KENNETH RICHARD SAMPLES began voraciously studying Christian philosophy and theology when his thirst for purpose found relief in the Bible. He earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy and social science from Concordia University and his MA in theological studies from Talbot School of Theology. For seven years, Kenneth worked as Senior Research Consultant and Correspondence Editor at the Christian Research Institute (CRI) and regularly cohosted the popular call-in radio program, The Bible Answer Man, with Dr. Walter Martin.
As a youth, Kenneth wrestled with “unsettling feelings of meaninglessness and boredom,” driving him to seek answers to life’s big questions. An encounter with Christian philosophy in Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis led Kenneth to examine the New Testament and “finally believe that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, the Lord and Savior of the world.” From then on, he pursued an intellectually satisfying faith. Today, as senior research scholar at Reasons To Believe (RTB), Kenneth uses what he’s learned to help others find the answers to life’s questions. He encourages believers to develop a logically defensible faith and challenges skeptics to engage Christianity at a philosophical level. He is the author of Without a Doubt and A World of Difference, and has contributed to numerous other books, including: Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men, The Cult of the Virgin, and Prophets of the Apocalypse. He has written articles for Christianity Today and The Christian Research Journal, and regularly participates in RTB’s podcasts, including Straight Thinking, a podcast dedicated to encouraging Christians to utilize sound reasoning in their apologetics. He also writes for the ministry’s daily blog, Today’s New Reason to Believe, from which the following was taken:
Logic is to the philosopher what mathematics is to the physicist.
When I’m confronted with a controversial topic my training in logic compels me to think the subject through carefully and to arrive at a rational conclusion. This is the benefit of studying logic. Rather than teaching you to think (something humans do naturally and intuitively), logic trains you on how to think—that is, deliberately, carefully, and according to consistent patterns.
Think It Through
But what does thinking through a topic in a rational manner actually involve? Philosopher and logician Ed L. Miller states in his highly-recommended primer, Questions That Matter:
“Careful thinkers strive to make their arguments, positions, and pronouncements rational, that is, well conceived, well evidenced, well stated, and persuasive.”
Let’s explore in the four aspects that Miller says make ideas and arguments rational.
1. Is the idea or argument well conceived?
In thinking about a particular subject a person should ask whether the very foundation of the idea is sound. Well conceived ideas are logically coherent, possessing internal consistency or harmony. Sound ideas avoid self-stultification or being self-defeating in nature (contradictory by both affirming and denying the very essence of the idea or argument).
2. Is the idea or argument well evidenced?
An “opinion” (a person’s belief about a given topic at a particular time) becomes an “argument” when a person attempts to buttress that opinion with facts, evidence, or reasons. An argument involves two things: (1) a claim (or conclusion); and (2) support (premises) for the claim. Solid ideas or arguments possess genuine support for the claims they make. Something is well evidenced when it possesses sufficient proof and backing—adequate in number, kind, and weight.
3. Is the idea or argument well stated?
Clarity and conciseness of thought and expression are hallmarks of good arguments. They avoid problems, like vagueness (blurred or fuzzy), ambiguity (multiple meanings), and grammatical error. Thinking, speaking, and writing reflect a critical logical unity.
4. Is the idea or argument persuasive?
Rhetoric (the persuasive use of language) is closely tied to logic. Ideas and arguments that are articulated in a clear, concise, and cogent (logically constructed) manner also tend to be forceful and compelling in terms of personal persuasion. When a person’s thoughts are shaped and ordered according to the principles of logic, that person tends to convince others. People intuitively sense the force of well crafted ideas and arguments.
Great sharing this.