Logical Reasoning 1. What's so Logical about It?

Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s just not logical.”  (Perhaps that person was you!). What makes reasoning logical?

Logical reasoning is a type of critical thinking that helps us to see the relationships among facts, deduce patterns and rules, and apply them to make objective judgements.

While logic is important in understanding abstract subjects such as mathematics, the principles of logic are universal across disciplines and can be taught.

Innovators use logical reasoning to decide which of their ideas have a chance for success. They systematically observe patterns and trends to find and define the “real problem” to be solved.  

When Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994, he wasn’t solving the problem of how to sell more books. His question was, what are people, in the early days of ecommerce, likely to feel safe about buying over the internet? His logical conclusion (deduced from observations, patterns, and testing) Books!  Thus, the Earth’s Biggest Book Store was born in his garage.

Logical reasoning is one aptitude of innovators that can be assessed on intelligence (IQ) tests. Children who are advanced in this aptitude will often vigorously question, argue, and defend their arguments “logically.” While some may have an advanced aptitude for logical reasoning, all of us can learn strategies to improve.

Use the scale below to observe the frequency of logical reasoning behaviors in learners. For those who exhibit several of these or often, look for ways you can harness that power! For those who seldom or only sometimes exhibit those traits – no worries! They will encounter new opportunities to develop it as we teach to develop talent.

Source: Teach to Develop Talent: How to Motivate and Engage Tomorrows Innovators Today.  Chapter 4. Teach the Seven Aptitudes of Innovators