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By: Rodolfo Claros and Sandra Lopez
REASON
Famous Quotes
“The madman is not the man who
has lost his reason. The madman
is the man who has lost
everything but his reason.” –
G.K Chesterton
 “He that does not reason is a bigot; he
that cannot reason is a fool; and he that
dares not to reason is a fool.” –William
Drummond
Description of Reason

Reason is man's tool of understanding. It is the method of
identifying entities through one's senses. It is the means of integrating
those perceptions into concepts, gaining knowledge through this
integration, integrating that knowledge into the rest of one's
knowledge, and evaluating and manipulating ideas and facts.

Reason is the process of thinking. Its fundamental attribute is clarity.
The use of vague notions, fuzzy feelings, or "instincts" is not reason.
Reason requires clear, identifiable building blocks. It uses ideas,
memories, emotions, and sensory input. The ideas must be clear and
definable. The memories must be recognizable, and vivid. The
emotions are recognized as emotions only, with no further meaning.
The sensory input must be identified in order to be used.

Reason is the method of thinking in an organized, clear way to achieve
knowledge and understanding. Since it is a means, its importance and
significance is in its method. The ends toward which it is used defines the
validity of the method. Understanding and knowledge is the criteria for
evaluating the use of reason.

Knowledge is knowledge about reality. Its base is perception, and its
method is reason. We gain knowledge through observing reality. We use
our minds to identify what we have observed by gathering more
perceptual information until we can understand what we see. Reason is
the tool that allows us to determine how to gather more information, and
what kind of information we need. Reason is then used to compare and
combine that new information into the rest of our body of knowledge in
order to acquire a more complete understanding.

Reason is organized. It is systematic and purposeful. It concentrates on
fundamentals, and makes pertinent associations. Since clarity is the
purpose of reason, it must use clear methods, as well as clear tools. It
must use logic, deduction, and induction.
Key Terms
Deduction
Induction
Definition
Reasoning from general to particular
Reasoning from particular to general
Example
All metals expand when heated.
A is metal
Therefore A expands when heated
Metal A expands when heated, just as
metal B and C.
All metals expand when heated.
Value
More certain, but less informative than
induction
More informative, but less certain than
deduction
History of Reason




The earliest sustained work on the subject of logic is that of Aristotle. In
contrast with other traditions, Aristotelian logic became widely
accepted in science and mathematics, ultimately giving rise to the
formally sophisticated systems of modern logic.
Several ancient civilizations have employed intricate systems of
reasoning and asked questions about logic or propounded logical
paradoxes.
During the later medieval period, major efforts were made to show that
Aristotle's ideas were compatible with Christian faith. During the later
period of the Middle Ages, logic became a main focus of philosophers,
who would engage in critical logical analyses of philosophical
arguments.
The syllogistic logic developed by Aristotle predominated until the midnineteenth century when interest in the foundations of mathematics
stimulated the development of symbolic logic (now called mathematical
logic).
Importance of Reason in
Education

This is essential in General Problem Solving: It helps us to analyze
concepts, definitions, arguments and problems, and contributes to our
capacity to organize ideas and issues to deal with questions of value.
Communication Skills: Here our skills will be enhanced as we are
able to present ideas through well-constructed systematic and
reasoned arguments. Persuasive Powers: We will learn to build and
defend our own views, to appreciate competing positions, and to
indicate forcefully why we consider our own views preferable to
alternatives. Writing Skills: Philosophical Logic and Reasoning
teaches us interpretive writing through its examination of challenging
texts, comparative writings through emphasis on fairness to alternative
positions, argumentative writing through detailed portrayal of concrete
examples and others. These are very important reasons why logic and
reasoning matter in our daily lives. They can be applied in the trained
academic person life, or to the normal individual who has a desire to
analyze the issues facing him/her before making a final crucial
decision.
Problems with Reason
The 10 Deadly Fallacies
Ad ignorantium
Claiming something is true because it
cant be proved as false.
Hasty generalization
Generalizing with insufficient evidence
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Confusing a correlation with a causal
connection
Ad hominem
Attacking/ supporting the person
rather than the argument
Circular reasoning
Assuming the truth of what you are
supposed to be proving
Special pleading
Using double standards to excuse an
individual or group
Equivocation
Using language ambiguosly
False analogy
Assuming that because two things are
alike in some respects they are alike in
other respects
False dilemma
Assuming that only two black and
white
Loaded question
A question that is biased because it
contains a built-in assumption
Joke
Article
 Reason and Logic by Ryan Robert
Hallnett
Multimedia
Bibliography
 http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Epi
stemology_Reason.html
 Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. Van
de Laagemat, Richard.