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section 1 Learning the Intricacies of Practical Reasoning 50 PART II —— PRACTICE Intelligence can be described as the capacity to efficiently locate means that will lead to ends that are already predetermined. Wisdom, by contrast, can be defined as the capacity to choose a coherent set of ends, or values, that will lead to the creation of who it is you want to become. Treatises that focus on theoretical reasoning do so with the view to enhancing your intelligence; treatises such as this one that focus on practical (or value) reasoning do so with the view to enhancing your wisdom. Wisdom and autonomy can be viewed as flip sides of the same coin. The truth-seeking process that underpins wisdom demands that one acquire a number of specific reasoning skills. To begin with, it requires that one be awake to the value issues that saturate one’s world. It also requires that one be able to vividly imagine alternative perspectives. It requires that one be able to accurately construct arguments To be wise is to choose one’s ends or values. To be intelligent is merely to choose the means to preestablished ends. To be wise is to choose one’s ends or values. To be intelligent is merely to choose the means to preestablished ends. SEEKING “A GOOD YOU” RATHER THAN “GOOD TIMES” 51 SECTION 1 —— LEARNING THE INTRICACIES OF PRACTICAL REASONING that support each alternative. It requires that one be able to analyze the potential flaws in argument structures that support each alternative. The kind of argument that underpins value reasoning is a deductive argument. Thus, since the goal of the present endeavor is to nurture autonomy (or wisdom), and since this in turn requires that one learn to think through value issues impartially, learning the basic mechanics of deductive argumentation is the major focus of what follows. Specifically, this section focuses on the following elements of logical reasoning in practice: 1. Learning to differentiate value from nonvalue (empirical) issues 2. Gaining the skill to formulate value issues in precise, manageable terms You gain freedom through impartially thinking through value issues, which requires that you become adept at understanding the mechanics of deductive logic. You gain freedom through impartially thinking through value issues, which requires that you become adept at understanding the mechanics of deductive logic. DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION: IT IS DOING SOMETHING 52 PART II —— PRACTICE 3. Becoming alert to the value issues that are woven into your own world 4. Becoming familiar with some common informal fallacies that can hinder your ability to judge the merits of any position 5. Understanding the basic format of deduction 6. Gaining skill in seeing the whole argument in which any reason is immersed by recognizing the hidden premise 7. Learning to evaluate reasons, or soundness (local sufficiency), by evaluating the vulnerability of premises to counterexamples 8. Learning to evaluate the local sufficiency of your own and your opposition’s positions through parallel arguments 9. Learning to evaluate the global sufficiency of your own positions by writing mini-essays 10. Gaining practice in “standardizing” claims, thus ensuring that you know what counts as a legitimate counterexample in any instance 11. Learning to see hidden claims about sufficient and necessary conditions and to understand their significance 12. Learning to see the hidden premise in forced-choice situations 13. Learning to respond appropriately to incorrect counterexamples 14. Learning to differentiate between common valid and invalid deductive moves and learning how to respond appropriately 15. Reviewing Diva’s messages, which are woven throughout the text The autonomy-wisdom duet is not quickly or easily achieved; it is an ideal one must aspire and work toward every day of one’s life. Even if you learn all that is to follow , success is not guaranteed. However, learning what is to follow will make the road substantially easier. In the long run, the degree to which you are successful in becoming your own person will be more a function of will than of skill, although skill is no small asset. 1. Knowing What to Look For: Reasons versus Evidence Claims can be classified according to the method one would use to estimate their truth. Claims can be divided into two broad categories: those that are empirical and those that are nonempirical. The word “empirical” comes from the word “experience” and hence indicates the kind of support that empirical claims require. The claim that “seat belts save lives” is an empirical claim; it...

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