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Rewritten Article:
Critical Thinking in the Ballot Box: Why Learning Logic Matters Today
By Herman M. Lagon
Remembering the sun setting behind the old engineering building of the University of Iloilo, where Tuesday-Thursday (TTh) logic classes were held in the 90s, is a special touch to a time when we learned to think critically. Our lecturer, a fiscal lawyer now mostly forgotten, wore a quiet intensity as he introduced us to the yellow-green, dog-eared copy of Jesuit Fr. Andrew H. Bachhuber, SJ's Introduction to Logic. This book introduced us not only to argumentation but also the art of clear, critical, and consistent reasoning. In today's chaotic political climate, these skills could not be more essential.
Logical thinking is the workout that fortifies the mind, allowing us to distinguish sound arguments from fallacies, truth from deceit. By recognizing slippery slopes, false dilemmas, red herrings, appeals to popularity, post hoc fallacies, straw men, hasty generalizations, false authorities, and ad hominem attacks in papers, press releases, campaign slogans, and speeches, we become discerning listeners guided by insight, not just by emotion.
As the 2025 midterm elections approach, this skill set becomes more indispensable than ever. Elections have never been quiet, but the cacophony today drowns conversation. Candidates vie for attention with catchy phrases, filtered photos, and TikTok dance-offs. Platforms remain vague, slogans recycled, trolls are relentless, and lies outpace truth. Yet, voters continue to base their choices on whom they know, whom they find entertaining, or whom they feel comforted by, rather than making informed decisions. Logic, while it may seem dry to some, could be the cure for this political spectacle.
Take, for instance, those who unquestioningly accept slogans such as "For the Poor" without investigating the actual policies supporting this claim or the candidate's stance on broader economic issues. By contrast, logic encourages us to pause and question, "Does the conclusion follow? Is the premise even true?"—helping us cut through emotion and consider facts.
Unfortunately, the failure to prioritize logic education results in severe consequences. According to a 2023 report from the University of the Philippines Media and Public Affairs Program, politically motivated disinformation networks could reach over 50 million Filipinos weekly. These aren't just petty trolls engaging in childish bickering. They are intricate propaganda machines designed to exploit our cognitive biases, targeting the weakest points in our reasoning. Logic strengthens our defenses against propaganda by foundationing our judgments in evidence and logic, instead of simply relying on sentiment and spectacle.
However, logic doesn't only arm us with a shield against lies; it also equips us with a sword for constructing better arguments. Learning logic teaches us to clarify positions, define terms, and revise our beliefs when faced with more accurate information. Logical thinking fosters intellectual humility, the courage to question and reflect upon our beliefs, and to admit error and accept correction, when warranted. This mindset is essential for a society where conviction is frequently masqueraded as pride. Democracy flourishes on open minds.
Take a look at the examples of local politics where illogical reasoning persists. A town councilor declared a flood control project "completed" merely because pictures were shared on social media—disregarding the widespread flooding that occurred during the most recent storm. A provincial board member proposed a teenage curfew to address the issue of teenage pregnancy, failing to recognize the connection between causation and correlation. These lapses in reason aren't isolated incidents; they underscore a political discourse culture that celebrates volume over subtlety.
Next time you witness a politician's well-crafted, manipulative phrase, such as "If not me, who?", or hear a leader cherry-pick statistics to bolster their case, imagine a voter who discerns the false dilemma or logical fallacy within. That voter becomes harder to deceive and more likely to raise critical questions. It's beautiful when a voter doesn't merely clap along to an applause line but holds candidates accountable for their decisions and offers instead of just applause.
Implementation is crucial if we wish to integrate logic teaching systematically into the school curriculum. Teachers need training, the curriculum needs to be engaging and contextually relevant, and students need to be actively involved in learning logic as important civic skills rather than an academic feat. Using real-life examples from local government to national politics offers a bridge between textbook learning and everyday experiences. The aim is not to turn every student into a philosopher but to empower them with the tools necessary to participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Early investment in logic skills predicts a higher level of civic engagement and policy literacy among students, according to a 2021 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report.
Logic isn't always about debating or winning arguments; it's about making informed choices based on evidence and facts. Emotion belongs in our political discourse, guiding our decisions with passion and empathy. But, to ensure those feelings don't cloud our judgment, we must ground our choices in logic. In this country, the ability to think logically is as urgent as the ability to follow our hearts. So, as we head to the polls on May 12th, let us cast informed votes guided by reason, discernment, and the courage to reject deceptive lies for costly truths.
- The Philippines, in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, requires logical thinking, a skill learned during Herman M. Lagon's TTh logic classes at the University of Iloilo.
- Logical thinking equips voters to discern sound arguments from fallacies, truth from deceit, by recognizing slippery slopes, false dilemmas, red herrings, and other logical errors in campaign slogans, speeches, and political discourse.
- Integrating logic education systematically into the school curriculum can empower students, making them more likely to engage in the democratic process and demonstrate higher civic engagement and policy literacy.
- By practicing lifelong learning and incorporating lessons from logic-and-self-development courses into their personal growth, Filipinos can strengthen their defenses against politically motivated disinformation networks that reach over 50 million Filipinos weekly.
- Learning logic fosters intellectual humility, encouraging questioning, reflection, and admission of error when faced with more accurate information, promoting open minds and a healthy democratic society.
- The education system should provide engaging and contextually relevant logic lessons, using real-life examples from local government to national politics, to bridge the gap between textbook learning and everyday experiences.
- Emotion and logic should coexist in political discourse, allowing passion and empathy to guide our decisions while logic prevents our judgments from being clouded by deception and falsehoods.
