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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. Unfortunately, learning logical thinking doesn't just come naturally for most people. But it's an important skill. Logic traps are everywhere. 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 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 better prepared to challenge advertising. He will be able to identify fallacies such as circular reasoning. For example, an advertiser might tell us, "Happy folks buy Toastie Puffs." What he means is, "Buy Toastie Puffs, and you'll be happy!" This is circular logic! Can your child recognize it? 4. Your child will be able to evaluate generalizations made in the media. Perhaps he sees a reporter interviewing five people about illegal immigration. All five think illegal immigrants should be given amnesty. Then the reporter announces that everyone thinks illegal immigrants should get amnesty. But that's another logic error--generalizing from too small a sample group. Does your child see this error? 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 how computers think. Computers think in nitty-gritty ways: if statement A is true, then do action B. Otherwise, do action C. Our brains tend to skip around in comparison. But learning to program a computer to follow a logical sequence helps the child learn to think logically, too. In the Information Age, this is a very useful skill to develop, now or later. The more your child knows about computers, the more he will be master of that device that is mastering our lives.
Article Source: http://www.just-article.com
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