“Michael introduced me to thinking about problems as a whole and inductively (a thought process which has helped in every form of learning). To this day, 7 years later, I still use this method to help me solve problems and learn, in work and in life, more effectively. I highly recommend Michael to anyone looking to not only improve their grades but also to improve their ability to problem-solve and appreciate learning.” –Joe S, business professional
“Michael’s emphasis on critical thinking and questioning changes the fundamental way student’s think about and approach problems, regardless of the specific nature of the problem.” –Drew T, ex-high school student
Schedule: This is a 10-week course that meets three times per week, one hour each session. (30 hours total.) Contact us for other scheduling options.
Format: Lecture to cover concepts, with as much class interaction and individual practice during class that we can get. No grading; homework is optional but recommended.
Cost: $600 per person for a group class of 4 or more students; $2000 for one-on-one tutoring.
Payment options: Payments can be made via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, cash, or check.
Materials: Paper and pencil.
For more details or to schedule a class, contact Michael by phone at 281-770-2276 or by email at michaelgold@goldams.com.
“My teenage son enjoyed this class. A lot of material was covered. The instructor was very passionate about his subject.”
–Jean, parent, about the Outschool class “Logic Essentials: How to Think Well,” 19 Dec 2020
Class Description and Rationale
A “master class” in logic. A deep-dive into reasoning.
We learn some critical thinking and creativity ideas here and there, but what’s at the root of it all? What are the fundamentals of reasoning?
Just as a craftsman should know their tools — and the deeper the mastery, the better the craftsman — so also we, as “craftsman” of thought, should know our cognitive tools. The better we know them, the better and more true can we craft our thoughts and decisions.
The material we will learn is what we need not only for science but also for everyday life. It is not merely academic, book-learning stuff. It will help you up your game in school, at work, and in life. After all, conceptual thinking is everywhere, in everything we turn our minds to to know, to value, and to interact with: friendship, fitness, wisdom, health, work, diet, and, more.
Where should you go to college? Where should you work? Is that person at work trustworthy? How do we avoid cancer? How do we fight cancer? What is cancer? Is that person really a friend? What is the best way to exercise? Do we even need it? What is sleep? Do we need it? What are the consequences of neglecting sleep? What, really, is a dog, or a cat, or a horse? What should we do to best take care of a pet so we are true to its biological nature? And how should be best take care of ourselves?
What is essential in this project? How should I order this presentation? How will I explain things well and make my point? What is in a good training program at work? Why? What is a concept, anyway? How do we know when someone has formed a concept? How can we train employees in concepts efficiently and effectively? Who should we hire? How can we assess candidates well?
We need to be able to think logically to help ourselves, help our friends, help our family, help at work, and help society. We need to think well to be the best we can be to be healthy and happy, and to help others be healthy and happy. How do we know if we are right? How do we know if our group of friends, our family, or our team at work are doing the right thing? What if we are wrong?
For the love of life and things good, we need to know. Logic guides us in how to know the truth and how to use that truth well.
History, too, shows us the importance of logic by showing us the mistakes — everything from follies to destruction — that happened when people lacked or violated logic. And it shows us some of the greatness and beauty that happened when people were logical, i.e., true to reality.
Unlike what happens after some other logic courses, you will find yourself forever using what we cover in this course. This material is invaluable for anyone who will work in science, who will have a career — whether finance, parenting, philosophy, marketing, music, art, education, technology, particle physics — and who will need to think their way through problems and through life. That’s everyone! 🙂
We will use a combination of lecture, interactive discussion, Q&A, and in-class work. Be prepared to think, to learn, and to have new horizons open to you.
“Really enjoyable class from a teacher that cared and knows his stuff.”
–Anthony S., parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Essentials: How to Think Well,” 19 Jul 2020
Topics covered
1. Q&A: thinking as asking and answering questions.
2. Think for yourself: knowing and understanding, not merely memorizing words.
3. Concretes & concepts: keeping it real, keeping it efficient.
4. Definition: knowing what you are talking about.
5. Classification: keeping your mind flexible, organized, and adaptable.
6. Induction: drawing meaningful conclusions on your own; checking other people’s.
7. Integration: making your knowledge useful.
Tentative Schedule
Week 1: Q&A and thinking for yourself
aims of course; need for logic; what logic is; defining thinking, truth, knowledge, understanding; using questions; what questions to ask; thinking for yourself; memorizing words or following authority vs thinking and knowing; how thinking for yourself is beneficial
Week 2: concretes and concepts
how we think; what a concept is; how we use them; some rules for forming concepts; how we form concepts
Week 3: definitions 1
what a definition is; logical definitions vs. dictionary definitions; why they are important; how we use them; formulating definitions
Week 4: definitions 2
formulating definitions; rules of definition
Week 5: classification
what is classification; why it is important; how we use it in life and in science; rules of classification
Week 6: induction 1
induction vs. deduction; reduction; how induction (i.e., generalization) works; how to do it right
Week 7: induction 2
Mill’s Methods; using the methods; principles of induction
Week 8: integration 1
what cognitive integration is: connecting to the big picture; why it is important (e.g., in wisdom); examples of how it is not practiced as much as it should be; examples of its use
Week 9: integration 2
integration in the history of science; how it affects our lives today; some advice on using it in your thinking
Week 10: review and exercises
continuation of any unfinished topics; review material from weeks 1-9; student questions; class exercises
Class Content
Week 1: Q&A and Thinking for Yourself
Intro and the aims of this course.
What logic is and why we need it.
How we get the concept of logic.
How the concept developed through history.
Define thinking, truth, knowledge, and understanding.
Using questions and what questions to ask.
Using questions in our own thinking, at work, and in life.
The Five Whys: finding root causes.
Thinking for yourself vs. memorizing words or following authority.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Week 2: Concretes and Concepts
How we think.
What concepts are and how we use them.
How invalid or poorly-formed concepts undercut our thinking, decision-making, business practices, and life.
Some basics of how we form concepts.
Some rules for forming concepts and avoiding invalid concepts.
Questions to ask in forming concepts.
The importance of rich, well-formed concepts to thinking, decision-making, business practices, and life.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Week 3: Concepts and Definitions
Continue to learn about concepts.
What definitions are and why they are important.
Logical definitions vs. dictionary definitions.
How we use definitions.
Formulating definitions: rules for good definitions 1.
Questions to ask in formulating definitions.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters.
Week 4: Definitions 2
Formulating definitions: rules for good definitions 2.
Questions to ask in formulating definitions.
Practice forming definitions.
How definitions involve concretes, classification, concepts, and context.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Week 5: Classification
What classification is and why it is important.
How we use it in life, at work, and in science.
Some rules of classification.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Week 6: Induction 1
Induction vs. deduction.
How induction (i.e., generalization) works.
How to do it right and how to make it work for you.
Rules of induction.
Questions to ask in forming generalizations.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters.
Week 7: Induction 2
Rules of induction.
Questions to ask in forming generalizations.
Practice forming generalizations.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Week 8: Integration 1
What cognitive integration: connecting to the big picture; “multidisciplinary thinking” — Why it is important: creativity, insight, depth, wisdom.
Examples of how it is not practiced as much as it should be.
Examples of its use in science, at work, and in life.
Rules and guidance on how to use it well.
Questions to ask in forming cognitive connections.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters.
Week 9: Integration 2
Integration in history and in the history of science.
Rules and guidance on how to use it well.
Questions to ask in forming cognitive connections.
Practice integration, i.e., “multidisciplinary thinking.”
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Week 10: Review and Conclude
Continuation of any unfinished topics.
Comprehensive review of Q&A, concept-formation, classification, definition, induction, and integration.
Process and discuss what we learned and why it matters in: your own thought, the decision-making process, training your team, learning and teaching, doing schooling/education more efficiently and more deeply, corporate training programs, business practices, assessing scientific or other claims, doing better in school or at work, etc.
Objectives
1. To understand what a concept is and how we form them.
2. To understand rules and standards for forming concepts.
3. To understand what a definition is and how it is important.
4. To understand rules of forming good definitions, and how they are contextual.
5. To understand rules for classifying concepts.
6. To understand what induction is and how we use it.
7. To understand rules for forming valid generalizations.
8. To understand what cognitive integration (like multidisciplinary thinking) is and rules for practicing it.
9. To understand the hierarchy (structure) of conceptual knowledge.
10. To apply logic to think better, make better decisions, train people better, formulate training programs better, and to be more efficient and productive, and more wise.
“Both my kids, age 13 and 15, enjoyed this Logic class. It was very challenging and the kids really had to think!”
–Cat, parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Essentials: How to Think Well,” 21 Feb 2020
The Need for Logic
Let’s make sure we add to our education the things Martin Luther King, Jr. , Thomas Edison, and others say are important.
1. “But educators at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health assert that memorization alone does not a scientist make — above all, students must be critical, creative thinkers who are honest and responsible with data. In order to train scientists as critical thinkers, the R3 Graduate Science Initiative was recently created in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MMI), led by director Gundula Bosch, Ph.D.” (from: https://biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2018/03/revolutionizing-with-r3-a-new-ph-d-program-seeks-to-train-scientists-as-critical-thinkers/)
2. “At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths. … Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.” –Martin Luther King, Jr
3. “The present system does not give elasticity to the mind. It casts the brain into a mold. It insists that the child must accept. It does not encourage original thought or reasoning, and it lays more stress on memory than on observation. The result of accepting unrelated facts is the fostering of conservatism [in thinking]. It breeds fear, and from fear comes ignorance.” –Thomas Edison
4. “For their part, Casadevall and Bosch write that science education reform should result in scientists who are: (1) broadly interested, creative and self-directed, as were some scientists in the era of Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Linus Pauling; (2) versed in epistemology, sound research conduct and error analysis, according to the “3R” norms of good scientific practice—rigor, responsibility and reproducibility; (3) skilled in reasoning using mathematical, statistical and programming methods and able to tackle logical fallacies.” (from: https://hub.jhu.edu/2018/01/03/biomedical-science-education-reform-casadevall-bosch/)
Let’s make sure we have the best education we can get, so we can live the best life we can — for ourselves, our friends, our family, and our community.
“Mr. Gold’s class was wonderful and our daughter enjoyed it. Mr. Gold kept her thinking. We highly recommend it.”
–Joseph P., parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Corner: Generalization: Its Nature, Its Rules, Its Deep Importance,”3 Apr 2020
“Our daughter really enjoyed this class. She couldn’t wait to share what she learned with us, We highly recommend this class.”
–Joseph P., parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Corner: Concepts, Our Unit of Knowledge,” 3 Apr 2020