Logic is usually most easily identified by its misuse. Human beings need logic for a variety of purposes, but because we are human beings and not God, we're prone to do it all wrong. We attack people instead of addressing their arguments, we reach conclusions that the evidence doesn't support, we make statistics say what we want them to say.
They say knowing a real dollar bill as well as possible is the surest way to spot a counterfeit, and the same is true of logic. If you want to avoid the pitfalls of bad reasoning, the solution probably isn't to bone up on the fallacies, it's to study and understand the principles of critical thinking and the steps necessary for building a solid argument.
Knowing the fallacies is a good idea, though. As is being able to define deductive and inductive logic, knowing how to conduct research, the best way to frame a rebuttal, etc. As Christians, logic is one of the primary tools we use for interpreting the Bible (in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, of course), and one of our best weapons for defending the faith and maintaining purity of doctrine.
A growing number of curricula offer comprehensive introductions for homeschool students, most of them very good. Finding a good program for your family is an excellent first step toward raising kids who can think well, but it's not a place to stop. These courses usually tend toward introductory-level material (most of the offerings from Critical Thinking Press) or intense theoretical concepts (Memoria Press' and Canon Press' logic programs), and you'll want to fill out your students' knowledge.
The best way to get better at logical thinking is to practice. For older students and adults, this often means simply applying what they know to the world around them, analyzing the news, books, movies, sermons, etc. Younger students, however, require more guidance, and there are a variety of worktexts available filled with logic problems for them to complete.
Many of these books center around real-life problems and examples, thus demonstrating the ways critical thinking is useful in day-to-day situations. The James Madison Critical Thinking Course for high school student is an excellent example, as it guides students through a series of fictional crime scene investigations designed to strengthen critical thinking skills.
For Christians, the works of Hans and Nathaniel Bluedorn provide excellent (and highly entertaining) supplemental reading. The Fallacy Detective shows students how to identify and avoid 38 common fallacies, while The Thinking Toolbox helps them understand how to construct a logical argument. Together, they provide a brief but thorough introduction to both the principles of fallacy identification and good reasoning. Similarly, Doug Wilson & son N.D. offer a humorous introduction in their Amazing Dr. Ransom's Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies, which describes fallacies as fifty cute (but disease- and flea-ridden) little creatures. Less funny, but still helpful for anyone, Mastering Logical Fallacies ups the number of fallacies introduced to 61.
We can't overemphasize the importance of teaching our children (and ourselves!) the principles of clear thinking and logic. The ability to connect ideas and knowledge, to move beyond rote memorization to understanding, to think creatively and independently—all these are predicated on knowledge and understanding of logic, the use of which is simply a reflection of our creation in God's image.
Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews
here.
Did you find this review helpful?