Quotable Thoughts: Logic, Part 1
I wrote this blog about a year ago, but it’s a fun little argument, so I am going to break it up into a couple of parts, because it is really long, and share it with y’all. Please feel free to argue with my logic, I would love to hear what you have to say.
The funniest thing happened last night. Due to recent events, I have been doing a lot of thinking about logic and emotion. Then last night I'm lying in bed reading a book, and BAM! the perfect support for my argument was right there, literally in black and white. It's so awesome to find support for you opinion from a totally unbiased source. I mean, your friends can tell you they agree, that what your saying makes sense, but when a total stranger comes along and puts words to fact, that is true vindication. Ok, so what is the discussion? What is the argument? And what did I find? Be patient! I'm getting' there.
The Discussion: Logic vs. Emotion
I was told that because I think with emotion, I do not have logic and am therefore irrational. (Let me make clear right up front that I in no way claim to be rational at all points in time, but that is beside the point).
The Argument:
My counter-argument is simple, I do not feel logic and emotion are mutually exclusive states of mind, and you must posses both to be in balance. Emotion does not necessitate lack of reason, it simply commands use of both your head and your heart, which can be infinitely more difficult because often times they will have opposing opinions. Let us first confer with my ol' pal Webster for some help with the basics before continuing on:
log-ic n.
1: a science that deals with the rules and tests of sound thinking and proof by reasoning
2: sound reasoning
3: the fundamental principals and the connection of a circuit element for arithmetical computation in a computer
logical adj.
logically adv.
Ok, I think we can throw out 3, we are talkin' human logic here, but 1 and 2 both mention reason. So:
rea-son n.
1: a statement offered in explanation or justification
2: ground cause
3: the power to think: intellect
4: a sane or sound mind
5: due to exercise of logical thought
Sounds to me like reason and logic are synonyms. Yeah, no, maybe? K, moving forward:
emo-tion n.
a usually intense feeling (as of love, hate or despair)
emotional adj.
emotionally adv.
Well, seems to me that by definition we have yet to discover any reason to believe you can only use one or the other, so let us delve further.
I took a logic class my freshman year in college. In that class we learned the "If A and B the C" formula. You know what I'm talking about, the
If all men are pigs
And all pigs are dirty
Then all men are dirty pigs
theory. Or for the guys out there,
If all women are crazy
And all crazy people are bitches
Then all women are crazy bitches
You get the point. I also learned in that class the best way to disprove someone's argument is to figure out their logic, and find a fallacy in it. For instance, not all women are crazy, and not all pigs are dirty, therefore these arguments cannot be true (sorry, couldn't help myself there).
Tomorrow, my opponents argument, in the form of a logic statement
Quotable Thoughts: a look at the words of wisdom from other’s, with a twist of personal commentary, appears every Tuesday right here at iconoclastic
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