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Six Reasons Your Child Should Learn Logic

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Written by Phyllis Wheeler

Thursday, 12 June 2008

In Star Trek, the logical mind of Mr. Spock contrasts with the emotional minds of everyone else. But this is fiction. In reality, each of us needs to be both logical and emotional.

by PhyllisWheeler

In Star Trek, the logical mind of Mr. Spock contrasts with the emotional minds of everyone else. But this is fiction. In reality, each of us needs to be both logical and emotional.

Logical thinking may not come naturally. Nevertheless, it's a skill we each need to develop, just to identify logic traps.

Instead of just going with the flow, you can be proactive and teach logic to your child. In the process, you may get some practice at it too. Here's why:

1. Your child will be able to understand cause and effect, and make better life choices. For instance, a child who understands logical consequences will be more able to counter the voices of "friends" who urge him to misuse his money and his time.

2. Your child will be a good problem-solver. Good problem-solving involves coming up with a list of options to consider. This will help later on in a range of situations, from how to deal with a plugged-up sink to what to do about a car that breaks down.

3. Your child will be able to see through advertising. For example, he will be able to find circular reasoning in an advertising slogan such as "Happy people buy Grandma's Granola." The advertiser really is saying, "Buy Grandma's Granola, and you will be happy." Is your child able to identify circular logic such as this?

4. What about persuasion in the media? Let's say a reporter asks five people whether they think illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay. All of them say yes. Then the reporter concludes that everyone wants illegal immigrants to be able to stay. Does your child see the problem here? The error is in the size of the sample group--too small. The reporter needs a much broader sample.

5. Your child can learn to evaluate advice on the basis of the qualifications of the person doing the advising. If your dentist tells you to floss your teeth, you will believe him -- he's an expert. But if he tells you to put an oil additive in your car, you need to weigh the advice because he's not an expert there.

6. Your child will be able to understand computer logic as well. Computers think simply: if A is true, do B; if not, do C. Our own brains aren't so linear. But learning to think in a linear manner like this will help a child learn logical thinking, a useful skill in the Information Age. In fact, a child who learns about computers can master computers eventually.

About the Author:

Find out about computer programming for children and teens and get a free e-book on Internet research, the Internet Scavenger Hunt. Phyllis Wheeler provides materials for those who want to teach their children and teens fun computer skills.

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