do not read unless you like philosophy, and logic, and too much talking on a simple subject....
oclig
some of my thoughts from, around, and on logic:
i like to play with my words. because they are unsettled. because they are alive with meaning and change of meaning. it's hard to trust them because so much of what they are depends on who is speaking them, when they are spoken, and how they're placed in space relative to their fellows.
the panda eats shoots and leaves.
the panda eats, shoots, and leaves.
(thank you ms. truss)
Definition
logical: assuming the premises of an argument are true, the conclusion cannot possible be false
anyone who has taken a logic class knows this definition. and for those who haven't, welcome to it.
Example 1.A.
Three is larger than two.
Two is larger than one.
Therefore, three is larger than one.
Assuming the premises of Example 1.A. are true, the conclusion is logical.
Example 1.B.
Seven is larger than six.
Six is larger than ten.
Therefore, seven is larger than ten.
Assuming the premises of Example 1.B. are true, the conclusion is also logical.
are you with me?
disturbing, isn't it.
have you ever experienced the feeling of something making sense on paper but not in your heart?….something that just didn't "sit well" with you despite its apparent logicality?
perhaps the examples above serve to clarify your problem.
maybe, just maybe, your "something" that didn't sit well with you--that fidgeted in its chair and constantly asked you questions you had no answers for--was logical, but not true.
at times it works the other way around as well.
i betray myself now, for i am one who believes that our souls can know truths before our minds understand them…
sometimes logic means nothing to our souls.
in part, this confusion of truth owes homage to the fact that our modern society has misled the meaning of "logic" by assuming that logic is truth.
logic is not truth.
logic only assumes truths, without the requirement of a basis for them.
logic is disinterested in genuine truth.
logic uses words as symbols without mind to their definitions.
one could easily take the words of a logical argument and replace them with symbols....
the logic would not be diluted.
this is essentially algebra:
version 1:
If Jon is tall, then he is not short.
Jon is tall.
Therefore, Jon is not short.
version 2:
If A, then B
A
Therefore B.
point: words are but symbols in logic.
thus, despite our tendency to label arguments that appear absurd or irrational as also being, "illogical," many times they're not
(remember, 1.B. is absurd and untrue, but it is still technically logical).
i learned this the hard way.
my lesson: stop trying to win the argument based solely on logical skill…
Who is Spain?
Why is Hitler?
When is right?
Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?
-Joseph Heller, Catch-22
as i said, we must be careful in trusting words that too purely form logic.
words are arbitrary, unstable symbols. just because the headlines makes sense, doesn't mean you have to believe it.
words are just symbols.
in a book entitled The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, author Steven Pinker recognizes the subjectivity of words.
each of us, because of our upbringings, our political slants, our knowledge of language itself, etc., define words subjectively.
what does "liberal" mean to you?
nevertheless, in order to communicate with one another, we must agree on some things.
Pinker points out that our agreeance is to think and act with language according to particular parameters—certain dogmas of grammar and syntax.
sometimes these parameters are arcane or nonsensical, but if we're going to communicate properly we must obey them.
take this strange example of pluralization:
if the plural of tooth is teeth, why is the plural of booth not beeth?
similarly, why do we say things like, “if you could pass the guacamole, that would be awesome“ when what we really mean to say is “please pass the guacamole” (Pinker 22)?
the fact is, it doesn’t really matter why we do what we do.
most often these grammatical Rules of Word are set by nothing more than tradition;
they're arbitrary;
and still, we follow them.
the WARNING: we can play with our words, but our words can also play with us.
i guess i just want to reiterate the necessity to be discerning.
logic is important, but it's not everything.
without morals or truth to support them, logical arguments are just words.
and words are just symbols.
and symbols standing alone are just shapes. and shapes are just art.
and art is completely subjective.
in fact, why should you even believe what i am writing?
do my arguments seem as suspiciously logical to you as they do to me?
……?
still, my point is that in today's society of media and technology we are confronted with more information, more gimmicks, more issues, more opinions during the course of a single day than many of our ancestors were confronted with in their entire lifetimes.
in fact, research has already wondered if our minds are evolving fast enough too keep up with this onslaught of information.
are the recent trends of addiction and social introversion the signs of our misguided attempts to cope with the information age?
did you know that there are actually rehab centers for internet addicts now?
refrain from judgment before you judge.
you try checking BBC, NBC, CNN, NPR, ABC, Wallstreet, the New York Time, the New Yorker, and Scientific American each and every day but still have time for Facebook, Twitter, Epicurious, YouTube, Blogger, Wikipedia, and (to be trite) your work, your family, your friends, your health, and your dog.
there is just too much information to take in.
research has also found that in the face of chaos our minds will do almost anything to create sense (gestalt): we see faces in a scattering of dots, we form conspiracy theories out of tragedy, we construct false memories and testify to them in court. all in a desperate attempt to create logic in our lives.
logic in our lies.
ok, now i've said too much.
the bulk of our endlessly flowing information comes through words…
selfish, subjective, capricious, prevaricating words
…so be discerning.
fini.
