"Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end." That is a quote by Leonard Nimoy...better known as Mr. Spock! It's great that Nimoy's quote is focused on logic. His portrayal of Spock type cast him as an intelligent person in nearly every other role he played since that time. Whether he was a good guy, or a villain, his characters were always intelligent. One of my favorite non "Star Trek" roles that Nimoy played was as the narrator of the show "In Search Of". In Search Of was a show that focused on the bizarre and unexplained. Nimoy's voice lent a voice of reason to topics that seemed too bizarre to be real. Leonard Nimoy died in February this year, at the age of 83. Although Spock will live on in the hearts and minds of his fans, "Live long and prosper" will never seem to be as meaningful a thing to say now that Nimoy has passed. Rest in peace Leonard, your character portrayal of Spock was likely the introduction to logic for many kids growing up in the sixties and seventies. I know that Spock was a positive role model for many of us.
To get back to the quote, Logic is the beginning of wisdom, because it is a system of reasoning applicable to any branch of study. That's right, logic is a system of thinking. Without it, or something very similar, you can't have wisdom, which is basically understanding or enlightenment. Remember, animals can learn things, but no one truly believes they have wisdom. If you put your hand on a hot stove and get burned, you learn not to do that. If you see an egg cook on a hot stove and then infer that you should not put your hand on it, then you have gained wisdom. Although the difference may seem minor to some, it makes a huge difference to the person who got burned! To me, logic is a tool that allows me to break things down to their barest essence. It is a way of thinking that discards that, which is obviously false and then allows you to look at the remaining possibilities and choose the one that has the highest probability of working. The system then morphs into a series of trials and errors until the correct answer is found or "wisdom" is achieved. I like to teach my daughters to use logic to sway my opinion on matters that concern them. Since Madison has been very young, I have told her that if she can give me a logical reason why I should do something her way versus mine, I would allow her to do the thing her way. In other words, I try to reward her for using logic to sway my opinion rather than just a pure emotional appeal. Sometimes, her case is very logical, and I allow her to change my opinion..even though I sometimes don't agree with what she wants to do. Oftentimes, she cannot find a logical reason to do something her way and then she has to do it my way. I try to lead by example. I can't tell her to use logic to find answers to her problems, if I do not allow a logical argument to sway me away from what I want to do. If my way is also logical, then I try to give sway to the idea that is most logical. If the two ideas are equally logical, than I will usually stay with mine since her argument did not convince me that her way was better. I have yet to start this kind of training with Ashleigh. Once Ashleigh can read a bit better than she can now, I will slowly start to introduce this type of thinking to her. Finally, I believe schools should be designed to teach children how to think. Not just to teach them answers that they do not have to arrive at on their own. I would rather hire a person that knows how to think, than a person who is only book smart. A lack of common sense serves no one. If you are a parent, teach your children how to think for themselves. It is the greatest thing you can do for them as a parent in my opinion.
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