Most everybody takes pride in thinking that he answers perfectly to the description of being ‘very logical’. The only exception is the group that likes to parrot the different varieties of the ‘logic/analysis/thinking could lead you astray’ sentiment. Such slogans sound mighty impressive but only so long as nobody thinks them through. They are undone as soon as they are applied back to themselves. In the practical domain too, they cannot be lived up to because even their staunchest advocates must live, however unconsciously, according to some thought process or another, however faulty or vague that may be. This group clearly does not deserve any more of our time.
As for the rest of us, nobody likes to be considered illogical. It is in this context that in debates between atheists and theists it is usually only a matter of time before the former accuse the latter of being illogical. This makes the atheist feel good about himself in comparison as being a logical, superior specimen. The theist, on the other hand, who is infinitely less pleased, finds himself obliged to forcefully repudiate the charge. The original discussion thus gets permanently derailed. To the casual bystander the theist appears to be defensive; while the theist, who is on the offensive, appears to him to be ‘winning’. There is thus a common perception that atheists know their logic while theists are generally on shaky ground when it comes to logical thinking.
Now I do not for a moment deny that theists can be exceedingly illogical; many no doubt are. But that is so because human beings can be extremely illogical. That would include theists as well as atheists. When the atheist accuses the theists in general of being illogical however, he usually does not have in mind any error in the latter’s argument (which would make the theist illogical); his objection, instead, is on some premise of the theist’s argument. But what he hides, or honestly does not know, is that the same objection can be raised against any of his positions too. Which, by the same token, would make the atheist every bit as illogical. He is usually way too elated to be more careful and consistent. In many cases, the theist feels overawed and starts feeling embarrassed for his logic even though outwardly he continues to gamely battle away.
The reason behind this state of affairs is widespread lack of understanding of a straightforward fact. That is, while logic helps one think clearly, it cannot be expected to bring any new information to the table. It is an indispensable tool that enables one to spot inconsistencies in thought lurking in their dark hiding places that would otherwise remain unnoticed owing to vagueness of the argument or the sheer eloquence of its expression. But if one expects it to give answers to fundamental questions of life (‘Does God exist?’ ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’ ‘What is the purpose of our life?’ ‘Do other people exist’, to name some) one is due for disappointment in the extreme.
Logic is merely a tool for analysis, not a source of new knowledge. Mathematics, a system based on logic, is one big collection of tautologies. Bertrand Russell could not have been more spot on when he observed that mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true. For it is us humans who give meaning to logical systems by choosing premises. Logic is a system that starts from axioms, postulates or premises, and proves theorems. No logical system can prove its own axioms, which must be fed into it from the outside. These axioms are either truisms, conclusions of higher logical systems (dependent in turn on other axioms), oral or documentary evidence, generalizations of empirical data or information derived from revelation– scriptural as well as the innate ideas human minds come pre-fitted with.
Atheists and theists merely employ different axioms, that is all. But they do it in exactly the same way. Which makes no side any more (or any less) illogical than the other. Neither camp has any shortage of illogical folks in various grades. As for which side is what-percent more illogical than the other, that is a promising doctorate research topic for anybody who aspires to a career as Uber captain.
Being deductive in nature, logic yields certain conclusions. But this does not mean that the conclusions are necessarily true as well. If there is no error in reasoning from the premises to the conclusion, it is a valid argument. If the premise also happens to be true, the argument is sound as well. An invalid argument can always be identified when there is a contradiction somewhere, but the difference between a sound argument and a valid one is the truth of the premises, which by definition are outside the system. Logic can therefore be used to prove that something is impossible or does not make any sense but logic alone will never prove something to be true.
There are many cases where the truth or falsehood of axioms can be established and demonstrated. If it is a fact, it is merely a matter of looking it up (words of a legal act, for example). If they are based on empirical data, then their truth will be probabilistic, never absolute. If their source is revelation, then the soundness of the argument will be a function of how much confidence one places in the reliability of the source. Whatever the case, the task becomes trickier as one ascends up the chain of reasoning (as one must when it comes to fundamental issues). At that level of discourse, the truth of the axioms cannot be demonstrated. The choice of axioms there is more a matter of personal temperament and individual judgement than anything else. Beling logical or otherwise has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
Atheists and theists merely employ different axioms, that is all. But they do it in exactly the same way. Which makes no side any more (or any less) illogical than the other. Neither camp has any shortage of illogical folks in various grades. As for which side is what-percent more illogical than the other, that is a promising doctorate research topic for anybody who aspires to a career as Uber captain.
