The General Importance of Logic and

Reasoning in Our Daily Lives

Logic and Reasoning in Our Daily Lives

Michael Taylor, Yahoo! Contributor Network

Nov 7, 2006

Generally, our decision making involves the mind (or the brain) sensory mechanism,
perception, cognition and the expression of results. We often will feel, perceive, think,
remember and reason in an adaptive conscious and unconscious manner. In our daily lives,
when we are faced with problems or just a situation which require a decision, we are often
reminded to apply logic and reasoning for the most desired results. Hence, this is a basic
reason why logic and reason are so essential in our lives. But there are other reasons. The
emphasis we are often reminded of is the theoretical, philosophical or moral in our
decisions - Decision Support Systems at http://danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu.

Logic is generally based on deduction which is a method of exact inference. It is a study of

correct reasoning that consist of language and reasoning. Reasoning practically in our daily
lives involves deciding what to do and when successful, issuing in an intention. Importantly,
we are to remember that a problem of reasoning about actions is given in terms of an initial
situation, a terminal situation, a set of feasible actions, a set of constraints and such alike.
Our task in a situation, such as, for example, whether to take an air flight or the train to visit
families this Thanksgiving Day, is to find the best acceptable sequence of permissible events
and actions that will enable us to move from just planning the journey to actually
accomplishing by arriving for Thanksgiving. As we take each step by step thought and
action, we are reminded to do so logically and with good reasoning for the best results -
Reasoning at www.aaai.org.

In addition, we often apply common sense in our daily routine. Common sense determines
what we do, regardless of what we think. Common sense is a key factor for acting in our real
world. For if we use logic alone, we would probably be able to take only a few actions a day.
Common sense helps us to deal with the complexity of the real world. Common sense
provides a shortcut to making critical decisions very quickly. An applying common sense
sometimes will produce the desired results when we need to make a decision quickly, but
not always - Common Sense: Engineering the Mind at www.thymos.com.

When faced with moral questions in our daily lives, sometimes we act instinctively and
sometimes we pause to reason about what we ought to do. But we are to be more consistent
in our thinking and actions. If we are faced with a situation of great importance, such as
whether to accept what some refer to as a dangerous job like fire-fighting or policing, or to
attend college instead, there are normally three possibilities that are to be explored to
discover alternative decision-making solutions. They are: The possibility that the situation
circumstances may be comparable to others we have faced, but since dissatisfaction
occurred with the results of actions in those previous cases, our decision may necessitate
investigating other alternatives; the current problem is seen as somehow different enough
from past cases, that examination of options available is warranted; portions of situations
are recognized as having been dealt with either successfully or unsuccessfully, but there are
additional new elements in the current problem at hand. Hence, how can we combine
previous successes to produce desired results for the present will need to be determined.

From all of this, we should commence a sequence of activities involving: defining the
problem to be solved, or establishing the circumstances of the decision to be made;
generating a list of possible alternative actions; evaluating, as best as possible, the relative
risks, costs and benefits associated with the various options available; and carry-out the
alternative(s) chosen at the most appropriate time. As we conduct the above, we will receive
feed-back leading to possible reviews on what actions are available, and there relative merits
and drawbacks - Decision Support Systems: Introduction at www.danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu.
Since we may not be experts of the situation we are facing, we will often seek the
professionals reasoning and advise. Experts are those who, because of the training and
experience they possess, are able to do things we often cannot do. They are not only
proficient, but smooth and efficient in the actions they take. Experts will plow through our
irrelevant information to get at the essential issues and are good at recognizing problems
they face as familiar instances. If our own logic and reasoning are insufficient, those of
experts will often help.
Another important aspect of Logic and Reasoning is Philosophical Logic and Reasoning and
the importance of this in our lives. This is essential in General Problem Solving: It helps us
to analyze concepts, definitions, arguments and problems, and contributes to our capacity to
organize ideas and issues to deal with questions of value. Communication Skills: Here our
skills will be enhanced as we are able to present ideas through well-constructed systematic
and reasoned arguments. Persuasive Powers: We will learn to build and defend our own
views, to appreciate competing positions, and to indicate forcefully why we consider our
own views preferable to alternatives. Writing Skills: Philosophical Logic and Reasoning
teaches us interpretive writing through its examination of challenging texts, comparative
writings through emphasis on fairness to alternative positions, argumentative writing
through detailed portrayal of concrete examples and others. These are very important
reasons why logic and reasoning matter in our daily lives. They can be applied in the trained
academic person life, or to the normal individual who has a desire to analyze the issues
facing him/her before making a final crucial decision.

Logic and Reasoning are important in career training and development on the job. In
management, administration, law, finance, engineering, physics, chemistry, archeology,
history and other disciplines, logic and reasoning are essential. We will be able to broaden
the range of things we know and understand, be able to receive self-knowledge, foresight
and a sense of direction in our daily lives. We can accomplish self-discovery, expansion of
consciousness, and self renewal. Therefore, when we are faced with a routine daily situation
or a very difficult problem or issue to resolve, logic and reasoning are important to
remember and be applied for the best or most desired results.