Friday, June 20, 2014

Logic and Critical Thought: An Appreciation

Logic must seem like a odd thing, to be in awe of. What's so special about logic? After all, anyone with a modicum of common sense, uses logic on a regular basis...right? If only it were always possible to use logic, and make doing so count! Many with level upper incomes, also received education in critical thinking from a young age. In such environments, this highly useful tool can also become a mostly unconscious one, especially in that it is also reflected by others.

What of those whose education didn't include elements of logic? At the very least, propitious use of logic can still be sought at a later point in one's life. Of course in this instance, doing so requires a fair amount of concentration and conscious effort. By way of example: blog posts may take longer to complete than the norm!

When logic and critical thought remain viable options, times of seeming chaos can often be overcome. To be sure, all of this intersects with matters of the heart. But the heart especially needs logic, so that one is not tempted to escape or lash out when mutual understanding appears lost. Any time relations break down, the heart needs all the help it can get. And if the only circumstance we can "rescue" is our own, logic and the heart need to work in tandem so this can happen.

Even so, there are times when logic may only provide limited assistance to the long term unemployed and the marginalized. What's more, some do not see true applicability for logic, as a useful tool for all concerned. So potential gains from the use of logic may depend on one's personal circumstance. For one thing, it matters whether we are actively engaged with others, in both knowledge based study and related work. At a more basic level, it depends on the degree we are able to affect our environment. That is, our capacity for logic may not always extend beyond ourselves - important though it is.

So long as circumstances are "right", the use of logic and knowledge allow us to contribute to our environments. Just the same, personal or societal "invitations" to engage in logic need to be extended, before we can align our interests and aspirations with others. This may not always happen - especially when the realities of others are not aligned to benefit from our own efforts at self improvement. In particular, the need for invitation is not well understood.

Since exclusive invitation to economic access remains the norm, knowledge product may exist primarily within the limitations of consumer roles, which also leaves educational investment roles uncertain. As a result, the knowledge we interact through, may not be sufficient to contribute meaningfully to either our own challenges or the challenges of others. Does economic definition exist for the challenges we pursue? If not, how might people back one another in new ways, for the aspects of life that everyone cares about? As it turns out, there's quite a difference in being a consumer of knowledge, versus an active participant.

In the meantime, logic is not always welcome, where there exists little societal room for it to remain actively applied. Hence logic and critical thought are sometimes removed from school curriculums, and books are not necessarily easy to access in the prisons of the U.S. Understandably...who wants to be confronted with meaningful logic from those who appear to be in no position to improve their lot? Not very many, and for good reason. Still,when we reduce both private and public space for logic and knowledge utilization, we reduce our own humanity. Over time, it becomes more difficult to escape the exclusion which has already occurred.

Fortunately, I managed to delete a lot of emotional elements which would have distracted from the message of this post! Perhaps the best way to wrap this up is to suggest that if we extend a societal invitation for knowledge use inclusion, we will be able to return to a society which offers equality of opportunity, and which would once again welcome the use of logic.

That really matters. Because when the opportunity to share in knowledge use isn't there, the clamor for equality in outcome only grows more intense. And equality in outcome isn't possible. Even to attempt it, makes individuals less human in the process. I'm for more humanity, and more equality of access. Ultimately, that could lead to better outcomes for all concerned.

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