Problem Solving: Intuition VS Logic
Choosing
to solve problems through logic will lead to greater
success.
I question the use of intuition to solve problems as it lacks the ability to produce a reliable outcome. That said, logic does have pitfalls as well. Logic can only lead to a sound conclusion if the basal arguments are true. Beginning with a false statement is a risk in any logical argument and is the cause of many false conclusions. In math, any incorrect calculation durning any part of a long devision problem will lead to an incorrect solution. In this way, all logical problems are the same.
Some people claim to have incredible intuition—the magical perception of the world that allows a person to make decisions with little knowledge or understanding of the problem. The Oxford dictionary defines intuition as the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning. Like many definitions, this one seems incomplete, or at the very least, inaccurate. How can one separate understanding from reasoning? How can any claim of understanding be made without the knowledge of how one reached the conclusion? As an educator, I can say without reservation that a teacher cannot teach without the ability to explain the hows and whys of every concept. “I just know,” will never be an acceptable explanation to any student or parent. I cannot, therefore, accept that a person who arrives at a conclusion through intuition can claim to have understood the problem.
Whether a conclusion is correct or not has no bearing on whether a person understands a concept. All people crave understanding and
the only way to achieve it is through logic. If an outcome cannot be predicted 100% of the time,
we cannot claim to have understanding. Being correct about an outcome
most of the time proves nothing.
We rely on reasoning to interact with the
world around us. When we travel, most of us can
describe the route we took to get from one place to another. We do not
magically arrive. If we relied solely on intuition we might arrive at our destination sometimes and others, not.
Relying on intuition may be a successful strategy much of the time, but is ‘much of the time’ a satisfactory result? In math, we
expect to come to the conclusion that 2+2 = 4 one hundred percent of the
time. Those who cannot, do not understand the simple concept of addition. So,
the premise here is: logic leads to understanding; understanding provides
opportunities to make better decisions; better decisions will lead to better
outcomes.
Predictability can be achieved if
we are aware and understand everything that effects the outcome of an event.
Those who rely primarily on
intuition may be asked to describe how it is they came to a decision, but they will not know. By Oxford's definition, that is the nature of intuition.
Choosing to solve problems with the use of logic
increases the likelihood of a positive outcome. Understanding a problem and
making sound decisions based on knowledge and understanding will lead to positive outcomes.
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