30 tips in 30 days: #11.

Were you taught in school what to think and not how to think? Perhaps the most useful intellectual tool ever developed by and for the human mind is logic. The foundation of logic is the syllogism:

If A equals B, and if B equals C, then A equals C.

Any simple syllogism always uses the structure of a major premise, minor premise and conclusion. For instance, if all humans are mortal, and if I am human, then I am mortal. Notice the “if this, then that” structure in logic. An “if-then” statement indicates an attempt at logic, even when the words “if” and “then” are invisibly implied. I?can say: All human are mortal. I am human, so I am mortal.

A syllogism might be “valid” but untrue. For instance: “Everyone who goes hunting loves to kill; Mary goes hunting, so Mary loves to kill.” The logic is valid, but it may not be true. The truth may be that Mary must hunt to survive, that she really hates taking any life. The logic is valid, but the conclusion is false because the major premise is false. If either a major or a minor premise can be proven as false, then the conclusion must be false. No exceptions.

For a logical argument to be considered “sound,” it must be both valid and true. One or the other is not enough. 

A syllogism embodies deductive reasoning. From a general premise or hypothesis, we infer a specific conclusion. The flip side of the logic coin is inductive reasoning. From a specific premise we infer a general conclusion, and we allow for doubt: I?know eight meditators who are psychic. When I meditate, I’m more psychic. So, folks who meditate probably are psychic. It’s logical, but is it true?

If you wish to help create a quantum shift into global consciousness on our planet, please share with others this excerpt from my book: GLOBAL SENSE: The 2012 Edition: A spiritual handbook on the nature of society and how to change the world by changing ourselves

If you wish to read Global Sense, please visit Amazon.