News and Views- April 1, 2018

Review: The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking – Part 1

by Tasha Stacey

As most adults in the U.S. are aware, the state of education in America at all levels is abysmal. Because of this, it is crucial for interested parties to investigate and supplement what education institutions are offering. In my opinion, an excellent place to start is with The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, by Dr. David Kelley.

As Kelley states in the introduction, the purpose of this work is to think objectively, that is to identify the truth. Kelley’s approach for doing this is a classic one:

• Present a clear example of the concept or issue in question
• Extract the principle or concept of interest
• Present further implications, qualifications, and/or complexities of the principle or concept to enhance understanding of its use

By using this approach, Kelley helps the reader to attain logical thinking skills and thereby help the reader develop informed, rational conclusions to issues in question that you can confidently defend.

Those who study this work and absorb its lessons will be well prepared for a wide variety of problem solving in their personal and professional lives. Kelley takes on many of the usual topics in the field of logic including the nature of propositions and syllogisms, inductive reasoning, and deductive reasoning. Included with each chapter are practice quizzes and further exercises for the reader to practice on his/her own. The exercises are drawn from diverse sources including: news stories, actual arguments encountered in everyday life, and higher education curriculums. By his use of  diverse examples, Kelley shows how logic can be put into use in everyday life. Logic, it turns out, can be fun as well as relevant.

The Art of Reasoning has taught me a variety of things thus far. One of the things I greatly value is being able to identify fallacies behind the misinformation and disinformation floating around in our culture. For example, identifying fallacies such as:

• Using the fact that large numbers of people believe a proposition to be true as supposedly being evidence of truth
• Attempting to intimidate someone into accepting a proposition on the basis of a threat
• Advocating acceptance of a proposition on the basis of an emotion
• Using the fact that a person believes or desires a proposition to be true as evidence of its truth.

I believe that careful study of  this book will train readers to logically “steer” toward truth and away from falsehood and greatly help to set individuals up for a life of success— professionally and personally.  On a personal level, Kelley’s book has taught me methods of thinking I had never imagined. If I had been aware of this book  when I was in school, I would have spent a significant effort in its study and as a result of that study been able to think more clearly andcreatively. As I considered where the logic and critical thinking presented in Kelley’s work would be most useful in a person’s life, I realized the answer was: everywhere. In closing, I hope I have intrigued you enough to investigate what The Art of Reasoning by Dr. David Kelley has to offer in vastly expanding your thinking skills as it has mine.

Editors note: I have asked Tasha to develop additional essays on Kelley’s outstanding book, so look for additional writings by her in future ROAR newsletters, and please share her and Kelley’s insights with other interested parties. Also, Kelley’s work represents a practical application of logic to everyday life. For those interested in seeing how students turn out when logical thinking is fully integrated into an educational curriculum, I recommend reviewing the philosophy, curriculum, and activities of the VanDamme  Academy (vandammeacademy.com). – MG

Tasha Stacey was born (1994) and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. She obtained a principle scholarship to attend Colorado Mesa University for Culinary Arts, and became a certified personal trainer through the online course ISSA. She has an entrepreneurial heart and officially opened up her business this year, ServeFlow, LLC.

Property Rights and the Forgotten Man . . . the Landlord

One of the fundamental aspects of a free society is the existence and preservation of property rights, and one of the largest threats to those rights is the misunderstood and/or misapplication of the idea of “equality.” The concept of equality has been wielded as an immensely destructive force by the Progressive liberal movement since the late 19^th century. Early Progressive leader Herbert Croly correctly identified the rise of Big Business and the influence peddling and corruption associated with it as having a negative effect on American society, but, unfortunately, came to the conclusion that an “equality” of outcome rather than equal access to justice was the solution to the problem. (Justice in this context means removing subsidies and preferential treatment to selected individuals/companies claiming to represent the “public interest” a.k.a. the “greater good.”)

Croly’s misperception has become even more prominent in the present day with the explicitly socialistic ideas of Progressive liberals such as Bernie Sanders. Julia Mead in an essay in The Nation,  “Why Millennials Aren’t Afraid of Socialism” expresses hers and Sanders  Progressive views on “equality”:   

“Poverty isn’t a natural phenomenon; it exists because a few people own more than their fair share. . . The government’s role, Sanders argued, [referring to presidential candidate Bernie Sanders] is to correct the rampant inequality in this country. . .”

Their flawed view of equality blinds Mead, Sanders, and other like-minded souls to the obvious: we as individuals have differences in intelligence and motivation, which is why we will never be equal in the sense they mean.

This sort of thinking permeates much of our cultural landscape including the area of property rentals. For many years the “playing field” has been tilted toward the renter and probably nowhere more so than Seattle, Washington. In 2017 the city of Seattle imposed a rule (ordinance 125114) requiring landlords to rent to the first person who submits a valid application under Seattle’s “first in time” rule. The stated intention of the statute was to achieve equality by eliminating “unconscious bias.”

As Ethan Blevins of the Pacific Legal Foundation–the law firm leading the legal challenge to the city statute–indicated:

“This goes far beyond preventing intentional discrimination by banning choice across the board. No discretion, no chance to sift among potential tenants, no right to make a basic judgment call about who you want on your property for years to come. If the first person to apply is rude on the phone, too bad – you have to rent to them. If you notice a swastika tattooed on an applicant’s shoulder when he visits the unit, too bad – if he applied first, he gets the house. If someone who applied second, though, makes a good impression and needs a break, too bad – you have to reject them,”

Due to the efforts of the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of Seattle landlords, a King County trial judge has struck down ordinance 125114 (“Judge Says landlords can pick their tenants,” http://www.wnd.com/2018/03/judge-says-landlords-can-pick-their-tenants/)

Definitions and the framing of issues using clear definitions and terminology are of fundamental importance to identifying and challenging bad legislation. Equality when poorly defined, and applied, can destroy wealth and freedom as we edge step by step to a state of tyranny. At ROAR we celebrate this victory, and look forward to future efforts to remove vague, arbitrary, and/or contradictory language from laws and statutes in order to promote freedom and justice in our world.

Defending America via Grassroots Methods 

When grassroots movements reach a certain critical mass, they represent the strongest cultural force in existence. Their numbers, values-based mission, and lateral communication abilities, make them uniquely effective. When combined with inspired and committed leadership, they can become astonishing forces for good in our world.

One such force for good is ACT for America led by its founder and president, Brigitte Gabriel, a woman equal parts articulate and passionate in the defense of her adopted country the United States. Like many who speak out against radical Islam she requires 24 hour security from constant death threats, yet this indomitable freedom fighter is undeterred from her mission to protect and defend America.

What makes her organization so effective is their ability to:

(1)  Avoid wearing the blinders of political correctness, thereby enabling them to squarely face hard truths, and

(2) Use the knowledge gained by facing these truths to argue articulately, passionately, and in a principled fashion for actions to defend America and the sanctuary of freedom it represents.

Through Gabriel’s leadership, ACT for America has become a 750,000 person grassroots army, and in doing so, they have achieved remarkable things including:

• Being the force behind the passing of 12 federal bills and 84 state bills to protect America

•  Identifying real threats to America’s security and taking action to expose politicians and others in power who tacitly or actively ignore these threat

• Exposing attempts by organizations such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to indoctrinate children in public schools about Islam in the name of multiculturalism.

• Challenging the judiciaries’ systematic misconception of its power by—among other things—initiating a campaign to end nationwide injunctions by district judges.

And much, much, more. . .

For those who wish to be involved in the defense and security of the U.S. against threats to our safety and sovereignty, please consider any or all of the following actions: (1) Review their ongoing projects at their website (actforamerica.org) and spread the word about this marvelous organization (2) Consider investing in this organization via funding and/or volunteering to assist them in their various projects.

   Summary

In this issue we have discussed the value of David Kelley’s book, The Art of Reasoning. We hope that readers will consider obtaining a copy for their own use or informing interested parties about its value in the living of a rational life and upgrading the level of public discourse in America. In addition, we’ve seen how flawed views of “equality” have greatly infringed on the rights of landlords in Seattle and a successful effort to reverse that wrong. And we have introduced readers to a marvelous grassroots organization, ACT for America, whose mission is the safety and security of the United States.

We encourage readers to spread the word about these stories by forwarding this newsletter as well as any other actions you may think of that can help us in our mission to restore the republic in America.