For a society that puts such high praise on being rational and reasonable, it’s frightening sometimes to take a close look at how little training people receive in being logical. I’m not even talking about formal logic – how to prepare and critique a mathematical proof – since that is usually only taught in advanced math classes, such as geometry and linear algebra.

I’m talking about the fundamental awareness of how we think, and the process by which we reach the conclusions we do. Let’s look at the concept of assumptions, for example. The dictionary definition of that term is “a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn”. Granted, it’s a circular definition, but from the alternative phrasing – “a hypothesis that is taken for granted” – we can at least understand what is meant. An assumption is something that we arbitrarily declare to be true, for purposes of reaching a rational conclusion. While there is the old adage that treats assumptions as asinine, in practical reality we can’t live without them. Try giving directions to somewhere without assuming that the streets are where we left them. So, we’ll accept that forming assumptions is necessary for rational thinking.

But that says nothing of what assumptions we form, nor .does it free us from the responsibility to understand and be aware of the assumptions we are making. Any time we base a conclusion on something is unproven, we are making an assumption. That’s fine, and often necessary. But if we don’t realize that it is an assumption, if we take it as fact, then we run the risk of coming to conclusions, and holding them as judgments, when in reality they are just educated guesses

Another risk of not identifying our assumptions for what they are is that of becoming trapped in a single, possibly inaccurate, conclusion. On the other hand, if we are aware of the assumptions we are making, and we allow for them to be both true and not true in our reasoning, we gain the ability to understand multiple perspectives on an issue. From there, we can test the assumptions to determine their validity, and still have a logical path to follow regardless of the outcome.

The final aspect of assumptions that we need to look at is the issue of dependency between an assumption and a conclusion. There are many times where some of the assumptions we are making don’t really matter relative to the conclusion we reach. These are known in formal logic as independent variables. In common conversation, we run across them in statements like “Regardless of whether she gave her consent to the hospital or not, the other guy had no right to contact her.” In this hypothetical vignette, there is debate over whether the woman gave her consent to be contacted by the hospital. Until we determine that fact, any conclusion relative to the hospital approaching her must be based upon an assumption, in one direction the other. But the conclusion reached regarding the third party can be made independently of resolving that question – if, and only if, we are aware enough of the logic involved to recognize the fact that her relationship to the hospital is independent of her relationship to the third party.

There is a saying: “Awareness breeds options.” And that is most true in our awareness of own thoughts. Until we learn to pay attention to how are minds are functioning and what assumptions we are making, we will never have the option to be truly rational, except by accident.

Coranth Gryphon
July, 2002