Sharing A Lesson In How Logic Works

I wrote this up for the benefit of a young
person whom I'd been helping with schoolwork.

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Did anyone ever teach you what a syllogism is? It is the basic pattern that all logic HAS TO follow. It is used by all intelligent minds all the time, whether or not they know it's CALLED a syllogism.

It consists of three parts:

1) A Major (or "First") Premise, presenting some truth which is assumed to be true and reliable.

2) A Minor (or "Second") Premise, providing some fact connected with the Major Premise.

3) A Conclusion, reached by putting the Premises together. Note that if a syllogism is done right, but one or both of the premises are false, the conclusion will also be false--and yet still be logical!

Here is an example of a syllogism which is both factually true and properly logical:

Major Premise: All insects are invertebrates.

Minor Premise: All butterflies are insects.

Conclusion: All butterflies are invertebrates.

Here is an example in which the logic moves correctly, but there is a mistake about facts:

Major Premise: All Africans have green hair.

Minor Premise: Robert is an African.

Conclusion: Robert has green hair.

And now for a syllogism in which both premises are factually true, but the conclusion is illogical because the premises did not do a good enough job of defining the situation:

First Premise: Some women are psychologists.

Second Premise: Some psychologists are men.

Conclusion: Some women are men.

Syllogisms, like drugs and guns, can be used for good or evil. Far too many men in history have lived their lives based on the following syllogism, which IS LOGICAL, but whose premises are lies:

Major Premise: A superior being has a right to enslave an inferior being.

Minor Premise: Women, by being women, are automatically inferior to men.

Conclusion: Men have a right to enslave women.

We need more men, and women, to follow THIS syllogism instead, one whose premises are true statements and whose conclusion is perfectly logical:

Major Premise: Jesus Christ deserves to have His example followed.

Minor Premise: Jesus Christ routinely practiced kindness and generosity.

Conclusion: We should routinely practice kindness and generosity.