Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Spock are the logical guys. The other people in their stories are the emotional ones. But our lives aren't really like that--we need to be both the logical guy and the emotional guy.
It's not enough to recognize that logic ought to be taught to your child. You should go ahead and do it. Here's why:
1. Learning about cause and effect, your child will be able to make better choices. For example, "friends" who urge him to misuse his money and his time may find he understands what the logical consequences of such behavior are.
2. Your child will learn to tackle problems. Solving problems systematically involves considering a list of options. This your help your child deal with life problems as he becomes an adult--for example what to do if the sink plugs up or the car 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. Your child will be able to carefully consider persuasion from politicians and the media. What if a TV reporter interviews five people who say the US should allow illegal immigrants to stay? Then the reporter concludes that everyone in the state wants illegal immigrants to stay. What is the problem here? This is an error in generalizing from too small a sample group. The reporter needs opinions from a much wider sample group. Can your child see the error?
5. Your child can evaluate the qualifications of an advisor in order to evaluate the advice. For example, his dentist may tell him to floss his teeth. The dentist is an expert, so it's a good idea to believe him. But the dentist is not an expert in car repair. Any advice he may give about your car, you should weigh carefully.
6. Computer logic is another thing your child will be able to understand. Computers are very basic thinkers: if statement A is true, do action B. If not, do action C. In comparison, our own brains tend to skip around. But learning programming and logical sequences helps a child learn logical thinking. This is a useful skill for the Information Age. In fact, if your child learns about computers, he will be able to master them eventually.
About the Author
Find out about computer programming for kids and get a no-cost e-book on Web searching, the Internet Scavenger Hunt. Phyllis Wheeler provides materials for those who want to teach their kids fun computer skills.
