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Haryatmoko’s article entitled “The importance of criticism and the temptation of demagoguery” (Compass, 8/10/2023) reminds us that logic as a system of thought is an inseparable part of daily life. The presentation is relevant to the current situation of the company. The examples are both simple and familiar because they are taken from all kinds of rumors and rumors that have filled the minds of the Indonesian public in recent times. The logic is very close, touching on people’s concrete daily experiences.

Logic is actually an everyday affair. As long as humans have been thinking and speaking, logic plays a role and is necessary. Unfortunately, not everyone cares about this, even those who are responsible for managing various public policies, that is, those who have the power to regulate the lives of many people. Not forgetting those who become idols of the wider community, whose thoughts and actions are loved; those we call today influencers (influence). For three dollars, public media recklessly circumvent the principles of logic in the name of clickbait (click on the bait).

That’s it, logic seems to have no place in our public universe. And what a shame, as a guide for thinking, logic is even absent from formal education. Amid the increasing spread of fake news and incessant strategies, there are many influencers exploit mass psychology for personal enrichment; Faced with the increasing ease with which societies can confront each other with false narratives defending various interests, our education has not taken preventive measures.

In fact, in the digital age, educated people who constitute a technologically savvy group are even nicknamed digital natives In fact, it has become an easy target for various misleading and destructive propaganda.

Also read: Education and the importance of critical thinking

Various views

In 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in its published work entitled Teaching philosophy in Europe and North America shows with what enthusiasm European countries, such as France, Italy, Germany, England and Austria, have placed philosophy as an important subject in schools. Similar passions arose in the northern part of the American continent, especially in the United States and Canada. In fact, in the United States the idea has already emerged philosophy for children since the 1970s.

Whether intentional or not, until now our educational program has never programmed special subjects for logic or philosophy in general. There are several arguments that we do not need courses in philosophy, or especially logic, because they are implicit in all areas of science. For example, when studying the exact sciences, people are led to think in a structured and systematic way, within the framework of how the exact laws work.

When studying the social sciences, people are also indirectly led to think logically through the skill of drawing common threads between what is written in the theory and the phenomena that occur in society, or by ability to connect data scattered throughout society to arrive at a conclusion or proposition. Likewise, linguistics has its own logic, so it inevitably forms the logical flow of those who study it.

These arguments are correct, but they contain weaknesses. It is true that science is constructed according to a coherent and strict logical flow, but the process of learning science does not automatically transmit this logical system to its students. It all depends on how the learning process goes or the learning method used.

Learning by rote is certainly impossible to leave traces of logical flow in the learner’s head. Almost as impossible as learning by indoctrination. There is no process of forming logic in the indoctrinating accumulation of knowledge. It is only the learner who passively receives while agreeing with all the information received.

Especially if the learning focuses solely on completing the material. What is sought is the process of transferring a large amount of material according to the allotted time, not the formation of an organized flow of thought. Unfortunately, these learning models have long dominated our educational world.

Learning by rote is certainly impossible to leave traces of logical flow in the learner’s head.

There is also a total rejection of logic. The reason is that, as an inherent part of philosophy, logic is considered dangerous because it has the potential to critically examine everything, including dogmatic religious propositions and established values ​​in society.

In other words, logic or philosophy is generally seen as a poison that can undermine the legitimacy of various well-structured social orders. In fact, philosophy is often positioned vis à vis with religion, leading to accusations that philosophy fuels atheism and destroys the morals of the nation. In fact, many personalities in our country have diligently fought against philosophy without being uprooted from their religious roots.

Less logical community conservation

It may be that apart from the reasons given above, more fundamentally, the absence of logic as a science of critical thinking is a consequence of the legacy of the feudal mentality of the past which always wanted to exist an obedient society.

It is also possible that an uncritical society is deliberately maintained for various purposes. Because, let’s say in politics, rotten propaganda tends to be swallowed as virtue by people incapable of critical thinking. All the tricks of economic actors are also easily accepted, even celebrated as “favors and blessings of progress” by society without logic. Likewise, rhetoric wrapped in beautiful words will be hailed as enlightening even without data.

Also read: Critical thinking habits

At the same time, the habits of various social institutions are also taking root, using agitating ploys to bring their members to blind obedience, or spreading threats so that everything is accepted confidently, without a critical attitude. The door to debate is hermetically closed, common sense is slowly and massively killed.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, a certain group of people position themselves as experts and monopolize the truth. Conditions like this continue to be maintained to the point that society positions itself as a group that is easily deceived and exploited. These phenomena clearly show signs of society without the logic of being deliberately “bred” for the interests of certain groups.

Logic educates and unites

What is truly worrying about these phenomena is that stupidity and division will always persist. People are easily lulled and become “cash cows” for certain groups. Communities are also easily pitted against each other for the interests or profits of certain parties.

How can we realize this country’s lofty ideals of “intelligent national life” if the potential for thought is systematically sabotaged? Otherwise, how can we establish the idea of ​​“Indonesian unity” if here and there the public is so easily deceived and fueled by various divisive propaganda.

Also read: The decadence of common sense

We need logic lessons taught from a young age. We can at least identify which statements are forms of logical thinking errors (logical errors). So not all information is simply accepted with certainty as truth, even if it comes from people we hold in high esteem.

Likewise, understand logical errors make it easier for everyone to make logically incorrect statements. All forms of hate speech based on emotional feelings can be minimized if everyone understands the thinking signs taught in logic.

Ideally, our education requires philosophy as a whole. However, if it’s too complex, we start with a lesson in logic.

Herbert Jani, Researcher at the Center for Indonesian Nationality Studies, Prasetiya Mulya University