Key Difference – Logic vs Reason
Logic and reason are two terms that are often used together in philosophy. The main distinction between logic and reason is that logic refers to the systematic study of the structure of arguments, while reason is the application of logic to understand and judge something.
What Does Logic Mean?
Logic is the systematic study of the structure of arguments. Within logic, a valid argument has a specific relationship of logical support between the premises of the argument and its conclusion. Therefore, the validity of an argument is determined by its structure, not content.
Logic can also be described as reasoning conducted according to strict principles of validity. Logic can be divided into formal and informal logic. Informal logic can be further divided into deductive logic and inductive logic. Deductive logic involves using one or more statements (known as premises) to reach a conclusion.
Deductive Logic Example:
All men are mortal.
Henry is a man.
Therefore, Henry is mortal.
Inductive logic involves making broad generalizations from specific observations. However, even if all premises are true in inductive reasoning, the conclusion can still be false.
Inductive Logic Example:
Henry is a grandfather.
Henry is bald.
Therefore, all grandfathers are bald. (False conclusion)
What Does Reason Mean?
The term reason can have several meanings. Reason may refer to:
1. The power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments logically (used as an abstract noun)
Ex:
It is important to analyze the close connection between reason and emotion.
Use your power of reason to understand this phenomenon.
2. A cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event
Ex:
His absence is the reason that they are here.
I asked her to return but gave no reason.
We couldn’t find any reason for his strange behavior.
I resigned for personal reasons.
3. As a verb, reason means to think, understand, and form judgments logically.
Ex:
It was impossible to reason with him.
He did not reason entirely from facts.
Reasoning is the action of thinking about something in a logical, sensible way.
What is the difference between Logic and Reason?
Definition:
Logic is the systematic study of the structure of arguments.
Reason is the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments logically.
Grammatical Category:
Logic is a noun.
Reason is a noun and a verb.
Image Courtesy:
“Argument terminology used in logic” By Farcaster – PowerPoint slide based on argument terminology (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“1751201” (Public Domain) via Pixabay
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