Why Johnnie Can’t Think – Pt. 1

Back in 1955, Rudolph Flesch wrote a landmark book entitled Why Johnnie Can’t Read.  Someone now needs to write a book called Why Johnnie Can’t Think.  It’s not only a real thing, but as many college professors and business owners can testify, it’s a big problem. The reasons are multi-layered and multi-dimensional; here is the first one …

First, Johnnie (or Janie) can’t think because we don’t teach logic anymore.  

We live in a politicized, polarized culture.  Consequently, we are baited by “applause lines” delivered by people on “our side,” dismissing with contempt those who speak contrary.  But as educator Douglas Wilson says, “We may often take sides in such a process, but it cannot be called thinking.  People can say many true things couched in atrocious arguments, and they construct valid arguments in the cause of error.”

Logic is about the assessment of those arguments, and every subject involves them, i.e., reasons for believing something.  An argument is an answer to a “Why?” question, and it requires dual components: (1) a group of one or more premises, and (2) a conclusion.  The premises form the links in a chain on which the conclusion hangs.

But not just any link will do; the links of an argument can either be good or bad, solid or flawed.  Logic is the discipline which shows our young people how to judge whether an argument is good or bad, whether it links together properly or not.

In classical education, logic was one of the staples of the curriculum.  In fact, in medieval times, logic was part of the Trivium (the key three thinking stages) which equipped young scholars with a structure that enabled them to think effectively before they entered into the Quadrivium (the core four thinking subjects).

Without those basic tools of thinking — apart from the basic “rules of thinking” – they were deemed uneducated and, therefore, unworthy of one’s attention, no matter how much knowledge, status, power or wealth they accumulated.

In modernity’s progressive education models, logic is only mildly toyed with, if at all (usually not at all).  But apart from logic, there is no “progressive” education because the kiddos can only regress in their thinking, becoming passive, gullible and emotional, believing whatever and whoever.  They need tools – logic gives them a whole tool box.

So that’s the first reason Johnny can’t think.  We no longer teach logic as both a formal scholastic discipline and core pedagogical thinking stage. The second reason is we no longer teach classical rhetoric.  That next time …

Brian Schroeder is the former Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, an ordained minister and founder/president of The ChrisCorps Commission (bschroeder081858@gmail.com)