The introduction to the chapter spoke of statements, sentences, declarative sentences that were subject to grammatical rules and propositions that were declared by those statements. It was very basic, but it was still English, and it was still a part of my major that actually made the class feel more relatable.
It was also one of the hardest concepts for me to grasp. I struggled with the task of determining if a statement was compound or simple, containing no components. It seemed like such a simple concept, something that just should make sense to me, and yet, I struggled. And once variables and operators were added? I thought I would be a goner.
Surprisingly enough, proofs were the single thing that made total sense to me. I got them fairly quickly; sure I might not have been getting the proper answers here or there, but the concept was easier than I could ever have expected. Using the simple idea of Modus Ponens and the sample equation of p > q, p infer q, I was able to tackle equations that had seemed at first to be a foreign language to me. I can identify premises, I can do a basic formal proof.
I suppose the question I'm trying to pose isn't much of a question at all, but more of a conclusion. Logic doesn't seem to be something people are meant to grasp over time, something to work toward. It has only occurred to me recently that this one small success, seemingly insignificant to those who understand a logical way of thinking better than I do, was a large one for me, and one that made me realize that there will be more to come if I continue to push myself to continue learning in spite of the trouble I may face at first. It might take a few attempts, but eventually it all comes to make sense.
For curiosity's sake, I suppose I will pose a final question;
Do you believe that Logic is something that everyone must learn over time, or is it something similar to math, for example, that is grasped mainly by those who simply understand it?
In my opinion, formal Logic is something that can be understood with practice. And just like many other subjects, it comes more easily to people other than me. Though logic, as in noticing patterns and making predictions based on them, seems to just be a natural inclination of ours. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around compounds and components.
ReplyDeleteI think math and logic and almost all subjects must ,learned over time. Although some people might have a quality that allows them to figure out the subject matter faster than others. Something like seeing similar problems and making connections, makes learning faster. Some people learning math after taking this course might find algebra that much easier or vice versa because of the similarities between the two.
ReplyDeleteI think logic is something that takes time to learn, but once you start putting the pieces together, it makes it easier to put other pieces together. I think it (hopefully!) just takes some time.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Logic certainly comes easier to some than it does others. Just like math, or for that matter anything in life. However, also like anything in life one can possess natural talent at something and not succeed with it. This may be because they are lazy, just don't care, or are too confident in themselves. Whatever the reason may be, one does notnaturally become a great logician. Logic seems like something that requires much patience, time, and effort to perfect and become great at.
ReplyDeleteI believe that with enough interest and enough passion anything can be learned. I think you have to be really interested in logic to actually focus on it. If you don't have an interest in it then its going to be hard. I think that they are basic terms that everyone should know for every subject. From there you should branch and focus on what interest you. I don't think that someone can do well in class that they are not interested in. I think the only exception would be if that person was interested in everything.
ReplyDeleteJust remember that, regardless of any natural talent or lack thereof, any one CAN learn to do logic well. This is because, as Robin says, logic is a natural part of all of our lives. We're just learning some slightly formalized techniques, so as to sharpen a tool we already carry.
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