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One of the questions folks sometimes ask regarding the placement of logic as part of the classical science curriculum is why? Why do we take an “entire year away” from the science curriculum during 8th grade to teach logic instead of furthering the students' scientific knowledge? Well, if one considers that a typical definition of science has to do with testing hypotheses regarding our observations of the natural world, then one must ask “by what means do we test these hypotheses?” What tools must a student possess in order for them to do science well? Having made observations about the natural world, how then are they supposed to analyze and understand these observations?

The answer to this question is logic. A student's understanding of and ability to wield the tool of logic is integral to any science curriculum as it provides the means by which any scientific inquiry or conclusion can be tested and proven. Without logic, the actual process whereby scientific hypotheses are formulated and analyzed would be impossible. Logic is the fundamental tool used by scientists to actually do science. Since that is the case, does it make sense (appeal to logic here) to send them off to do science with a test tube, petri dish, and Bunsen burner but not logic? 

Logic is the fundamental tool used by scientists to actually do science. Since that is the case, does it make sense (appeal to logic here) to send them off to do science with a test tube, petri dish, and Bunsen burner but not logic? 

Now some might say, “but logic is a natural, innate ability developed over time like speaking, reading, or writing.” Although this is true at some level, we do not leave students to fend for themselves, hoping they develop these attributes. We assiduously teach them to speak well and to write well and to read well. This should be no less true with regard to thinking. Students need to be taught, not only to think, but especially how to think and reason well. It seems self-evident that much of the modern western world has given up on the ancient classical commitment to learning logic and the result has been a demonstrable level of irrationality even among our “college elites.”

With that said, it’s important to note that a classical education does not think of the different subject areas as independent and unrelated. Science, math, literature, history, they are all part of an integrated whole with theology as the queen over them all. As a result, each particular subject helps to inform and illuminate the others. Logic especially undergirds all the other subjects as the foundation upon which access to these other subjects rests. The science of logic is to understand and implement the structures by which we think and reason and then to apply that ability to every other area of our students' studies. 
Since logic is the scientific study of how we think and reason, the logic curriculum is a year-long study of the form that thinking and reasoning takes, namely arguments. By argument, I mean the development of a conclusion based on a series of premises. Practically everything we read, experience, or engage in, though most of the time it’s subconscious, can be formulated as an argument beginning with premises that lead to a conclusion. When you pull up to a stoplight you engage in an argument. You have a premise, “If the light is red it means I should stop.” Then you have another premise: “the light is most certainly red.” Therefore, you come to the conclusion, “I will stop.” In every commercial you watch, every article you read, paragraph you write, billboard you pass, action you decide to take, science experiment you run, history lesson you hear, mathematical problem you solve, theology discussion you have, soccer kick you make, and so on infinitum you are engaging in evaluating arguments. This is why we dedicate a full year to helping students understand the form and nature of argument.

The students learn how to identify and interact with arguments. They learn to be discerning about the arguments being made all around them by learning how to examine newspapers, magazines, commercials, social media posts, comics, political cartoons and debates, TV ads, movies, songs, etc. in order to evaluate and discern whether the arguments are sound or fallacious.

The ultimate goal of the logic class is not only to prepare the students to be able to excel at scientific inquiry or to be able to write good paragraphs or become better equipped to analyze literature, but more importantly, to be able to withstand the lies of the evil one and to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 

The ultimate goal of the logic class is not only to prepare the students to be able to excel at scientific inquiry or to be able to write good paragraphs or become better equipped to analyze literature, but more importantly, to be able to withstand the lies of the evil one and to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. All our efforts at educating our children would be in vain if we did not properly prepare them to fight against the powers and principalities of the air who stand ready to capture them with deceptive philosophies and dangerous ideologies. They need to be adequately prepared to be warriors against the deceits and lies of this present darkness. I begin the school year telling my students that, essentially, logic is a course in “the defense against the dark arts.” There is certainly a war being waged for the hearts and minds of our children. It is our responsibility to train them that they might not be taken “captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col 2:8). By God’s grace, our students are prepared, through all of their coursework here at Rockbridge, to stand firm against all the wily schemes of the evil one that  they might “be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Eph 6:13).

Daron Lawing has served at Rockbridge Academy since 2010 teaching History, Bible, Logic, Debate, and most recently Computer Programming. He earned an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary in 1995 and served in church ministry for 3 years and 13 years as a software developer prior to coming to Rockbridge. He loves scintillating discussions, the feel of a chisel paring away slivers of wood, and the smell of frying bacon. Daron and his wife, Jennifer have three grown children, all graduates of Rockbridge Academy.