Whatis

Logic?

Forget everything you think you know about logic.

Forget everything everything you have ever read about logic.

Logic is not the same as “being logical”.

1

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

. (Memorize this definition!)

Let us carefully examine the difficult parts of this definition of logic so that

we can understand it!

2

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error. . (

Is LOGIC chauvinistic?Does this definition imply that woman are too emotional for logic?

3

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

As you have probably guessed, here ‘man’ does not mean ‘male man’.

By synecdoche, ‘man’ has three common applications.man vs. brute animal

man vs. womanman vs. boy

Which sense of ‘man’ does logic use?What are the advantages and disadvantages of alternative words for ‘man’?

4

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

Why do we call logic an “art”?Normally when we think of “art”, we think of painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, and music. More precisely, this type of art is called “fine art.” But there is a broader notion of “art”, as when we talk of the “medical arts,” or the “art of cooking,” or the “art of carpentry.” In this sense, “art is: expert knowledge for making something.” (Memorize this definition!)

5

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

Why do we call this art “scientific”?Normally when we think of “science”, we are thinking of “experimental science”: making hypotheses, constructing mathematical models, and doing experiments. Such theories can be overturned when more evidence is available. Logic, however, is not an experimental science. The expert knowledge of logic does not require hypotheses, math, or experiments.

6

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

Why do we call this art “scientific”?Logic is scientific, but it is not an experimental science. Since it is not experimental, it cannot be overturned by new information. The logician is certain that what he says must be true, always and everywhere. When we say logic is scientific, we mean it is learned through sure arguments. In this sense, “science is: sure knowledge acquired through argument.” (Memorize this definition!)

7

Logic is the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

Why do we add what logic is for?Every art makes something, and any art makes its work easy, eliminating the most common mistakes. But to fully understand what logic is, we must see how it is different and unique from other arts, namely, what does it make. Logic makes order in the chaos of the mind by guiding the mind’s activities. This allows a man (1) to form good concepts, (2) to make good judgments, and (3) to reason well. (Memorize this list!)

8

Logic is: the scientific art for ordering the operations of the mind,

so that a man can proceed with ease and with a minimum of error.

Now that you understand the definition of logic,

can you say it by heart?Try chanting it with your eyes closed,

peeking only when you get stuck.

9

Art is: expert knowledge about making something.

Science is: sure knowledge acquired through argument

Can you repeat these technical definitions by heart?

Try chanting them with your eyes closed, peeking only when you get

stuck.

10

The order made by logic is: (1) to form good concepts,

(2) to make good judgments, and (3) to reason well.

Can you repeat this list by heart?Try chanting them with your eyes

closed, peeking only when you get stuck.

11

Are you ready for a pop quiz?

• What is the logician’s definition of Logic?• What is the logician’s definition of Art?• What is the logician’s definition of Science?• What are the three, ordered, mental activities

of logic?

12

THE ART OF LOGICmore on logic as an art…

13

The word art has spread from its original meaning, so that now “art”

can be applied to any of three things:The artifact, that is, the

work made by the artist –

“That painting is great art!”

The artistic process that

the artist uses to make the

artifact –“That painting is a great work

of art.”

The knowledge of the artistic process that

the artist possesses and uses when he

makes an artifact –

“I want to learn the art of painting.”

14

“Logic” is an art in all three of these

ways:Logic is an artifact, except its product lies

within the mind of the logician.

Logic is also a mental process that the artist uses to make

his logical artifacts.

Logic is also the knowledge of that mental process that the logician

possesses and uses when he produces his

works.

15

THE ART OF LOGIC IS:

Knowledge of the rules of

logic

The processes

which follow the rules of

logic

Concepts, judgments, &

arguments constructed according to logical rules

Logical Know

ledge

Logical Processes

Logical Artifacts

Three applications of the word ‘Logic’ 16

Logic is more than just being logical

• Logic is an art. It is acquired by study. Someone without expert knowledge of logic might “be logical”, but to be a logician, one must know the rules of logic, and be able to use them appropriately, so that one can make logical artifacts dependably and with ease.

17

Organon

When Logic was first born around 350 BC, Aristotle, the Father of Logic, named his creation “Organon”, a

Greek word meaning “Tool”. This Tool was already over 150 years old before Greeks began calling it

“Logike”, meaning “Reason.” This is because Logic is a science, art, & tool about reason and for reason.

18

Logic is part of the Trivium,one of the

“Lost Tools of Learning”• The Trivium is the collective name of the

three liberal arts of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These are the arts which make it easier to learn other things. These “Lost Tools of Learning” used to be taught in every school until they were run out of schools by the philosophy of pragmatism which emphasized doing over being, truth, and knowing.

19

Rhetoric Logic lies between & .

Grammar

• RHETORIC

R

• LOGIC L

The Parts of the Trivium Build upon One Another

• GRAMM

AR

G

20

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

21

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

• Grammar is the art of putting order into one’s words so that one can style one’s expressions according to convention, and so achieve clarity, integrity, and proportion of language.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

• Grammar is the art of putting order into one’s words so that one can style one’s expressions according to convention, and so achieve clarity, integrity, and proportion of language.

• Grammar is the art of putting order into one’s words so that one can style one’s expressions according to convention, and so achieve clarity, integrity, and proportion of language.

22

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

• Logic is the art of putting order into one’s thoughts so that one can improve one’s thoughts, and achieve the truth.

• Logic is the art of putting order into one’s thoughts so that one can improve one’s thoughts, and achieve the truth.

• Logic is the art of putting order into one’s thoughts so that one can improve one’s thoughts, and achieve the truth.

23

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

• Logic is the art of putting order into one’s thoughts so that one can improve one’s thoughts, and achieve the truth.

• Formulating one’s thoughts in well-ordered speech helps keep it clear and complete and easier to remember. Therefore, Logic uses Grammar as a tool.

• Logic is the art of putting order into one’s thoughts so that one can improve one’s thoughts, and achieve the truth.

• Formulating one’s thoughts in well-ordered speech helps keep it clear and complete and easier to remember. Therefore, Logic uses Grammar as a tool.

• Logic is the art of putting order into one’s thoughts so that one can improve one’s thoughts, and achieve the truth.

• Formulating one’s thoughts in well-ordered speech helps keep it clear and complete and easier to remember. Therefore, Logic uses Grammar as a tool.

24

• Rhetoric is the art of putting order into one’s communications with others so that speaker and listener can come to an understanding, obtain sympathy, and achieve a consensus.

• Rhetoric is the art of putting order into one’s communications with others so that speaker and listener can come to an understanding, obtain sympathy, and achieve a consensus.

• Rhetoric is the art of putting order into one’s communications with others so that speaker and listener can come to an understanding, obtain sympathy, and achieve a consensus.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

25

• Rhetoric is the art of putting order into one’s communications with others so that speaker and listener can come to an understanding, obtain sympathy, and achieve a consensus.

• Rhetoric uses Logic as a tool to clarify thought and make sound arguments to communicate.

• Rhetoric is the art of putting order into one’s communications with others so that speaker and listener can come to an understanding, obtain sympathy, and achieve a consensus.

• Rhetoric uses Logic as a tool to clarify thought and make sound arguments to communicate.

• Rhetoric is the art of putting order into one’s communications with others so that speaker and listener can come to an understanding, obtain sympathy, and achieve a consensus.

• Rhetoric uses Logic as a tool to clarify thought and make sound arguments to communicate.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

Grammar is a tool of Logic, Logic is a tool of Rhetoric.

26

Are you ready for a pop quiz?

• What are three applications of ‘Art’? (slide 14)

• What are the corresponding applications of ‘Logic’? (slides 15-16)

• How do these three applications relate to being a logician, as opposed to just “being logical”? (slide 17)

• What are the “Lost Tools of Learning”? (slide 19)

• Explain the order of the Trivium. (slides 20-26)

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FINIS

FINIS

© 2009 Peter Orlowski. All rights reserved.