Logical v Reasonable

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BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Blackburn defines

Logic:

Cited

'The general science of inference. Deductive logic, in which a conclusion follows from a set of premises, is distinguished from inductive logic, which studies the way in which premises may support a conclusion without entailing it. In deductive logic the conclusion cannot be false if the premises are true.' (221).

A former academic adviser of mine at Canadian Baptist Seminary/Trinity Western University, stated once (paraphrased) that many people use the terms 'logic' and 'logical' incorrectly.

Blackburn explains that 'The aim of logic is to make explicit the rules by which inference may be drawn, rather than to study the actual reasoning processes that people use, which may or may not conform to those rules. (221).

If I stated: 'I am a theist, I am an atheist', that is logically impossible and contradictory.

If I stated: 'I am a theist, I am a Hulk', that is logical, but not reasonable. It is not logically contradictory as I could hypothetically and theoretically be a Hulk, by an act of science or supernaturally, but the statement is not supported by premises as reasonable and sound (true). It is physically impossible (at present) that I am a Hulk, but it is not logically impossible.

Blackburn writes concerning 'reason' under the 'rationality' entry. (319-320).

Rationality:

'Pieces of behaviour, beliefs, arguments, policies and other exercises of the human mind may all be described as rational. To accept something as rational is to accept it as making sense, as appropriate.' (319).  It is aiming for the truth and the good. (319).

At times people state that something is 'logical' when in reality they should state that something is 'reasonable'. The reasonable will be logical, but the logical, not always reasonable.

If one is stating that something is true, the term 'reasonable' is usually the more accurate philosophical term than logical.

Biblical friendship

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Part of my work is processing social media for Prayer Current. Prayer Current will be at Missionsfest in Vancouver, January 27-29.

Missionsfest Vancouver

Prayer Current is a Christian, bible-based, prayer ministry.

A key working textbook of the ministry is 

SMED, JOHN with HWANG, JUSTINE (2016) Engage: The Conversation with God, with believers, with seekers, Vancouver, Prayer Current.

I was asked to review the text. This is non-exhaustive being consistent with this media format. As per the citation style I was taught within British academia, citations will primarily be in my own words.

Prayer Friendship with Jesus

Praying to God as a friend would be a two-way, conversion. (8). From the New Testament, Jesus Christ, as God the Son, brings in people to a two-way conversation with God, through prayer. (8). As Jesus Christ is both infinite God and perfect man, in obedience to God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, he completed the atoning work and resurrection for the salvation of humanity. Apart from Christ, human beings 'experience a kind of solitary confinement.' (8). Indeed, based on the New Testament, from Acts 4: 12, it is explained human salvation can be obtained from no one or nowhere else, other than through Jesus Christ. This is controversial in some circles, but biblical, none the less.

English Standard Version

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

New American Standard Bible

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

Jesus Christ and his atonement and resurrection applied to believers is God's gift to humanity in friendship. (9). The text quotes John 15: 13-16 and from v 16  'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you...' (9).

Readers may recognize that the Prayer Current text states the concept in modern philosophical terms, of compatibilism, which I have discussed thoroughly within my British academic work and on this website. In basics terms it states that God's sovereignty is compatible with human free will; what I define as limited free will. Human beings have a limited free will only, as secondary causes, not primary causes, choosing within their nature. Human nature is corrupted due to the fall (Genesis 3, Romans 1-6), while God's nature is infinitely good. Through the 'search' feature, top right on this website, more related entries on this website can be found.

However, Jesus Christ choosing his disciples and eventually apostles in John 15 as friends, is theologically consistent with Pauline concepts of compatibilism in Ephesians 1 and Romans 8, where persons are chosen in Jesus Christ. True effective, biblical prayer essentially relies on this divine-human connection that within the Reformed tradition, is initiated by God.

Praying For Appointments

I appreciate how theological the 'Engage' text is, as is 'God In The Conversation', which I also reviewed on this website. This is useful:

Quote:

'When you confess your sins you are completely washed clean of them. An old saying captures this truth:

That Jesus died on the cross is history.
That Jesus died for sin in theology.
That Jesus died for my sin is Christianity.' (83).

This application of the atonement and sacrifice for a person involves on the part of a person an embracing of the gospel message, given by God. This leads to the biblical prayer model of Jesus Christ as the mediator between God the Father and humanity (The book of Hebrews).

Politicians & Prayer

Neither Prayer Current or I, is particularly politically focused. But I find the citation below, enlightening.

'Politicians focus on outside issues for good reasons. The heart is harder to change than the environment.' (91).

To whatever extent our global environment is corrupted, and I reason it is, this problem of evil, like all problems of evil, humanly speaking, comes from a corrupted human heart. Environmental problems are symptoms of a corrupted human heart, a corrupted human nature.

I very much agree with the text that 'the inner pollution never gets cleaned up' by simply cleaning the outside (91). Even if humanity cleans up the earth's environment, without the regeneration (Titus 3: 5) work of Jesus Christ applied to persons, problems of sin and evil will continue.

Engage

Brief on real suffering (PhD Edit)

I just received some difficult news in regards to a good friend. In discussion we were reminded that as I recently stated on Twitter:

Sometimes one has to dig deeper than typical evangelical answers...

PhD Edit

Theodicy and Practical Theology, The University of Wales, Trinity Saint David (2010).

Real suffering should not be denied for the sake of any theological system, as the logical and reasonable nature of a good theodicy does not take away the seriousness of suffering. Real suffering provides opportunity for pastoral counseling and theology.

Only God alone can ultimately free his creation from suffering. Although human beings can somewhat minimize the suffering of others in many cases. But a theodicy may explain to some degree, how God works within his creation that contains evil and suffering.

Romans 8:28-30

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

28 And we know that [a]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION BIBLE (1984) Iowa Falls, Iowa, World Bible Publishers.

False Conversion (In philosophy)

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False Conversion (In philosophy)

Preface

From a review of the Pirie text:

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

'False conversion takes place when we deduce from the fact that all cats are animals the additional information that all animals are cats. The converse of a statement made by exchanging the subject and predicate, is true in some cases, false in others. (106).

All rats are four-legged animals, means all four-legged animals are rats is obviously false. (106).

True conversion according to Pirie:

No innovative people are bureaucrats. Therefore, no bureaucrats are innovative people. (107).

False conversion according to Pirie:

Some journalists are not drunks, therefore, some drunks are not journalists. (107). Pirie states this may or may not be true, but cannot be deduced from this false conversion. (107).

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S = Spaniards

P = Portuguese 

(My add)

Fallacy Files

A All S is P, therefore All P is S No conversion

E No S is P, therefore No P is S Yes conversion

I Some S is P, therefore Some P is S: Yes conversion

O Some S is not P, therefore Some P is not S: No conversion

Some Spaniards are not Portuguese does not necessarily mean that some Portuguese are not Spaniards.

Cited

Paul Edwards (Editor in Chief), The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, (Macmillan, 1972), Volume 3, pp. 170-1 and Volume 5, p. 37.

'As can be seen from the table, the E- and I-type propositions are equivalent to their converses, which means that conversion is a validating form of immediate inference for E- and I-type categorical propositions. In contrast, conversion is non-validating for the A- and O-type propositions. Hence, to commit the traditional fallacy of Illicit Conversion is to convert an A- or O-type proposition.'

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BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

CONWAY DAVID A. AND RONALD MUNSON (1997) The Elements of Reasoning, Wadsworth Publishing Company, New York.

EDWARDS, PAUL (1972) (Editor in Chief), The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, (Macmillan, 1972), Volume 3, pp. 170-1 and Volume 5, p. 37.

LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York. (Philosophy). 

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

Fallacy Files: Notes 

(Selected relevant notes, my add)

Madsen Pirie, How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic (2006), pp. 74-6. 

Charles Ives, Essays Before a Sonata, The Majority, and Other Writings, edited by Howard Boatwright (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1962), p. 77. Via: Howard Pospesel, Introduction to Logic: Predicate Logic (1976), p. 176. 

The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Paul Edwards, Editor in Chief (Macmillan, 1972), Volume 3, pp. 170-1 and Volume 5, p. 37.