Logic, Reason and Critical Thinking, Class 1: Period 4, Thursday, September 3

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

When all of her students had filed in, Miss Bennet shut the door. "Welcome," she said, "to Logic, Reason, and Critical Thinking, which is quite the lofty title, I confess. It is my hope that class will live up to that ideal, but I do hope you will bear with your humble instructor as we fall short of perfection."

As she talked, she crossed the front of the room to her desk, seating herself on the front edge of it. "In this class, we are going to discuss ways in which to be mindful of our thoughts. I would not expect any of you to be perfectly reasonable automatons, never swayed in the least by emotion, nor do I consider that something to strive towards. But neither should we be creatures entirely ruled by our emotions, without the least awareness of how those emotions can and do influence our thoughts, our behaviors, and our beliefs.

"The truth is that, in many cases, what seems 'obvious' to one person is patently ridiculous to another, because the first is letting his passions sway his judgment. There are decisions that can only be made by the heart, but there are others where a cool, detached approach will serve far better. And in any instance, it seems preferable - to me, at least, I should say - to know one's heart and one's head, with as little bias as possible, before deciding which to pursue."

"The real difficulty with logic is man's capacity for self-deception. We can hold tightly to a belief, invest our very souls in its truth, and refuse to accept evidence that might challenge that belief. For example, if one of you adamantly believed the sky to be green, then he might dismiss all photographs of a blue sky as being doctored. Taking him outside to show him the blue overhead might be met with a statement that it's far too cloudy today to discern anything properly. This example is patently ridiculous, and yet the pattern is all too familiar. We don't believe that that gentleman paying court is a scoundrel, for we like the way he kisses our hand. We refuse to see that our favorite hobby is dangerous, becase we are too fond of it to consider retirement. We want something to be true so badly that to us, it is true; all evidence to the contrary is simply lies and deceit."

"A special subset of this is what's known as the self-fulfilling prophecy. Fiction is particularly fond of this device, usually in a futuristic, ironic manner -- someone hears a prophecy, tries to circumvent it, and ends up tragically causing it instead. The reality is usually more mundane. A girl wakes up one morning, and reads her horoscope, which tells her that she's going to have a simply miserable day. She is immediately in a pessimistic mood. All day, when the littlest thing goes wrong, she says to herself, 'I knew it. I knew today would be awful.' And it is. But she may not even realize that it's only awful because she decided, when she awoke, that it was going to be."

She clasped her hands in front of herself. "We are going to start by introducing ourselves, naturally, as that seems tradition for the first week, and it allows us to know one another better. I should like to know your name, your class year, and why it is that you chose to take this course. Further, if you would be so kind, I should like for us to discuss self-deception and self-fulfilling prophecies, as both are matters we must be aware of, should we wish to engage in logical, rational thinking."

Comments

Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"I'll start," Miss Bennet volunteered. "My name is Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I have no class year, but I can share why it is that I wished to teach this course. My father places a great emphasis on logic and rationality, which is a stark contrast to my mother, who indulges in flights of fancy and complains a great deal about her 'nerves.' My elder sister and I favour our father's viewpoint, but my younger siblings are more inclined towards my mother's approach. I feel that the ability to think, consciously, about one's behavior and actions can never be a fault, and wished to impart some of those lessons to my students."

Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "This also gave me a very good excuse to do research on the matter, and pretend that that was for a Cause and not to satisfy my own curiosity."

She pointed to a student, entirely at random. "You, please. Would you be so kind as to go next?"

(Name, year, and reason you took the class. Please feel free to ping one another here haphazardly to discuss responses! Messy is what we aim for!)

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"I'm Rose Hathaway," she said. "Senior, and I - um, no offense, I totally didn't sign up for the class. My old headmistress did, and she probably thinks I need to be more logical and rational and stuff."

And stuff. This was a great critical thinker here.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome to class, Rose," Miss Bennet said, amused by the response. "I assure you, you aren't the first to be placed in one of my classes against your will. I will strive to make the lessons as practical as possible. Why does your headmistress doubt your capacity for logic, if I may ask?"

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[not_tylerdurden]

"I'm Calvin," he said. "I'm a junior, and I'm taking this class because Hobbes thought it sounded interesting."

There may have been some suggestion. With teeth.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

Rose glanced over at him with some amusement. "To keep you from making crazy statements?" she teased.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome, Calvin," Miss Bennet said warmly. "Is Hobbes a guardian, or a concerned friend? And did you doubt his assessment?"

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[future_sandworm]

Leto Atreides," he said. "I'm a senior, and I signed up for this class because logic and critical thinking is an important tool to learn." Particularly as a ruler.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome back, Leto," Miss Bennet replied. "It is a very important tool, I agree. Knowing the ways in which one's thinking can be tangled is paramount towards guarding against such failings."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[officetightass]

It was so sad, but there was part of Angela that loved being able to introduce herself and make a good impression.

"My name is Angela Martin, I'm a junior, and I'm taking this class because I think logic is something that's sorely lacking in most people and I fully support any class meant to force some common sense into them."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Miss Bennet was going to take a moment to consider that Angela might get on well with Lizzy's middle sister, Mary.

"Welcome to class, Angela," Miss Bennet said. "I confess, that was part of my reasoning in offering the course, as well, if you will all forgive my candor. I thought perhaps it couldn't hurt to immerse my students in logic and rationality for a full semester, and pray that some of it had an effect."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[furnaceface]

If he was already half wedged between his desk and his seat by the time his turn rolled around, then Jonothon clearly hadn't been trying hard enough to get himself well and truly stuck there, and he deserved every bit of that awkward twist of fire in his bionuclear gut when the attention shifted to him.

//I'm Jonothon Starsmore. Junior class. And this course was on my schedule when I got here, so... here I am.//

Apparently it was possible to mumble telepathically.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Miss Bennet needed a moment to adjust to the ... unusual manner of Jonothon's speech, though to her credit, her countenance barely betrayed her surprise. She gave what she hoped would be an encouraging smile.

"Welcome," she said. "Do you suppose a guardian selected your classes, this term, or were you assigned by the office itself? I would like to imagine that the faculty here worked painstakingly on your schedule, and someone insisted that you simply must take Miss Bennet's class, as she's brilliant, of course, but it's far more likely that this class had room and another did not."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[pyroliz.livejournal.com]

"I'm Liz Sherman and I'm a senior," Liz said, "I'm taking this class because it looked interesting and it's always helpful to learn more about logic and critical thinking,"

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome, Liz," Miss Bennet said. "It has certainly never hurt anyone to know more of logic or critical thinking, I feel. I hope class lives up to its interesting premise."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"My name is Claire Bennet," she said, idly realizing she shared the same last name as the teacher. "I'm a junior and I signed up for this class because I want to learn to think more logically."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome, Claire," Eliza said. "That's a noble aspiration, one that too few share. Would that my younger sisters had it."

After a moment, she said, "Might I speak with you after class? It's nothing unpleasant, I assure you, but it's quite rude of me to indulge my curiosity on somewhat personal matters during class time."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"My name is Triela. I am a junior. I suspect I am in this class because Hilshire thinks he's funny."

Actually, Hilshire didn't hav a sense of humor that he was aware of, so she knew she was probably in the class for some obscure reason that only made sense to him.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome back, Triela," she said easily. "And now, I fear I must ask: who is Hilshire, and why does this assignment reveal his presumed humor? Though I shouldn't ask, as I fear I won't like the response. It may be somewhat pointed, at my expense."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"My name is Aravis," she said, smiling briefly. While her title felt appropriate here, she was still firmly avoiding using it. She didn't feel like a noblewoman here, so why make anyone feel like they should address her as thus? "I am a senior this year, and I am taking this class mostly due to the 'critical thinking' portion. While my logic and reason are both often emotion-based, and I certainly do understand the need to keep myself in check," much though she loathed admitting as much, "critical thinking is something I always strive towards. I should like to learn to assess situations more carefully, so as to employ better strategies, socially."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"Welcome, Aravis," Miss Bennet said. "I should say, here, that I certainly don't seek to condemn emotion. There are times when what is rational, and what is logical, is also patently absurd, in light of how one feels. I suspect that's part and parcel of being human. But it can never hurt to understand, logically, the underpinnings to a situation, before choosing to indulge one's emotions."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[eyebrowgoesup]

"I am Spock, and I am a sophomore. My people's culture and belief system is based on logic, and I am here to learn about human culture, therefore, it seemed reasonable for me to take a human course on logical thought," Spock explained.

He was vaguely hoping it would explain why humans could be so very illogical.

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[bad-nose-job.livejournal.com]

"My name is Penelope Wilhern, and I'm a senior. I took this class because I feel that logic combined with critical thinking, can determine the outcome of a situation in a more hopeful and positive manner, thus giving you the feeling you handled it well. I feel I could benefit from learning how to do this effectively. I'm not always a clear thinker; acting first, and I would like to better myself in this area."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[gotyourmateria.livejournal.com]

"Yuffie Kisaragi, Junior and um," she actually wasn't going to admit that she just checked boxes at random.

"People tell me I'm illogical and I thought it might help."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"I'm Zayne Carrick, senior, and I took this class because being able to reason is a crucial skill if you want to be a Jedi," Zayne said. "And I do. Want to be a Jedi, that is."

Re: Introductions [LOG-1]

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"I'm Edmund Pevensie," he introduced himself. "A Junior now. Logic, reason and critical thinking are all useful for diplomacy, and when diplomacy fails it's useful for annoying the person on the other side of the table."