Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Back in Ancient Greece, logic was an extremely popular pursuit. But life has changed quite a bit since then! What relevance does logic have today? Join us today on Home School Heartbeat with HSLDA President Mike Smith and professor Doug Geivett.

Logic Resource Sheet

Are you ready to explore logic in your homeschool? Our Logic Resource Sheet lists many resources for various learning levels, including Dr. Geivett’s recommendations. Request our free Logic Resource Sheet by clicking the link below.

Learn More Here >>

Mike Smith:
Our guest today is Doug Geivett, professor of philosophy at Biola University in Southern California. Doug, thanks so much for being with us today!

Doug Geivett:
Mike, thank you for inviting me.

Mike:
Doug, in a culture that is often ruled by images and feelings, the hard study of logic can seem outdated. Now, why is it important for students of all ages to learn logic, especially in today’s culture?

Doug:
Mike, images and feelings are immediate. They’re very real, hard to ignore. They’re powerful movers in our lives, but feelings are not a reliable guide to truth and reality. So if we’re ruled by feelings, then chances are we’ll be governed in our choices, life plans, and actions by error. In fact, how you feel at a given moment has a lot to do with how you think and what you believe at that moment.

Beliefs set the course for our lives and feelings supply the energy. So if our beliefs are true, then our feelings help to move our lives along the rails of reality. Reliably true beliefs, though, depend upon evidence and good reason. We use logic to collect and evaluate evidence, to improve our chances of believing what’s true, grow in authenticity, and experience success in life.

Mike:
Doug, that’s a tremendous insight! And thank you so much for sharing that with us. I look forward to hearing more next time! And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.