18.4 Logical Chains


What is the difference between chains and logical arguments? "The difference is that in logic there's no middle ground; a logic link is either there or not. Because of this, a logical argument cannot have any `weakest link'." Common sense reasoning looks for overall plausibility, and does not test each and every link in an argument. Minsky suggests that logic has limited application in cognition, providing one method to detect weaknesses in old ideas.

(NB: This does raise the important question of why many assume that thinking is lgoical, when lots of scientific evidence suggests taht it is not.)


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