"When Should My Child Start Learning Logic?"

Many parents who are interested in raising children to think critically have been exposed to logical concepts at some point, either through coursework or reading or discussion with friends. Consequently, I often receive this question:

“How old should my child be before they start learning logic?”

For a number of reasons these parents have come to believe that critical thinking education should begin with basic logic and argument analysis. They think their children should learn to recognize (for example) that an argument form like this …

1. All A are B
2. All B are C
Therefore, all A are C

… is logical valid, while this argument form …

1. All A are B
2. All A are C
Therefore, all B are C

… is NOT logically valid.

[Here’s an instance of this argument form that illustrates why the argument form is invalid.

1. All tigers are mammals.
2. All tigers walk on four legs.
Therefore, all mammals walk on four legs.

In this instance, we imagine a world where the premises are both true but the conclusion is still false. If this is possible, then the argument form is "invalid", meaning that the truth of the premises does not guarantee the truth of the conclusion.]

These are standard concepts one would learn in an introductory study of Aristotelian logic.

It’s not surprising that many people think this is the right place to start an educational program for teaching children how to think critically.

Most critical thinking textbooks reinforce this order of presentation. They tend to structure their content by starting with basic logical concepts first, and then adding material on informal argumentation, fallacies, biases, and so on.

There are also traditions of thought in the “classical education” movement that point to the neglect of core thinking skills that were once a staple of liberal arts education, and want to remedy this by exposing children to classical logic at earlier ages.

Whatever the reasons, the result is what I consider the most common misconception about critical thinking education that I have encountered.

The Standard Order of Presentation

When you take a critical thinking class in college or university, or browse the table of contents of many commonly used textbooks, there’s a standard order of presentation.

You start with definitions of basic concepts in logic and argumentation using simple toy arguments written in standard form, like the ones I presented above.

From there you move on to principles of argument analysis, identification of common formal and informal fallacies of reasoning, and then the text will often have several chapters on applied topics (moral reasoning, reasoning in the law, scientific reasoning, critical thinking about media and advertising, etc.). There may also be chapters that cover topics in formal logic in more detail (basic Aristotelian logic, basic propositional logic, and so on).

In my own description of the components or “pillars” of critical thinking, I have replicated some of this structure while adding categories that I think are often neglected in textbook treatments. I discuss this at some length in the course “Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It’s Important”.

Here’s a version of my list:

• Logic
• Argumentation
• Rhetoric
• Background Knowledge
• Character (attitudes and values)
• Creativity

I have argued that specific critical thinking situations require different combinations of the skills and aptitudes on this list, flying in loose formation, oriented toward the solution of the problems posed by the given situation.

My own approach treats critical thinking as a multi-dimensional concept, and tries to democratize the elements on this list — in practice, none is more fundamental than any other.

But notice that the ordering of my list still reflects the order of presentation that you might encounter in a university classroom. It reflects the order of presentation in my own classes when I was teaching at university.

There may be good reasons for structuring the teaching and learning experience this way, if your students are already adults, or close to being adults.

In my view, the biggest misconception about critical thinking education for children is that it too should reflect this order of presentation.

This is a mistake. Developmental factors need to be taken into account. Parent-child dynamics needs to be taken into account. Children are not adults.

Invert the Standard Order of Presentation

Here’s a better way to think about what your priorities should be as a parent or educator.

If you want to raise a critical thinker, and you’re considering how to structure the learning environment of your children to best achieve that goal, just invert the order of presentation on my list:

• Creativity
• Character (attitudes and values)
• Background Knowledge
• Rhetoric
• Argumentation
• Logic

When your child is very young, you focus your attention on the TOP of this list. As your child ages, you gradually start to move DOWN the list.

Formal logic isn’t something I would bother introducing to a child until they were in middle school (13-14 years old). But I would start working on their creativity and character at the earliest stages.

In the remaining lectures in this section I’m going to talk about each of these components of critical thinking in turn, working down this list.

We’ll discuss what sorts of activities, opportunities and experiences can be helpful in nurturing them, and how they contribute to the development of young adults who are willing and able to think independently for themselves.

I invite you to share your own thoughts and experiences in the discussion comments below.