Logic + values = wisdom
“Logic,
logic, logic . . . logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end.”
-Spock
Star Trek VI: The
Undiscovered Country (1991)
I’ve long argued that logic does not exist in a void. There
is no such thing as pure, objective logic. Logic has to start somewhere.
In scientific fields, that starting point is relatively
easy. Logic begins with observations. Sir Isaac Newton studies Johannes
Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and used logic to deduce that those same laws
must apply to the Moon’s orbit around the Earth and also to all objects on the
Earth, such as the (possibly apocryphal) apple that fell from the tree.
Jean-Francois Champollion used logic to compare the Greek text on the Rosetta
Stone to the Egyptian hieroglyphics on the same stone to decipher the ancient
Egyptians’ written language. Logic is a method of drawing conclusions from
observations, but it always needs something to start with.
Spock’s statement at the top of the page has its roots in a
Biblical passage, Proverbs 9:10, which states “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom,” but its use in Star Trek VI is in many ways the
opposite of its use in the Bible. The passage in Proverbs calls the reader to
look to the Lord, first and foremost, for knowledge. However, in the context of
the film, Spock’s use of the phrase is an admonishment to his protégé, Valeris,
to regard logic as only the beginning of the path to wisdom, and to look
beyond logic for further enlightenment.
Logic does not exist in a void.
Logic springs forth from observations in the scientific
world, but in terms of a society, logic springs forth from values. Every
society, consciously or not, makes decisions about what it values and holds
dear. Every society is based on a set of beliefs, sometimes religious in nature
and sometimes now.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .”
-Thomas Jefferson
The Declaration of
Independence (1776)
This was how Thomas Jefferson, on behalf of the brand-new
United States, answered one of the most important questions of anyone’s life:
“Who are you?”
The answer to that question is what we base our logic on.
What we believe and what we value sets us to reach logical conclusions, but
those conclusions can be wildly different from one person to the next depending
on how they answer that question. There is no such thing as pure, perfect logic
because there is no such thing as a pure, perfect person. That’s why it’s so important
to think carefully about the decisions we make and the conclusions we reach; it’s
vitally important that we reach them based on the values that are truly
important to us.