Logical

Chase is starting his second year of logic. In the first year, I usually just have them play logic games, like Sudoku and Twenty Questions. The second year, I take a more formalized approach using a book called "Logic for Beginners" by Irving Adler. I love this book, but it is out of print so it is really hard to get a copy. In the first chapter, three forms of logic are introduced-observation, report and reasoning. The example given used three boys, each of them using logic to support the statement, "It is raining." The first boy saw the rain. The second based his statement on the report of the first. The third boy looked out the window and saw people with open umbrellas. He reasoned that people only open their umbrellas when it's raining (which I saw as faulty logic, but that's another story). I tried to discuss these forms a little, explaining how Mr. Spock always used logic to understand situations.
Which led to a new topic. "Who?"
"You know," I said, "the Vulcan on Star Trek." Blank stare. "Star Trek? Remember Star Trek?"
"I know what Star Trek is, and I know what a Vulcan is, I just don't know who Mr. Spock is."

Maybe I should have used Sherlock Holmes as my example. Please just order my rocking chair and sit me in a corner with the cats.