LOGICAL THINKING

Do you think logically? Of course! Or maybe not…

What is logical thinking? Well, if A is bigger than B, and B is bigger than C, then I can conclude A is bigger than C. That’s a logical conclusion.

But other analytical challenges are not quite that easy. I have stumbled across two legal arguments recently that seemed logical on the surface, but when I thought about them more thoroughly, neither made one bit of sense.

The first was an editorial in the paper concerning the sale of violent and offensive games to minors. The argument was made that such material should not be illegal because the opposition to it is just a knee-jerk reaction that takes us back to the days of prohibition. It went on to point out that some comic strips that are considered OK now, were initially demonized for their violent imagery. Therefore, we should learn from the past and not fight such things because in time they will be considered acceptable. That was the argument made.

Is that logical?

To find out, let’s push that line of reasoning to its logical conclusion. Here it goes: We have, as a society, changed our minds about A. And we also have changed our minds about B. So we need to change our mind about C. And D. And F. And…Z too! Oh my! Apparently, we should not try to control the distribution of anything, since it might be palatable to folks down road. Desensitized folks down the road, that is.

So we find ourselves giving up our attempts to regulate a bunch of stuff. Interestingly, if we apply the argument used above universally, then we lack a rationale to outlaw murder. The use of law becomes a tool for the influential, rather than a moral structure in which a productive society can thrive.

Think about it.