The General Importance of Logic and Reasoning in Our Daily Lives

Generally, our decision making involves the mind (or the brain) sensory mechanism, perception, cognition and the expression of results. We often will feel, perceive, think, remember and reason in an adaptive conscious and unconscious manner. In our daily lives, when we are faced with problems or just a situation which require a decision, we are often reminded to apply logic and reasoning for the most desired results. Hence, this is a basic reason why logic and reason are so essential in our lives. But there are other reasons. Logic is generally based on deduction which is a method of exact inference. It is a study of correct reasoning that consist of language and reasoning. Reasoning practically in our daily lives involves deciding what to do and when successful, issuing in an intention. Importantly, we are to remember that a problem of reasoning about actions is given in terms of an initial situation, a terminal situation, a set of feasible actions, a set of constraints and such alike. Our task in a situation, such as, for example, whether to take an air flight or the train to visit families this Thanksgiving Day, is to find the best acceptable sequence of permissible events and actions that will enable us to move from just planning the journey to actually accomplishing by arriving for Thanksgiving. As we take each step by step thought and action, we are reminded to do so logically and with good reasoning for the best results. In addition, we often apply common sense in our daily routine. Common sense determines what we do, regardless of what we think. Common sense is a key factor for acting in our real world. For if we use logic alone, we would probably be able to take only a few actions a day. Common sense helps us to deal with the complexity of the real world. Common sense provides a shortcut to making critical decisions very quickly. When faced with moral questions in our daily lives, sometimes we act instinctively and sometimes we pause to reason about what we ought to do. But we are to be more consistent in our thinking and actions. If we are faced with a situation of great importance, such as whether to accept what some refer to as a dangerous job like fire-fighting or policing, or to attend college instead, there are normally three possibilities that are to be explored to discover alternative decision-making solutions. They are: The possibility that the situation circumstances may be comparable to others we have faced, but since dissatisfaction occurred with the results of actions in those previous cases, our decision may necessitate investigating other alternatives; the current problem is seen as somehow different enough from past cases, that examination of options available is warranted; portions of situations are recognized as having been dealt with either successfully or unsuccessfully, but there are additional new elements in the current problem at hand. Hence, how can we combine previous successes to produce desired results for the present will need to be determined. From all of this, we should commence a sequence of activities involving: defining the problem to be solved, or establishing the circumstances of the decision to be made; generating a list of possible alternative actions; evaluating, as best as possible, the relative risks, costs and benefits associated with the various options available; and carry-out the alternative(s) chosen at the most appropriate time. As we conduct the above, we will receive feed-back leading to possible reviews on what actions are available, and there relative merits and drawbacks - Decision Support Systems: Introduction at www.danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu. Since we may not be experts of the situation we are facing, we will often seek the professionals reasoning and advise. Experts are those who, because of the training and experience they possess, are able to do things we often cannot do. They are not only proficient, but smooth and efficient in the actions they take. Experts will plow through our irrelevant information to get at the essential issues and are good at recognizing problems they face as familiar instances. If our own logic and reasoning are insufficient, those of experts will often help. Another important aspect of Logic and Reasoning is Philosophical Logic and Reasoning and the importance of this in our lives. This is essential in General Problem Solving: It helps us to analyze concepts, definitions, arguments and problems, and contributes to our capacity to organize ideas and issues to deal with questions of value. Communication Skills: Here our skills will be enhanced as we are able to present ideas through wellconstructed systematic and reasoned arguments. Persuasive Powers: We will learn to build and defend our own views, to appreciate competing positions, and to indicate forcefully why we consider our own views preferable to alternatives. Writing Skills: Philosophical Logic and Reasoning teaches us interpretive writing through its examination of challenging texts, comparative writings through emphasis on fairness to alternative positions, argumentative writing through detailed portrayal of concrete examples and others. These are very important reasons why logic and reasoning matter in our daily lives. They can be applied in the trained academic person

life, or to the normal individual who has a desire to analyze the issues facing him/her before making a final crucial decision. Logic and Reasoning are important in career training and development on the job. In management, administration, law, finance, engineering, physics, chemistry, archeology, history and other disciplines, logic and reasoning are essential. We will be able to broaden the range of things we know and understand, be able to receive self-knowledge, foresight and a sense of direction in our daily lives. We can accomplish self-discovery, expansion of consciousness, and self renewal. Therefore, when we are faced with a routine daily situation or a very difficult problem or issue to resolve, logic and reasoning are important to remember and be applied for the best or most desired results.