Mere Logic
There is Smart and there is Smarter than Smart. Smart is adept at logic and relishes the game of reasoning. Smarter than Smart is rather more wary of logic, remembering that in everyday argumentation a line of logic can always be devised toward whichever and whatever the reasoner desires in the first place.
“Everything has two handles,” the proverb says, and that is why mere logic is never sufficient for proof. What is crucial toward truth is the integrity of the reasoning—its sincerity along with completeness—which depends on the integrity of the reasoner. Beyond Aristotle and the logicians and all the syllogisms, logic is a behavioral discipline and no one is wise who regards it purely as a cognitive enterprise, who overlooks the importance of character and purpose and will in applied reasoning.
By the same rule, the teaching of logic will be inadequate when it does not directly address the intellectual character of the student.
thomas@discoveringyourintelligence.com