http://www.christianlogic.com/articles/ Here are articles we've written to help you learn about logic and thinking skills. en nathaniel@bloomingthorn.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-20T01:25:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/introductory-logic-by-james-nance-and-douglas-wilson/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/introductory-logic-by-james-nance-and-douglas-wilson/#When:01:25:00Z My family tried to use the first edition of the Introductory Logic text when it was authored by only Douglas Wilson and had no videos. It didn't work for us. The 3rd Edition was a significant improvement, and this 4th Edition is even better. Nance has raised this course to the top of its class. The text teaches categorical syllogisms. Traditionally, the study of syllogisms comprised the largest portion of the study of logic. It is an important part of logic and needs to be grasped well. Nace also covers informal fallacies, but he does not do as good a job as he does with syllogisms. The Introductory Logic video course by James Nance and Douglas Wilson, 4th Edition, contains: Textbook Answer Key Test Booklet 2 DVDs I would not begin your studies in logic with this course. Students need an introduction which is less abstract and more fun and practical. I would compare the difficulty of this course with an Algebra II text. Introductory Logic is often sold separate from the DVDs. I do not recommend using Introductory Logic without the videos. The Lessons in the text are too difficult for students without Mr. Nance's video lectures. Publisher: Canon Press Subjects Covered: Basic logic terminology, categorical syllogisms, logical fallacies, Christian philosophy of logic Self-teaching: **** Explains concepts adequately well, without gaps, visual presentation, comprehensive exercises Suggested Ages: 16-adult Thoroughness: Covers foundational & traditional logic well Best Features: Visual presentation, systematic structure, comprehensive exercises Worst Features: Lectures are somewhat dry, logical fallacies are not well covered, lack of practical applications How to Use Introductory Logic in a Homeschool The textbook is divided into 36 Lessons, with exercises for each lesson. The Answer Key booklet has the answers to these exercises. There are 8 tests in the Test Booklet which are to be used periodically throughout the course, and one Comprehensive Test at the end. The 2 DVDs are divided into 20 Sessions. Each Session covers one or two Lessons in the textbook. Read the Lessons in the text which correspond with that day's video Session. (At the back of the Text Booklet is a table that shows which DVD Session should be used with each Lesson.) Watch the video lesson and take notes. If you have trouble understanding what Mr. Nance teaches, then you may want to watch the video lessons more than once. Do the exercises in the text and correct them with the Answer Key. If you have the opportunity to do this course with others, you might want to do the exercises and tests orally as a group. This may help you with problems that you don't understand. Do tests in the Text Booklet as they come due. Review any problems which you miss on the test until you understand why you missed them. Don't proceed to the next video Sesson until you get at least 90% correct on the test. Take the Comprehensive Test at the end. Mr. Nance's logic class at Logos School in Idaho uses three months of one hour classes, five days a week, to finish this course. We would expect that homeschool students will take a little longer longer time to finish this course. I think thirty minutes is a good time to spend each day. Every lesson in this course is difficult. Books & Materials 2008-05-20T01:25:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-lie-with-statistics-by-derrell-huff/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-lie-with-statistics-by-derrell-huff/#When:21:34:00Z Written in 1954, this little book is a classic. Its subject is statistics and how they can be used to trick you. It talks about samples with a built-in bias, tricky averages, misleading graphs, manipulative figures, monstrous margins of error, and generally, how you can lie with statistics. What I like most about this book is the way the author uses humor and odd-ball examples to make his point. It keeps my attention and helps me learn what he is teaching. Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Subjects: Statistics Self-teaching: **** Humorous and easy to understand Suggested Ages: 13-adult Thoroughness: Covers different types of statistics and their flaws Best Features: Clear explanations and humorous examples Worst Features: None Books & Materials 2008-05-19T21:34:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-use-the-fallacy-detective-in-a-homeschool/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-use-the-fallacy-detective-in-a-homeschool/#When:00:14:00Z (Some of this page is taken from the introduction to The Fallacy Detective.) The picture we had in mind when we wrote this book was of a father or mother sitting beside the children and working through this book together. Parents and children all read the chapter, they all discuss it, and they all do the exercises together. In our experience, most children learn logic best when they are thirteen years or older. Therefore, we have designed this book for students age thirteen and above. There is no maximum age, so grandparents have no excuse. We know that logic is a new subject to most people, so we wrote this book to be your teacher. We designed the lesson format to contain many concrete examples, and we included exercises for many levels of difficulty. In this way, the concepts are easy to understand, and the skills are easy to learn. Actually, we like to think of it this way – our book helps you to discover the logic which is already written in your mind by God. We only make you more aware of the logic which you’ve been using all of your life. What Is the Lesson Format? Each lesson begins with a section for you to read, and ends with exercises for you to answer. As we hinted at before, there are different ways you can use our book to fit your situation. Here are a few suggestions. We recommend that you work through this book in a group of two or more people. There is something about multiple people discussing their agreements or disagreements which brings out so much more in the lesson. You may wish to have each person read each lesson independently, then have everyone go through the lesson together. As you read each exercise and give your answer, you can check each answer with the answer key provided at the back of this book. As you follow this three-step sequence (first read the exercise, then give your answer, then check your answer), you will have your answers immediately corrected if you happen to miss the point. If you have trouble understanding a lesson, then do the exercises for that lesson anyway. We designed the exercises to be a teaching tool, so you may catch in the exercises what you did not understand in the lesson itself. If you miss many of the exercises, and you do not know why, then you may need to repeat a lesson until you understand it. If you still don’t understand something taught in this book, then try discussing it with other people. You may find more ideas at How to Use The Fallacy Detective in a Classroom. Here Is the Challenge Remember, most people never study good thinking skills. So people who take on this quest of learning logic are breaking out of the mold, and thistakes courage. It also takes humility. But most of all, it takes self-discipline. Learning Logic 2008-05-04T00:14:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-use-the-thinking-toolbox-in-a-homeschool/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-use-the-thinking-toolbox-in-a-homeschool/#When:00:12:01Z (Some of this page is taken from the introduction to The Thinking Toolbox.) We hope this book is so easy to use that we don’t need to explain anything. But we suspect our printer may secretly fill these pages with incredibly boring stuff on logic, instead of the gripping mystery this book should contain. So here are a few hints on how to use our book to learn logic, just in case this happens. The Thinking Toolbox is for anyone aged thirteen through adult. Our previous book, The Fallacy Detective, is an easy start to logic. We wrote both books to work well together. What Is the Lesson Format? You can read this book by yourself, or you can read it with others. Many students say it helps to talk with other students about logic. There is something about logic discussions that can expand our mind and answer questions. But a group setting is not required. Each lesson ends with exercises. Each exercise builds on previous exercises, so don’t wait until the end of the lesson to check your answers. Check as you go. This way, you will know if you are misunderstanding something. If you don’t understand something in a lesson, do the exercises anyway. We designed them to be teaching tools. You may catch something in the exercises that you didn’t understand while reading. If you still don’t understand, repeat the lesson. You can also discuss your difficulties with someone else. This book is a springboard to larger projects. For students, larger projects may include a science fair experiment, a history research paper, or starting a small business selling snails. Adults may wish to use the thinking tools in this book to solve problems like motivating their children to sell lemonade instead of snails. Whatever you do, don’t simply read this book and then forget about these tools. We thought we would close with an inspiring challenge to battle the forces of bad reasoning. But instead, we will suggest you read the first lesson. You may find more ideas at How to Use The Thinking Toolbox in a Classroom. Learning Logic 2008-05-04T00:12:01-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-use-the-thinking-toolbox-in-a-classroom/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-use-the-thinking-toolbox-in-a-classroom/#When:20:16:00Z Since we wrote The Thinking Toolbox in 2005, we have received many letters from teachers who use our book in their classroom. We’ve created this page to give you suggestions about how to use our book with a group of students. Which comes first? Should you start your class with The Fallacy Detective or The Thinking Toolbox? We write these books thinking that students could start with either The Fallacy Detective or The Thinking Toolbox. But we think The Fallacy Detective is a little bit easier than The Thinking Toolbox and so might come first. Fallacies are very easy for kids to to understand and apply. How do I assign homework? The Thinking Toolbox has 35 lessons with exercises. The answers to the exercises are found in the back. This presents a problem, “How do I assign homework when the answers are in the back?” But this is nothing a little creativity can’t solve. Rip out the answers! . . . a good idea, but rather undignified. Trust them not to peek . . . Yeah, right. We are hearing from teachers who are doing each lesson during class time. The teacher reads a lesson aloud, the class discusses the concepts and examples, and then the teacher has the class answer the exercises one by one. The teacher can correct wrong answers right in class. Mystery lessons like "Stir Plot until Thickened" work well in a classroom where the students can debate their theories about who stole the painting. Is there a test? Nathaniel and I wrote a test for The Fallacy Detective. We have not finished a test yet for The Thinking Toolbox. If you are interested in a test like this, let us know. If you would like to make more test material for your class, you can use The Christian Logic News archives for material. You might also try solving The Mystery of the Large Letter Library (located at the back of our book) in the class. Do you have input? Are you a logic teacher who has used The Thinking Toolbox in your class? We would like to hear your input. Learning Logic 2008-05-03T20:16:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/logic-on-the-web/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/logic-on-the-web/#When:19:35:00Z Wikipedia Wikipedia articles are written by thousands of anonymous people who edit each other's contributions. These articles tend to be short and explain the broad spectrum of each subject. By following links to related subjects, one can spend hours and hours on the giant wikipedia web site! Wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic This is a broad overview of all the different subjects in logic. You need some knowledge of logic to understand what they're talking about in this article. Wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_logic This is the story of how logic developed from ancient times, through Aristotle and Islamic thought, and into the Enlightenment. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Deductive_reasoning Reasoning that starts with premises and finishes with a conclusion that necessarily follows from those premises. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning Reasoning that starts with evidence and finishes with a conclusion that is not necessarily true, but is probably true. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Informal_logic We don't normally use formal logic in our everyday lives. Informal logic is the study of how to improve everyday reasoning. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking Critical thinking is popular term that is related to informal logic. Classes in critical thinking are often taught in college to help students make good decisions and become less gullible. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentation_theory This is the science of debate, dialogue, conversation, and persuasion. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllogism A syllogism consists of three parts: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Organon "The Organon" is the name of Aristotle's six works on logic. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_logic Usually divided into two sub fields, propositional logic and predicate logic. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Propositional_calculus If you can understand this stuff, you're very smart and should probably start a career in computer programing or astrophysics. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Predicate_logic Predicate logic is the generic term for symbolic formal systems like first-order logic, second-order logic, many-sorted logic or infinitary logic. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_logic Modal logic is any system of formal logic that attempts to deal with modalities. Logical Fallacies Wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy Defines fallacies and talks about different types of fallacies. Stephen's Guide to Fallacies A very extensive resource for the different types of fallacies. The Writing Center Gives definitions and examples of several of the most popular fallacies. FallacyFiles.org All the fallacies organized and explained. SoYouWana.com A fun page on the most common logical errors. Conversational Terrorism Takes fallacies one more step by giving funny real-life examples. The Fallacy Zoo is a site on all the traditional fallacies. A man who wants to increase general understanding of fallacies set up this site. He was tired of explaining the fallacies to people over the email. General Logic Summit Ministries Summit Ministries' page on Critical Thinking introduces the subject from the point-of-view of a Christian world-view. It teaches some major concepts and the most important logical fallacies.  Argumentation and Critical Thinking Tutorial is a website of tests designed to help students practice some of the logic they are learning.  Christian Logic Logic in Apologetics – Unbelievers use logic, and we can turn discussions with them around by showing how the their logic is inconsistent, or that it begins with the wrong premises.  Critical Thinking and Logic is an article by Doug Wilson on the difference between humanistic critical thinking skills and Christian logic.  If you've found a web site you think we should add to this list, leave us a comment below. Learning Logic 2008-04-01T19:35:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/reading-aloud/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/reading-aloud/#When:19:07:00Z This article is taken from the book Hand that Rocks the Cradle. The year I turned five my mother read the Little House series to us kids. That began a long procession of books she and Dad read to us. The pictures I drew in my mind of those stories decorate my childhood memories. They molded me. I want to help you to read to your children. Why read to your children? Stories broaden horizons. By listening, children experience more people and places than they might in their short childhood. On a cozy couch, parents can take the family Around the World in Eighty Days with Jules Verne. Good books teach character. Charles Dickens describes villains in Oliver Twist that he contrasts with the innocent waif, Oliver – who is kidnapped by Fagin the thief-trainer. Authors teach good qualities by contrasting them with bad. Children learn values like curiosity, love, and adventure. Listening comprehension comes before reading comprehension. Children learn to understand concepts and draw inferences from the stories they hear. Children who are read to have stronger language skills – larger vocabularies and improved memory and sequencing abilities. They learn to read difficult books sooner. Reading teaches writing. Listening to E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web imprints his style in a child’s memory. Good books are the work of great minds. Listening to them teaches children what good writing sounds like. Stories teach history. The Scarlet Pimpernel spurred me to learn about France and the Revolution. This led me to Napoleon and then the lost Louis XVII. Howard Pyle’s Men of Iron teaches more about medieval life than any textbook. History is something to experience, and we do this in stories. Reading aloud builds family bonds. It was comforting and reassuring to sit cozily next to my mother on a windy winter afternoon while she read to us Irving’s The Alhambra. I remember our whole family listening suspended in our seats as Dad read Russell’s The Wreck of the Grosvenor. Every time Dad asked if he should stop, we would shout for him to go on. How to read aloud? My mother read in the afternoon when school was done. She used reading aloud as a reward. She asked us to be somewhat quiet, but we could play with our toys or art. She wanted us to ask questions when we did not understand something. Sometimes she asked questions to see if we were catching it all. Sometimes she asked us to retell what we heard at the end of a chapter; this is called narration. Mother read for an hour or two depending on how soon her voice tired. Sometimes we would continue enwrapped by an exceptionally bonnie tale all afternoon long. In showing her love for reading, Mother catalyzed the love in us. My dad read from a different book before bedtime. He read more action and adventure. There is something about Sherlock Holmes and stories like Treasure Island that lends them to being read in the evening. Don’t read boring books. Read books you’re enthusiastic about yourself. Your kids will like them too. Challenge yourself to read books you think are difficult. It’s like exercising your reading muscles. Young children may not seem to catch something at first, but the details have been tucked away in their memory. Audio books are wonderful. Each performance adds a voice and interpretation to the reading. Our family has some favorite readers. Audio books can be good for road trips. If you feel intimidated by reading aloud, you might start with audio books. What books to read? What are the “classics”? If you ask a librarian, she will tell you the classics are books that have endured the test of time. (Some people get these confused with ancient Greek and Roman literature.) To me, classic books are ones that have found their way into the hearts and minds of readers for several generations. They’ve lasted. Should you read only the classics? No. Not all classics are good for children. And there are good modern books that have not yet gathered enough dust to be called “classic.” I recommend avoiding light reading – books that use small vocabularies and don’t develop their characters. Examples might be the Hardy Boys series, Nancy Drew series, or The Boxcar Children. I’d avoid abridged books also. If a book is good enough for your children, it is good enough to read in the author’s original words. For parents who have never read aloud, I recommend some simple stories that go off with a bang: Penrod, The Door in the Wall, The Matchlock Gun, Johnny Tremain, King of the Wind, or The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. For parents who want to try something harder, I recommend Hitty: Her First Hundred Years; Men of Iron; Lassie Come-Home; The Yearling; The Hobbit; Swallows and Amazons; or Swiss Family Robinson. For parents who really want a challenge, I recommend The Moonstone, Les Misérables, Ivanhoe, The Black Arrow, or Ben-Hur. Thinking Tools 2008-03-01T19:07:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-stop-a-fight-with-logic/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/how-to-stop-a-fight-with-logic/#When:22:10:00Z This is a story about how to use logic to stop fights and end quarrels. As we tune in, Tina and Meg are talking about the homeschool support group meeting they both attend . . . Tina: Every time I bring the twins to the support group, I get the impression Barb thinks they’re out of control – they’re not as perfect as her little cherub. Meg: I never got that impression. Didn’t Barb say they’re okay – just a little boisterous? Tina: Yes, but she said it in such a short, blunt way! For the next few months, Tina continues to feel badly. She finally brings it up at the support group. All the women say they haven’t noticed Barb upset with Tina’s twins. Tina leaves feeling that no one understands her. Later, Meg tries to help. Meg: I don’t think you’re being objective . . . Tina: Of course I’m not objective! I’m passionate about this! People need to see it isn’t fair the way she expects my babies to act like little blocks of ice . . . like her boy does! Meg: Let me draw this on a chart . . . Does Barb think Tina’s twins are out of control? Yes Tina’s impression No All the ladies at the support group haven’t noticed anything. Opposing Viewpoints Chart We interrupt our story to explain that this is an opposing viewpoints chart. This chart is a logic tool that helps us compare evidence on both sides of an issue. “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him” (Proverbs 18:17 NIV). If we only understand one side of an issue, we may be surprised when we learn what the other side says. Once we list the evidence in each column for each side, we can compare the columns. When we’re done, we may still believe passionately in our position, but now we understand the reasons why other people disagree. In fact, if we have trouble listing reasons for why other people disagree with us, this is a symptom that our emotions are making us to ignore some important evidence. Meg: Can you think of anything more to put in the “No” column? Tina: Of course not! You put something down – you feel this way. Meg: I’d like you to try . . . it might help you understand Barb’s perspective. In what column should we put, “Barb says the twins are okay?” Tina: Of course she says that! Meg: She did say this . . . should we put it in the “No” column? Tina: I don’t know . . . Not Convinced by Logic We interrupt our story again to explain that people are often not convinced by logic. This is shocking, but true. Logic does not always work. Opposing viewpoint charts can irritate people. Before logic can work, we must remove barriers. In our story, one way Meg could remove barriers is to communicate she is listening. She might show Tina that she is listening by explaining Tina’s position to her in a sympathetic way. This may open the door for logic to work. Meg: I understand the way you feel. You feel Barb looks at you as a hypocrite when it comes to child training because your babies are noisier than her boy. But she won’t come out and say it, she just hints. You feel frustrated because the other women do not see what you see. Tina: I’ve been so depressed about this . . . Meg: What specifically does Barb do that makes you think she disapproves? Tina: Body language . . . she turns her shoulder to me and never looks directly at my side of the room . . . she does this every time. Meg: I remember Barb said bright light makes her migraines worse. Do you often sit near the window? Tina: Oh . . . now I see what you’re trying to say. I’ve been misreading Barb. All of a sudden, this whole situation looks very silly! The Problem and the Solution This story is about how logic resolved a misunderstanding, but only after barriers were removed. Meg was patient with Tina when Tina had trouble seeing the other side of the issue. And once Tina felt Meg had her interests at heart, she opened her mind to the evidence she was ignoring. Logic is not a silver bullet that will stop every fight. But it is a tool that can help us bring peace, if we know how to use it. Thinking Tools 2005-10-01T22:10:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/the-mystery-of-the-missing-moosechoux/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/the-mystery-of-the-missing-moosechoux/#When:21:56:00Z This article contains a mystery. Your job is to use some critical thinking skills to answer some questions and solve the mystery. This mystery is for children and parents. The Mystery of the Missing Moosechoux At the Bourdoughtoux Cheese Farm they make lots and lots of cheese. They make mozzarella cheese, bleu cheese, parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, and that icky kind of cheese that gets stuck in your teeth. In fact, they make any kind of cheese, except American cheese. Pierre is the owner of the Bourdooughtoux Cheese Farm. Pierre: No, we do not make zee substance zay call “American Cheese.” Bah! It is not cheese! Underneath the Bourdooughtoux Cheese Farm is a cave where the cheeses are kept. Some are kept in the cave for a long time to make them taste good. In one part of the cave are kept the very old cheeses. These cheeses are so old and valuable that they are very rarely sold or eaten. Hairy mold eventually grows on these cheeses and they begin to look strange. Pierre: The mold is what make cheese good! Ah! Is magnifique cheese! Our small Moosechoux cheese. It has been in our cellars for one hundred year! By now, it will taste délicieux! This famous Moosechoux cheese is stored in a wooden crate. Occasionally a visitor who is interested in buying it can see it. This morning, the Duke of Chisum asked to see the Moosechoux cheese. Pierre took him into the cave and opened the box. Suddenly, the lights went out. When the lights were turned on again, the Moosechoux cheese had disappeared! Constable Dobson was called to investigate. The first thing Constable Dobson did was obtain eyewitness accounts of what happened. An eyewitness is somebody who clearly saw or heard something surrounding the event in question, and who can tell us about it. Pierre: I was in zee cave with zee Duke of Chisum when I opened zee box. There was zee cheese. Magnifique it was! Then, poof! All zee lights go out and it is dark. I hear someone yell. I say, “Turn zee lights on!” Then zee lights go back on and mon ami! The magnifique Moosechaux, it is gone! Duke of Chisum: This is monstrous! I was about to buy that cheese when it was pinched out from under my nose! Monstrous I say! All I know is when the lights went out somebody brushed past my leg. I heard a sound near where the box was, then somebody brushed past my leg again. Constable Dobson: How long were the lights out? Duke of Chisum: About two minutes, I would say. Cossette: I was upstairs in the kitchen making parmesan cheese when I heard Pierre yell to turn the lights on. I ran to the steps and found the light switch turned off. I turned it back on. Jean-Claude: It was not I who took the Moosechoux. I was with a customer, Brinckley the Butler, in the Swiss cheese section. I heard a loud thud on the stairs, then the lights went off. Brinckley the Butler: Yes sir. I was visiting the farm for the purpose of purchasing a quantity of Swiss cheese for my employer. I am afraid that I am not in possession of any substantive clues to aid in your investigation, sir. However, when the lights were extinguished, I heard something knocked off a shelf. When the lights returned, I was able to ascertain that a small block of Swiss cheese had been dislodged from a bottom shelf and lay upon the floor—presumably the result of the thief passing by in a hurried fashion. Will that be all, sir? Marvin is an especially large cat who sits on the steps leading to the cellars watching everybody. Constable Dobson: Did you see anything? Marvin: Meow. Circumstantial evidence is another type of clue. Circumstantial evidence is evidence which does not directly tell us what happened, but which requires some reasoning to figure out what it means. This could include cheese crumbs on the floor, footprints made by the thief, or the fact that somebody had a motive to steal the cheese—these things could be interpreted in different ways. Below is some circumstantial evidence which Constable Dobson has gathered. The Duke of Chisum has a smear of cheese on his trouser. A trail of hairy cheese crumbs leads up the cellar steps, but stops at the top. The light switch to the cave is at the top of the steps. Constable Dobson notices several small scratches on it. Everybody at the farm was searched the entire building and cave, but the cheese was not found. Brinckley the Butler is buying a rather large Swiss Cheese. The Duke of Chisum is hard up for money these days, but he has a strong affinity for expensive cheese. At the farm, cheese that is left unattended commonly disappears. Nobody knows why. The cheese was insured by Pierre for a large amount of money. Exercises Below are three possible solutions to the mystery. For each solution, find the pieces of circumstantial evidence or eyewitness accounts which seem to support the solution. Also, find the pieces of evidence that seem to say the solution is false. Solution A. The Duke of Chisum took the cheese because he wanted it and didn’t have enough money to buy it. He hid it somewhere in the cave when the lights were out. Solution B. Pierre had long ago sold the Moosechoux cheese. He had replaced it with a deflateable cheese replica. He deflated the cheese replica and hid it in the cave when the lights were out. The lights were on a timer, so they would turn off at the right moment. Pierre wanted to collect the insurance money. Solution C. Someone or something in the cave turned the lights off and then grabbed the cheese and ate it. Where do you think the cheese is now? How do you think it disappeared? List evidence which supports your theory. Solution A: Circumstantial evidence 1, and 6 seem to support this. However, evidence 4 indicates that the cheese is not in the cave. Solution B: Pierre’s account as well as evidence 8 supports this. However, this does not explain the crumbs found on the scene, as well as the fact that the switch had been turned off. Solution C: the Duke of Chisum, Cossette, and Brinckley the Butler’s accounts as well as evidence 1, 2, 4, and 7 seem to support this. However, this does not explain who could have done it. Cossette: Look at Marvin the Cat. He looks ill! Marvin the Cat: Burp! Pierre : Look! Cheese crumbs on his whiskers! It was you! Zee cat ate my beautiful Moosechaux! Oh, terrible! Marvin the Cat: Meaux! Cossette: I think he just said the Moosechoux tasted like American Cheese. Pierre: Bah! Constable Dobson: That just about clears this case up. Marvin the Cat must have seen the cheese in the cave, jumped up and flicked off the light, ran down and stole the cheese, then came here to eat it. Marvin the Cat: Meeeow. Thinking Tools 2005-09-01T21:56:00-06:00 http://www.christianlogic.com/site/having-a-brainstorm/ http://www.christianlogic.com/site/having-a-brainstorm/#When:21:40:00Z Brainstorming is a process creative people use to invent an idea, find a solution to a problem, or answer a question. We are brainstorming whenever we spend time generating lots and lots of ideas that might help us solve a problem. Brainstorming is a useful thinking tool. It can be used by anybody to solve any problem. We can brainstorm in a group, or by ourselves. Here are some things which brainstorming might help us with: Decorating the bathroom Figuring out what points to make in an article – like this one And, generating ideas for a science fair project Brainstorming can even be used to solve big problems, like the problem of world terrorism. . . Mr. President: Ok, we’re here to decide how to protect our nation from terrorists. Any ideas? Sec. of Interior: What if we closed down all our national parks and monuments so the terrorists couldn’t get in and hurt them? Sec. of Transportation: And closed all the roads, and ports, so the terrorists can’t get out. Sec. of Energy: But then I wouldn’t be able to get to work in the morning. Sec. of Labor: I think the best way to protect us from terrorism is to make it so the terrorists can’t terrorize us. Does anybody agree? Sec. of Education: What about a contest for children from across the country to sew a big “Protect Us From Terrorism” quilt? Mr. President: Intriguing ideas. Does the Secretary of Defense have anything to say? Sec. of Defense: These donuts are good! When brainstorming, every idea does not have to be a good idea. In the the President’s brainstorm, most of the ideas were not good ideas. But the President should keep encouraging ideas until there is success. Here are a few steps which might help us brainstorm. Define the problem First we define the problem we want to solve. Let’s say your son is going to enter a science fair, and he needs a project idea. Bingo: What should I do my science fair project on? Dad: Let’s come up with some ideas. Pick a time Next, you need to chose a time for your brainstorm. It is best to do brainstorming during the most productive time of the day. Good ideas often come in surges, so you should try to brainstorm when a surge is likely. Encourage ideas Next, everybody should start suggesting ideas. The object of brainstorming is to produce as many ideas as we can. There should be no pressure on the barnstormers to make every idea a “brilliant” one. Hans: What should we write our article on? Nathaniel: Maybe we could do it on the philosophical ramifications of the Platonian view of universal forms? Hans: You’ve been listening to those philosophy tapes too much. Nathaniel: Brainstorming rule number three says you can’t be critical of other people’s ideas. It is forbidden to criticize other people’s ideas. Just because somebody says an idea, that doesn’t mean you have to do it (thank goodness). Bingo: I want to do my project on something I am interested in. Dad: You play a lot of paintball. What about doing something with that? Bingo: How about “how to make a paintball gun more accurate?” Dad: Or “how to make it shoot farther?” Often, brainstorming as a group is better than by yourself because more ideas can be produced. However, if nobody is coming up with ideas, it my help to encourage things by suggesting some wild and humorous ideas. Bingo and his dad should keep suggesting ideas until they have a lot. Write it down This is a very important part of brainstorming. Assign somebody to be secretary. His job is to write down every idea – that way; good ideas will not be lost. Dad: Here are the ideas we have: 1) How to make a paintball gun more accurate. 2) How to make it shoot farther. 3) What breed of guinea pig bites their owners the most? 4) How far do different kinds of rubber bands stretch before breaking? 5) Disproving Einstein’s theory of relativity. Bingo: You forgot one idea: not doing a science fair project at all. Dad: That’s out of the question. While some of these ideas seem impractical, it isn’t always obvious you have a good idea until later. That’s why you need to write everything down. Sometimes, people will use post-it notes to write each idea, sticking them on the wall. Categorize The next step is to categorize the ideas you have and decide which ones are the best. Bingo and his dad could categorize their ideas under: “ideas involving paintballs,” “ideas involving painful experiments” and “impractical ideas.” Another part of brainstorming is improving ideas. For example, “how to make a paintball gun more accurate” might change to “what factors reduce paintball accuracy.” After categorizing their ideas, Bingo should wait a day before deciding which one is best. Hopefully by then one of Bingo’s ideas will have matured enough to be a really good science fair project idea. Remember, nearly every great idea started with a brainstorm. . . Sir Arthur: I’m writing a story about a detective, but I don’t know what to call him. Any ideas? Charles: Is he smart? Sir Arthur: Very smart. He can figure out everything about you just by looking at you – then he say’s its “elementary.” He can solve the most difficult of crimes with only minor clues. He can even break into a house without leaving a trace. Charles: “Detective Watson” has a good ring to it. Sir. Arthur: Can’t, I already used that name. Charles: He can break into homes, you say. The other characters would do well to be sure they locked their homes. Sir. Arthur: Yes, they should be sure to lock their homes. Charles: I have an idea. . Thinking Tools 2005-03-01T21:40:00-06:00