoning is one solution. Is that possible? Perhaps. That is why we are here looking for Lasting Logic.
