Why Logic doesn’t always win?

What is Logic, Why Logic fails, How to respond when Logic fails?

Have you lost an argument that you felt was completely logical?

This happens among child-parent, wife-husband, boss-employee, and many others. But why does logic fail? Are people stupid? What to do?

Remember when you got eliminated just because someone said- white is sus?

What is Logic?

When convincing people your Logic has three parts

1. What everyone knows? — The Assumptions / Common Knowledge

2. How you can rearrange the information? — The Approach

3. What you can derive? — The Conclusion

If all these 3 parts are consumed by the audience. Your logic prevails.

For example –

Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 (Common Knowledge), Humans generally don’t live over 100 years (The Approach), So Mahatma Gandhi probably died before 1969 (The Conclusion).

Why does it fail?

Doing the above 3 steps takes mental effort on the part of your audience. So, they choose an easier alternative if available. To name some of them:

1. Stereotypes — The already existing ideas and biases, overweighs logic.

For example, If most of the audience believes Women don’t make good boxers, They will decide to not let a woman train in a boxing gym.

2. Emotions — Our Brain converts emotion to a Conclusion without logic.

For example, We conclude that the crying person is right and the other is wrong (emotion = empathy)

3. Status Quo — It is hard to conclude that the present normal is wrong

For example, It is hard to convince your parents that you would have a happy life being a traveling artist.

What to do if Logic Fails?

Logic only fails when there is an easier alternative that doesn’t require the three steps.

You can defeat this easier alternative by 3 steps

· Inspect the easier alternative and find out why it is easier?

· Attack the ease offered directly

· If unsuccessful, then reframe your logic statement to something easier.

For example:

If your parents believe that going to a premier institute ensures success. (Stereotype)

Show them examples of people who failed after going to the premier institute. (Direct Attack)

If the attack fails, show them how much money it will cost to study there and to prepare for the entrance exam. (Reframed the logic from success to Money)

Conclusion

We humans aren’t logical by nature, we have developed logic over time.

Dear Reader, even you are not always logical in your decisions.

Understand and use logical and non-logical reasoning to your benefit.