Why Teach Logic To Your Kids?
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Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Spock are the logical guys. The other people in their stories are the emotional ones. But our lives aren’t really like that–we need to be both the logical guy and the emotional guy.
Unfortunately, learning logical thinking doesn’t just come naturally for most people. But it’s an important skill. Logic traps are everywhere.
It’s not enough to recognize that logic ought to be taught to your child. You should go ahead and do it. Here’s why:
1. Your child will be able to make better choices, understanding the principle of cause and effect. For instance, any “friends” who push him to waste money and time may find he turns a deaf ear, because he understands the logical consequences.
2. Problem-solving will be something your child can do as he grows older. Faced with any problem, such as dealing with a plugged-up sink or a broken-down car, your child will be able to list options and pick one.
3. Your child will be better prepared to challenge advertising. He will be able to identify fallacies such as circular reasoning. For example, an advertiser might tell us, “Happy folks buy Toastie Puffs.” What he means is, “Buy Toastie Puffs, and you’ll be happy!” This is circular logic! Can your child recognize it?
4. Your child will be able to evaluate generalizations made in the media. Perhaps he sees a reporter interviewing five people about illegal immigration. All five think illegal immigrants should be given amnesty. Then the reporter announces that everyone thinks illegal immigrants should get amnesty. But that’s another logic error–generalizing from too small a sample group. Does your child see this error?
5. Your child can evaluate the qualifications of an advisor in order to evaluate the advice. For example, his dentist may tell him to floss his teeth. The dentist is an expert, so it’s a good idea to believe him. But the dentist is not an expert in car repair. Any advice he may give about your car, you should weigh carefully.
6. Your child will be able to understand how computers think. Computers think in nitty-gritty ways: if statement A is true, then do action B. Otherwise, do action C. Our brains tend to skip around in comparison. But learning to program a computer to follow a logical sequence helps the child learn to think logically, too. In the Information Age, this is a very useful skill to develop, now or later. The more your child knows about computers, the more he will be master of that device that is mastering our lives.
