Saturday, August 11, 2007

Elementary Logic



To say that something is elementary is not to say that it is simple. For instance, elementary quantum theory is presumably not simple. Having said that, the basics for thinking clearly are straight forward.

It boils down to this:

1. What do you believe or what are you being asked to believe?
2. Do you have an accurate conception of the reasons that are being offered for this or these beliefs?
3. Are these reasons logically relevant?

We will continue shortly but notice a distinction. If I point a loaded gun to your head and offer this as a reason for you to believe something you might have a very good motivation for adopting a belief, but it is not a logically motivated belief--that is, the reason that is being offered involves a direct appeal to force.

A logically motivated belief is arrived at given good reasons that any rational agent would accept independent of violence or coercion. More to come.

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