by Ryan Robert Hallett

Created on: April 19, 2009

The difference between logic and reason is not unlike the difference between movement and locomotion. All locomotion is movement, but not all movement is locomotion. A plant moves, but it does not locomote because it is rooted in the ground. Likewise, all logic is reason, but not all reason conforms to the standards of logic.

It is often said that there is no "one right", that all observations are subjective, etc. However, if we are to get anywhere in life, our careers, our scientific understanding, our relationships, we will do better the more closely our observations of the world match up with what is really "out there". If we are in an argument, and one person thinks we're talking about apples and the other oranges, the conflict will never be adequately resolved. The best one can hope for is to agree to disagree unless we clearly define what we are talking about and try to move in the same direction. Logic is the way out of this conundrum.

Logic is less an invention than a discovery. It is like the scientific method. It is the math of words, setting out the parameters of sense, essentially, in a step-by-step, 1 + 1 = 2 sort of way. Specific logical structures have their own names and are categorised according to whether or not they are valid. For example, the argument

No plants locomote
No mountains locomote
Therefore all mountains are plants

is considered a "fallacy of the undistributed middle", and is invalid because the conclusion does not logically follow. To say that no plants locomote is not to say that plants are the only things that do not locomote. This leaves room for other things besides plants which do not move from one location to another. However, the argument

No plants locomote
A succulent is a plant
Therefore succulents do not locomote

is called "modus ponens" and is considered valid. The conclusion follows logically from the premises. It is not a matter of opinion that this is a string of true statements. As much as anything can be, this second argument is a matter of fact.

If logic is the map of what's really "out there", reason is the process of trying to read and follow the map. Many things can cloud our reasoning such as preconceived notions about the nature of a person or a situation, prejudices for or against a particular outcome, or simple mental laziness. The effects of poor reasoning extend far beyond petty disagreements or philosophical argument. An unwary observer can be convinced that a buy is a good deal when it's not, that an unnecessary product is essential, or that a war is justified when it actually puts everyone at a disadvantage. When reason strays too far from logic, the results can be disastrous.

Simply put, reason does not always follow a logical path. Sometimes we come to incorrect conclusions about the world we see before us. On the path to truth, logic is the Rosetta Stone that helps get us all speaking the same language, following the same directions.

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