We explain what logical thinking is and what this form of reasoning is for. In addition, some examples of logical thinking.
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What is logical thinking?
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It is understood as those forms of purely relational reasoning , that is, involving real or abstract objects and a series of relationships between them. It is a type of thought that comes from individual elaboration itself, and that requires abstract, hypothetical elaboration.
In this type of reasoning it is essential to draw valid conclusions from a set of determined premises , as in the propositional logic or symbolic logic, which are formal models of expressing a reflection.
This type of reasoning is, in addition, extremely ancient, since it was cultivated extensively by the ancient Greek philosophers, who saw in deduction and formal correlation the best method to reach the truth .
Today we know that certain conclusions cannot be reached in this way, but still logic is an elementary part of contemporary scientific thinking , especially as regards the rules of the formal research process.
It can be combined with others, thus giving rise to logical-mathematical, logical-abstract, logical-spatial thinking, among others.
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What is logical thinking for?
It is precise, justified and evident, so it represents the ideal for argumentation , and the latter is key to any form of debate, deduction or proof of thought.
Deductive logic, above all, is part of the most used reasoning in academic and school settings, being also key to mathematics . That is why it is pedagogically exercised from the early stages of cognitive development .
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Logical-mathematical thinking
The application of logical thinking is thus called to the formal rules of mathematical language, which basically consists of a set of signs that represent quantities or variables , and the set of logical relationships that exist between them.
It is a type of key reasoning in numerical or mathematical intelligence, that which allows us to skillfully handle operations with numbers , as well as establish relationships, represent through models and perform quantifications.
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Examples of logical thinking
Some examples of logical thinking are:
- The cube of R ubik . A popular toy of the late twentieth century, consisting of a six-sided cube composed of nine colored squares, capable of moving vertically or horizontally. The cube usually gets messy and then attempts to recompose, assembling the various colored faces at the same time through precise movements of the cube faces.
- The puzzles or puzzles . The assembling of puzzles constitutes a strong exercise of logical and abstract thinking, in which shapes, colors and relationships must be considered.
- The riddles . Eastern Zen puzzles are famous, in which the teacher did not test the student’s deductive ability, but their logic to think on their own the answer to an irresolvable puzzle.
- The games of categories . Styles of children’s games in which objects must be sorted into categories, establishing logical relationships between each one and assigning them categories depending on their specific properties.
- Mathematics . Every mathematical exercise, of whatever type, implements logical-formal thinking.
