What is your Opinion on Having Required Classes in Logic in Schools?

[Pyrrho]

With reference to public schools, do you think that there should be classes in elementary, middle, and high school (Or however it works in your country) teaching logic/reasoning/skepticism/critical thinking?

Yes, absolutely.  Just logic and critical thinking will do; there is no need to endorse skepticism, depending on what, precisely, you mean by it.

I think there could be fun ways to do conduct a session of logic and skepticism while in elementary school. It would be nice if kids were taught early to question everything, and not just accept everything handed to them. This would also keep the teachers on their toes more so. Also, when the kids begin to question everything, they start to ask, “How do we know this is true?” The teacher could respond, “Well, it’s science, it’s the best way of testing ideas to the best of our ability”, or something to that effect, contingent on the circumstance.

In middle/high school, there could be at least a quarter or a trimester dedicated to that, one year in middle school, and two years in high school, as follows: You could get history 3/4 of the year, and 1/4 logic. Another year, you could have algebra for 3/4 of the year and 1/4 of the year logic, because, realistically, there would be no way to add another hour to school (not in in the U.S. anyway).

I think the kids would look forward to class in logic. It would be like a P.E. for your brain, and it would give a chance for kids to interact more with each other in a fun way. The brain exercises could include: memory, patterns, logic grids, trick questions, riddles, cryptography, ciphers, then later maybe, fallacies, syllogisms, and deductive/inductive/abductive reasoning. If there was computer access, maybe the teachers could get the kids on Luminosity once in awhile, or on Fridays kids could play Mastermind with each other. I know, I would have loved a class like that, when I was in school. It could be more of a participation grade, like in P.E. I had something similar to that, when I was in G.A.T.E. in elementary school, and I loved all the riddles, brain teasers, puzzles, and projects.

For the most part, from what I remember, everyone’s brains in school worked to absorb information. Our brains didn’t get exercised in a critical thinking/abstract manner as often as I feel it should have, except when writing an essay. I absorbed or memorized things like history, algebra, etc., but I didn’t let it wonder and think about the nature of why things are the way they are (philosophy would be a good elective in high school too. I never saw it being offered in my area) It would be good to expand the mind, and to get students to think outside the box, and more importantly, just to use critical thinking and to be skeptical of everything. It would be nice, if some kids, actually put that skepticism, that was placed into their heads by their teachers, and applied it to their idiotic religions that they were raised with. It would be a fun (maybe not for everyone) break from the monotonous, uneventful days in school.

Do you think it would be a good idea to require logic to be taught in the public school systems in a manner that I mentioned, (3/4 year X, 1/4 Logic) or maybe some other method? Do you think it should be an elective? Or do you think it doesn’t matter too much? Thanks for your thoughts and ideas.

I have not given it much thought for what it should replace in the curriculum.  I would have to look at the current curriculum in detail to make an assessment on that.  But I think logic/critical thinking, as is generally taught in college (that is, in terms of subject matter, not necessarily in terms of difficulty), would be a good requirement in grade school and again later on, adding depth to what was previously taught, as well as reviewing what was previously taught.


I think a class in comparative religion would also be good.  That is where people are taught the basic doctrines of the main religions, not as the truth, but as what people in the world believe.  Being aware of how other people view the world is a good thing.  But this is a separate class entirely from logic and critical thinking.