“What is logic and what is it good for?”: Reasons to Study Logic—Part 8

8. Democracy. There are even crucial social and political reasons for studying logic. As a best-selling modern logic text says, “the success of democracy depends, in the end, on the reliability of the judgments we citizens make, and hence upon our capacity and determination to weigh arguments and evidence rationally.” As Thomas Jefferson said, “In a republican nation, whose citizens are to be led by reason and persuasion and not by force, the art of reasoning becomes of the first importance.” (Copi & Cohen, Logic, 10th edition, Prentice-Hall, 1998) [Adapted from Kreeft, Socratic Logic]